When I
published my first novel, I read a lot of advice online about the best way to
publicize it. Several people/sites said it was imperative for me to put myself
out there on social media so that any potential reader could find out more
about me and might be inspired to buy my novels.
As a
result, I opened accounts with Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon Author Central,
Blogger, iAuthor, Youtube, and Google+. I soon realized that each of these
needed to be somewhat different since no one wants to read the same information
over and over.
I
decided that Blogger would have snippets of my fiction, in addition to actual
updates and my thoughts on the world, while Facebook would be more about the
novels and general space news.
iAuthor,
Goodreads and Youtube are sites where I mostly posted items (names &
information about the novels, videos about the novels) and then left them
alone. Amazon Author Central was the place to post general information about me
as an author, with a picture or two.
Then
there was Google+. I wasn’t sure what to do with it at first. All of my blogs
automatically show up there, but that seemed a little boring. I did some
exploring and found out that a lot of people use Google+ for photos, especially
collections of photos, so I decided to do the same. At first, I simply shared
photos from others that I thought were noteworthy. After a while, though, I
posted a few of my own photos. Eventually I posted a few collections. It was
always a good place to find amazing photos of birds, wildlife, nature,
beautiful things, etc. I liked how easy it was to explore and find others’
collections. And I had around 42 followers!
Now
comes the news that Google+ will no longer be available for non-commercial
users like me. This makes me sad. It was one place where I could post little
items about something cool I’d seen in Wilderness Park or on the flowers out
front or while I was traveling. I wasn’t really an author there; I was just one
person among many wanting to share some photos.
There
weren’t a lot of ads. If I followed someone, I saw ALL of their posts, not just
some. If I wanted to explore, it was simple. If I wanted to share my photos
with someone, that was simple, too. Google+ never seemed overbearing or
difficult; it just seemed like a nice place to hang out once in a while.
I guess
those of us hanging out together weren’t generating enough revenue. Also,
Google apparently had a data breach and decided it wasn’t worth it to revise
Google+ for added security. Whatever the reason, they’ve decided to end the Google+
product, except for business owners.
I’m not
the only one who will miss Google+. I’ve read several posts there as people try
to figure out where to move their photos and how to notify their followers
(sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands). They’re scattering to the wind;
I guess it’s a lot like when you leave high school or college in the “real
world”: you realize you won’t be with that particular set of people anymore and
won’t see some of them ever again.
I
suppose it’s for the best. I’ve met a lot of good people since college. I’m
sure I’ll find somewhere else to share and enjoy photos.
But I’ll
miss this one. Goodbye, Google+.
