3 Things We Can Learn From the Google+ Suggested User List Fiasco

By Corina Mackay

The growing community on Google+ has recently been up in arms about Google’s creation of a suggested user list. The list is presented to new users during the sign-up process, encouraging them to ‘supercharge’ their stream by following celebrities and influential users chosen by the Google team. The controversy over the selection of users and Robert Scoble’s public request to be removed from the list brought up three important points for me, which I think we can all
learn from.

1. Values are important
Scoble’s decision to be removed from the suggested users list shows his determination to make choices based on what’s important to him, rather than what other people think. When developing your personal or business brand online, be clear about what your values, standards and goals are, and stick to them. Not only will people respect you, but you’ll attract like-minded people who will help you expand your network. In short, be yourself, and make choices you can live with.

2. No social network is free from politics
Google+ is not the first social network to implement a suggested user list. As Scoble pointed out, Twitter and Instagram did the same thing some time ago. Whether it’s choosing a suggested user list or implementing new features, any social network will draw controversy and politics when it rolls out changes. Remember Facebook’s privacy issues? Google’s privacy problems with Buzz? Getting involved in these dramas for the sake of it
will only diminish the quality of your content and conversations. Using controversy to generate conversations and discuss new ideas, however, will keep your content relevant and your followers engaged.

3. Content will always win out. As Craig Kanalley pointed out, the list is not all-encompassing. Many users were not included, despite having large, engaged followings, or being known to create great content. So long as you’re not using social media to win a popularity contest, this is encouraging, because it shows that growing a list of engaged followers who respect your ideas and contribute to your conversations is related to the quality of content you create, and the discussions you spark.

My conclusion?Find your niche. Create great content. Connect with others who do the same, and develop a community through conversation, sharing and collaboration. And don’t bother with the popularity game.

Photo credit: By Róséttá
Corina is a freelance social media manager and writer.
Follow her on Twitter @corinamackay or
add her to your circles on Google+.

10 Awesome July Tweets From People I Follow

Close your eyes and imagine a world where you can instantly view the most informative / inspiring tweets from a Twitter account in your field of interest—social media—on a monthly basis. Okay, now open your eyes and imagine no more…!!!

Thank you to the tweeps I follow for gracing me with some of the best tweets on this thing we call Twitter. You’re my greatest source of information about social media and you mean way more to me than the vast majority of my Facebook friends! Here are your most awesome tweets:

1.Getting to 10 million users: Google+, Facebook, Twitter [graph] http://is.gd/b3EhFU @GuyKawasaki You only need to take a 2-second look at this graph to understand how quickly Google Plus is moving up the ranks.

2. Uncover Best Online Practices For Segments of Small Business Sector Read more: http://bit.ly/oAUouU @loritaylor. Who doesn’t love the word ‘best’ combined with ‘practices’. Best practices = drool. Small businesses and non-profits can participate in a survey that highlights how other businesses in their sector have made online marketing work.

3. Can Google+ Beat Twitter and Facebook as a Tool For Journalists?: http://tnw.co/qjGwK5 @SocialMedia411.

4. How to Not Annoy Your Twitter Followers http://tribr.it/8cbcw via @pushingsocial. Stan writes about how BufferApp is an effective tool for spacing out your tweets throughout the day.

5. What are social media mega-trends http://bit.ly/kttsEU @markwschaefer. I have watched the full 46 minutes of this video. Due diligence baby. Thought leaders—Jay Baer, Glen Gilmore, Jennifer Kane and Mark Schaefer—speak about significant social media trends.

6.  Refynr + @BufferApp = Flawless social media productivity. http://j.mp/pLBgA5 @refynr. Refynr is a tool that filters out the noise in your twittersteam to quickly access tweets that matter to you the most. This service compliments what BufferApp offers.

7. Maximize Social Media Traffic to Your Blog http://feedly.com/k/oJa3La @garrett_moon. There are some great takeaways here for avid bloggers.

8. Why the Intern Shouldn’t Run Your Social Media Campaign: Your intern has more Twitter followers than you do. Tha… http://bit.ly/pTc7z3 @BrennerMichael. Job boards are flooded with requests for unpaid internships in social media, but are you asking / expecting too much and what effect can this have on your brand. This article doesn’t discount the value of social media interns, but makes a case for why the intern should not have the sole responsibility / burden of executing a social media campaign.

9. Popularity and Reciprocity are the Enemies of Connectivity http://j.mp/n2hy4Z (why Twitter may have jumped the shark) @JayBaer. The link leads to a video, starring Jay Baer. What you get is a unique look at why Google Plus will be successful.

10. The next five social media trends and their impact on marketing http://t.co/HOSp5Pp New post on influence, filtering, content generation, + @edwardboches. In the process of identifying trends, this article points at some websites to explore—tools to prepare you for the next step forward in the evolution of social media marketing.

Thank you for introducing me to hundreds of different valuable blog posts / articles.

What are some kick $@% tweets from those you follow? I love hearing from my readers! I’m hoping and wishing…

Photo credit: von @wuestenigel

If apps gave you super powers, what super hero would you be?

I’ve just purchased a shiny new Samsung Galaxy cell phone. What kind of relationship do you have with your phone? It’s already become my little buddy, a side-kick of sort.

Aah, now enters the world of apps. If I were an action hero, the apps would give me my super powers. What super hero could you be?

Super Music Guru. Gone are the days of not being able to recognize music you are listening to or not knowing details about the band, Shazam!

Captain Picture Search. You can search using a keypad and a search engine. Your alter ego, Captain Picture Search isn’t a slave to the confines of type. Google Goggles lets you search by pictures. It strives to identify objects that you’ve snapped a picture of and return related search results from identifying the text on a wine label to giving you information about a landmark.

Doctor Remember Everything. Ever think of a good idea, or seen or heard something interesting that you wish you could remember at a later date? You can capture it all and retrieve those memories quickly by using Evernote.

What about you, my dear reader? What are your favourite mobile apps?