20
January
2012
|
04:40 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Google+ Numbers Could Be Higher Than Larry Page Says

Larry Page, CEO of Google, said at the analyst call on Thursday that G+ has 90 million users and that 60% are active daily.

Many observers have questioned those numbers but I know for certain that they could be larger by at least 1 -- if my account worked.

I've had constant troubles with G+ for several months. I keep adding the same people to the same circles time and again. And it often won't let me share anything.

Other Google products are failing too. My Gmail is virtually unusable because it delivers my mail more than an hour late, it won't autocomplete addresses which means I have to search for the right address and copy and paste it in. My Google Contacts are blank and won't let me add anyone.

I've tried repeatedly since last summer to get help from Google to fix this -- nothing.

I've seen other frustrated users with similar problems, also not able to find anyone at Google to help them.

Google wants desperately to have a successful social network but it clearly doesn't get it, because it doesn't use social networks in providing customer support. If you aren't doing it, you won't get it -- this is core to any company's culture of success.

For example, Apple is a company that is notoriously bad at being active in social networks and social media and I would say that this is a primary reason why it has been so bad at creating a social network (Ping). You have to be in it to get it.

Google will fail at G+ and other social network ventures if it doesn't fully engage in those networks, and others, with its customers and users. You have to be in it to get it. That's how things work and there's no short cuts.

Google, fix my G+ and Gmail! This has been going on for months! Please! Cherry-on-top please!?

Will Google notice my pleas here? But not my constant requests on Google support forums? Or ignore all of them?

If I'm having serious problems with Google products I'm pretty sure there must be many others because my use is dirt simple, it is not extraordinary or exotic in any way. And Google isn't interested in fixing my problem, and I'm assuming, that of others' in the same boat.

That's a warning sign, imho, of a potentially larger issue within Google.