Polling for a Google+ Pulse

I'm with you - I think Google has all the tools to have it work in the long run, but they need to take this slowly and not kill it.

Pretty soon though, they'll have to start the marketing and make a big push for it. Maybe hook more into some of there other services (Droid, Youtube, etc)

hounhosp same here.  The only thing I see with Google+ is a person "stands out" instantly as the center of attention.  Landing on a Goggle+ page your first impression is not so much say - Oh, this is Facebook, I'm in Facebook land now - with Google+ the person stands out first thing.  It kind of yells out - "Hey I'm in control here! and this is my space!" 

The result can be something like OMG he's so cool!  Or, Yawn, who cares?

@DreamChaser, yes, truth is stranger than imagination, or dreams in your case. You're right about each platform wanting to be the passport provider or definitive portal for internet users. One can surrender altogether and just have FB broadcast everything about where they are, what they're listening to, what they're reading, or what they're watching -- actually that would work better for Google, given its tie to YouTube.

Ariella it's getting compex no doubt,  True there are security issues galore these days yet we have no clear and defined guidelines for people wanting to use a dba or a "stage name" on the Internet either.  Those of us who have been on the Internet since the beginning had the advantage back then of being in somewhat of an experimental era where anything goes was the norm, cyber crime in all it's various forms was not the major threat it is today, we didn't have to worry about cyber stalking, location, privacy issues, identity theft, what have you.  We were inventing things and making up the rules as we went.  I suppose we are now experiencing the inevitable blowback of neglecting important issues that should have been addressed back when the Internet was in it's early growth stages. Then Google entered the picture in 1997 and in a few years changed everything.  The next few years is going to be interesting thats for sure.

I'm still trying to figure out if I really need a Google+ account. Apart from following the trend I haven`t seen the real value of using Google+ just yet.

Ha! This makes more sense now, DreamC. Still, I think folk are irritated enough with Google and FB to make this goal a real challenge for these companies.

Google, Facebook, and a few others would like to be the passport providers to the Internet.  Or drivers license providers.  In order to surf the Internet you will need your Google or Facebook surfers license.  Although I suspected the free ride would be over eventually, I never dreamed the Internet would mutate into the kind weirdness we are having to deal with these days.

Agreed, Dream Chaser. Google routinely shoots itself in the foot. We've come to expect it. Kind of like the dotty old uncle whose forgetfulness or drooling is annoying but familiar enough to be an endearing reminder of who you're dealing with.

For all the talk about real names, I've seen a number of Google+ accounts that are clearly not under the person's real name. I'm not sure how carefully policed that is. I generally do like the system. I get more interaction there than on Twitter as people have room to comment or at least to express more than the equivalent of a RT when they share.

You got to be careful when joining Google+ . . if your a long term Google services user and you decide to un-join you can lose some of your content and services. I also find the name issue to be totally ridiculous.  Even Facebook let's you use a screen name moniker.  Google is getting so uptight they must have put a sales rejection department in the Google+ division.  It's simple, new people sign up with their standard legitimate info then choose their screen name.  And to reject Google account holders over this who have used the service with integrity for a decade is ludicrous!