Google+ Shutting Down
The Wall Street Journal reported a security issue with Google Plus that Google claim was not exploited. However, according to WSJ, “Google eventually disclosed the bug in a blog post after the Journal’s report Monday, saying a Google+ bug exposed personal data of up to 500,000 users”. In that same post, Google has casually announced the service will be shutting down.
When will it shut down? The word is around 3 months.. Right now anyone using Google + should do the following:
- Stop using it, it is a waste of time.
- Make sure you have set up your Google My Business (GMB) account properly.
- Shift relevant posting to GMB, noting posts are for promotional purposes only and show in your knowledge panel.
- Choose another social platform to publish your G+ content, if needs be.
One alternative to G+ is FaceBook which has similar posting ability (text, links, images) and with similar image size demands.
If you want to branch out into Instagram or Pinterest, both image intensive sites, then you will need put effort into working out how to use them. Pinterest allows boards which are comparable to G+ collections. Instagram relies on hashtags which were not relevant to G+ so might be new to you. In particular, Instagram images sizes are quite specific and, unlike G+ links, are not allowed.
Contact us if you need help working out what to do.
