Google Plus is Shutting Down in August

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By shutting Google plus in August 2019 Google have shut down one of my favourite social networks. From the start I have said that it reminded me of Jaiku, an excellent, european alternative to Jaiku that never reached critical mass and so was sold to Google, which then shut it down and eventually released Google+

Google+ is an excellent social network because it allows photographers and conversationalists to converse without the hype, without the cult of personality and without sensationalism. In other words it allows people to have conversations that increase their understanding and awareness of current affairs.

With the demise of Google+ we will lose this sea of tranquility and be reduced to go to miasmic networks such as Twitter and Facebook where the cult of personality, sensationalism and doctored newsfeeds prevent us from seeing what the people we want to keep in touch with are posting.

People argue that we could shift to Mewe, that we could shift to pluspora or other social networks but there are two issues. The first of these is that every jump from one platform to another takes weeks or months to feel familiar. The second issue is that when you’ve been jumping from web community to web community for decades like I have you get fatigued. I don’t want to spend weeks or months sorting through noise to get a crisp signal. I want to log in, skim for a few minutes, contribute, and then continue with my day. Joining a new social network would require a big investment of time and in three or four years that network may be sunset anyway.

That’s where WordPress comes in. WordPress is social media. People with a lot to say write blog posts that are hundreds of words long, with images, videos included, maps and sometimes graphs. Blogging is about connecting people confident with how they spend their time online.

Facebook and Twitter are social networks used by normal people who think they are wasting their time and lives by socialising in a virtual environment. Blogging communities are a place where people are committed to their desire to communicate in long form.

I am using the explore tab on WordPress’s app and commenting on posts. I am reverting to blogging. I like forcing myself to write long form posts, of developing my writing skills and my creative abilities.