Passion. Ability. Reality. Joy.

A few weeks ago I, like many others, was clamoring for my shot at a Google+ invite.  I tried contacting many friends (ironically, through Facebook) to somehow find someone who had an account and could invite me.  Finally, someone invited me through a group I am a part of on (wait for it…) LinkedIn.

Then I joined.  Finally!  I am in!  A new tool for me to keep up with all of my social peeps.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the theater.  I forgot to ask one question of myself.

Do I really NEED another social network?  Is this Google + thing really going to be worth another time investment, beyond the three or four networks I am on now?

MG Siegler at TechCrunch recently penned this article (cleverly sublined as Google Minus) that shows I may not be alone in my rapidly waning pursuit of Google+.

Well, the answer, three weeks later, is no.  I can honestly say I just haven’t had the time/desire to go and set all that stuff up.  I mean, I have heard lots of cool things about the platform – hangouts, groups, etc.  – but I waste spend enough time on primarily Facebook and LinkedIn that I honestly couldn’t think of a reason to bring yet another network in, no matter how superior it is.

So I guess I’m partially responsible for the decline in visitor counts, time spent on the site, and inevitably Google’s stock price.

But that’s kind of how I roll anyway.  European sports cars notwithstanding, once I have a solution for something, there’s gotta be a pretty compelling reason for me to switch.  Was I frustrated with my experience on Facebook?  Not really.  Helps me keep up with current friends as well as friends that I would not have been able to connect with at all from the past.  I even found out about the death of a dear mentor a few months ago through FB, and probably wouldn’t have known otherwise.  I was able to meet some friends at the beach (shout-out to the Tiemanns!) near our house because of Facebook; wouldn’t have even known they were here without it.  Are there things that are missing? Maybe, but for what I have defined as my need, it suits it just fine.

What about LinkedIn?  How is it working for me?  Well, it has been a good platform for me to network with other folks in my geographic and professional areas in a way I would not have been able to before.  It’s made our vast world a little smaller.  Have I gotten a lot of new business through it?  Hard to say, but it certainly has allowed me to keep up with colleagues and maintain valuable business connections.

So will I ever take the time to plunge deeper into Google+?  I don’t know, although I probably should learn a little more about it so I can stay conversant.  But in the cost/benefit analysis I do with nearly anything, starting up this service just hasn’t played in the cards yet.

But maybe those that have made the switch/effort can help me with some rationale to consider prioritizing this again.