In case you haven’t noticed yet: Google is introducing another social media service supporting the same features we were promised with Google+.

“Google Stars … will let users save, share, and organize Web content.” according to TNW.

Sounds familiar? Will Google+ follow Google Buzz etc. then or stay undead like Orkut?

The Google killing fields

Isn’t it ironic? Google seems to have a long track record of failed social media attempts, I mean the likes of:

  • Google Bookmarks, a Delicious competitor with very basic features, was launched in 2005 and not once improved ever since
  • Orkut, a decade-old buy, is still an existing social networking site for orks
  • Google SearchWiki, a way to add “stars” to web pages in search results, later was removed
  • Google Buzz, a Twitter competitor by Google, was phased out in favor of Google+
  • Google Wave, the next big thing in real time social networking that got “sunset” soon after launch
  • Google Reader, the most popular feed reader with social features that got disbanded in favor of Google+

to name just a few…, recent speculations about the demise of Google+ add to the overall uncertainty. With the introduction of new services like Google My Business replacing Google+ Local features, the days of Google+ seem to be numbered.

Was Google+ a mistake?

sergey-brin

* Creative Commons image by Thomas Hawk

Will Google Stars be the last blow to the already battered Google+ social networking service Google founder Sergey Brin considers “a [personal] mistake” to have engaged in? Was Google+ just a mistake for Brin or for all of Google?

As an active Google+ user, I certainly hope not to see Google Stars to take its place.

That’s why I took some time to find out more about Google’s “new take on social bookmarking” as some have dubbed it. Many people who assume it’s no threat to Google+ existence are also pointing that out. I’m not so sure. These days social bookmarking and social networking are more or less the same thing. On most social sites, saving and sharing content is one of the most common purposes.

Google+ to share and discover, Google Stars to save and share

Google+ asks you to “share and discover, all across Google”. In the Google+ feature introduction of circles, it says “share and receive updates from the right people”. That’s not much different than what TNW explained above. Google Stars itself is also about sharing, but according to screenshots from not-yet-public versions the sharing option is not the most important aspect of it:

google-stars-thank-you

The main difference of Google+ and Google Stars is that the latter seems to be only available for Google Chrome users. When being turned on, Google Stars will completely replace the local browser bookmarks. Similarly, all items are private by default on Google+. You have to decide to share publicly and only then it will happen.

Is Google+ the new Orkut or the next Google Buzz?

orkut-traffic-2014

The social networking site Orkut is still online and quite popular in Brasil and India. Why do I mention that? Orkut wasn’t completely killed by Google when they started Google+. Instead, its existence serves as a vivid example of what happens when Google finds a new more shiny social media toy. Google Buzz has been “sunset” when Google+ entered the stage though.

Google+ has been popular in India and Brasil from the start as well.

I couldn’t find current numbers but based on the increasing number of people who follow me on Google+ and who have Indian names in many cases, I assume that India is by now the biggest source of Google+ members. Sadly I couldn’t test Google Stars myself as the Chrome extension got pulled from the web store. Thus I have to assess the situation without first hand experience.

Google+ , Google Stars and Orkut under one roof?

coca-cola-limited-edition

** Creative Commons image by Nik Voon

Based on the Orkut example and the large Indian community on Google+, we can certainly hope that Google+ will stay alive even after Google stops pushing it. In the case whereby it has enough a large real user base, Google might just keep it as well. After all Coca Cola has several soft drinks with different flavors, too.

Why can’t Google have its own Coke, Fanta, Sprite or even Coke with lots of different flavors?

That’s my impression here. Google Stars is just another flavor of the numerous failed or defunct Google social media tools and services. It has some evident features we know from Google Bookmarks, Google Sidewiki, Orkut, Google+ and Google Reader as far as I can see based on second hand evidence and my previous usage of those services.

Can Google be trusted again?

For me personally and business-wise though, Google+ was the last Google social product I will use. I won’t waste my time with another one in case I lose the network I build on Google+. It took a whole lot of efforts to build a network on Buzz but it was still just a year or so of casual usage.

I have been using Google+ for 3.5 years on daily basis and it was a real time investment I put in to build my social network there. So in case Google tells me that it was wasted again, I will tell Google to f**k off.

Google+ was the last time I trusted Google.

A possible solution for both heavy Google+ users and Google itself to keep its face would be a connection between Google+ and Google Stars. As of now it appears to be a completely new and separate product though. Internal politicking seems to take over at Google. Nobody cares about the actual existing users it seems.

Creative Commons image by Olli

*Creative Commons image by Thomas Hawk

**Creative Commons image by Nik Voon