Google+ Will Not Succeed

Mark Hurst wrote an excellent piece on Google+ that covers many of the reasons why Google+ will not succeed, but he and others have missed a few things which I will discuss.  If interested here is a link to his blog post:

http://goodexperience.com/2011/07/why-google-will-succe.php

Mr. Hurst does feel Google+ will succeed at first, but that begs the question what is your definition of success? Clearly he means getting a lot of users and in real numbers, yes Google has done that, but for a company like Google, if it can't get 20M users for a huge product launch then it is not a product worth developing. That being said I would not call Google+'s launch a success, but rather the first step towards becoming an actual player in the social space. Welcome to the party. It only gets harder from here. 

But by now it is becoming clearer that Google+ may not be the new darling that the media and tech world predicted two weeks ago. Hitwise reported that for the week ending July 23, Google+ had 1.79 million visits, down 3% from the week before. The report also noted that the average time on the site was down 10%, to 5 minutes and 15 seconds.  Definitely not a good sign, but even Facebook had its ups and downs.

Still, most of us don't need in depth research reports to know how Google+ is really doing.  How often this week did you check your Google+ versus Facebook?  Or how about you go to your Google+ right now and scroll to the bottom of your "Stream" (News Feed). How old is your oldest post? Mine is nearly four weeks old (July 5th). What! And that is the true test. Some days it is hard for me to find something more than four hours old in my Facebook News Feed. My friends and contacts are constantly posting information, making Facebook a vibrant and live site, and a place where I and the majority of the other 750 million members regularly visit. 

Social networks are not about being beautiful or having cool tech functionality, but they are all about a product that actually helps people and does so in a fun, social manner. Google+ is incredibly designed and has cool functionality like group chat, but honestly ask yourself, what percent of the 300M Americans really notice the difference in the design or uses the group video chat regularly.  It is not like normal people are going to stop "hanging out" in person so they can "hangout" virtually online.  Mark Zuckerberg has never claimed that Facebook would replace real-life social interaction, but conversely has explained it would help make the world more social, and Facebook has.

If Google is serious about getting into Social, they need to think about their strategy, again. They need to stop going at Facebook head on. Sure people have their issues with Facebook like every other major website, but for the most part people are generally happy with it. But that does not mean give up on social; it is a huge white space where various products can co-exist, while serving millions of people.  Business and creating new products is not always about beating your competitor, but many times about figuring out how to grow the entire market. Google needs to figure out new ways to grow the pie for the social-media hungry audience, instead of trying to steal a large slice of what's already been served.

The biggest hurdle any social media product faces is with network affect - getting a lot people to use your product regularly and keeping it interactive. That is what Google+ is fumbling with now.  Google has tens of billions of dollars in the piggy bank, it should be aggressively shelling out that cash and buying up existing social products and integrating them successfully into Google (yes, I am thinking about Dodgeball). Some companies that come to mind would be Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, Spotify, Instagr.am, and GroupMe.  Great products with regular users that frequently use their services; all the pieces a strong social application needs. And with Google's reach these products could become even more mainstream. 

At the same time, they need to start looking at their products from a different perspective and start focusing more on their end users and less on what would be cool from a functionality point of view.  They are a user interfacing company and they need to start running their company like such. Google, if you are not sure how to do that look at Apple. They do a pretty good job with this.


Please follow me follow me at @vivekmgeorge

The Twenty-First Century Doctor

Our computers, phones, tablet/digital readers, DVRs, cloud storage system and many other digital devices and services are becoming more and more part of our daily lives. These devices are not just tools, but objects that actually store precious information for us and about us that notebooks, photo albums and our brains use to do. And we can count on these devices to be there whenever we need them - 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But what if they get "sick"?

Isn't it the worst feeling when your computer crashes and for a moment you feel like you lost "everything"?  Or how about when you lose your phone? All those contacts, messages, and photos gone.  Every other day it seems like I read about some new virus, malware, or phishing attack hitting thousands of computers. According to Kaspersky Lab’s annual Threat Evolution report, in 2010 there was 580 million web-based attacks against users’ computers — nearly eight times more than the number of online attacks recorded in 2009.  And how about these hacker groups that have taken down the likes of NATO, PBS, CIA, Mastercard, and Visa.  Not to mention Sony which was crippled for 44 days by the hacker group Anonymous. Whether you agree or disagree with the actions of these groups there are millions of people who are in pain and who have lost a great deal of personal information. And these viruses can't be cured by your normal doctor or by antibiotics, you need a special doctor, the twenty first century type of doctor - a computer specialist.    

To stay healthy it is recommend to eat healthy - plenty of greens and not too many sweets or fried items.  You should also do a lot of exercise like swimming, weights, yoga, sports and various other physical activities. The same goes for your computer and other digital devices.  Firewalls and regularly updated antivirus software are essential these days.  But you have to consume carefully also, so that means being cautious of the sites and items you download (yes, be careful when downloading pornography). The web is a great place to share information, but it can be dangerous for you and your computer's health. When you get sick you are going to need to see a computer doc.

Malware and hackers will never go away.  Every time companies launch new products that we all download and use, there are new opportunities for viruses and bugs to infect us. These digital doctors are the only people with the knowledge, training and skill capable of saving us.  A major digital virus epidemic will surely hit the general public at some point, infecting ten of millions of people and crippling thousands of companies.  In 2009 the Downadup worm, also know as Conficker, infected 3.9 million people world wide. Companies like Intrepidus Group, Norton and other major antivirus/hacker security firms will be the leaders in recognizing these types of issues and working with government organizations to contain and cure such epidemics.

And even when you eat and exercise right, accidents and injuries occur. This happens to us all and increasingly to our digital devices. Look at Amazon last April when their cloud support service failed for more than 24 hours, taking down major companies like Foursquare, Quora and Reddit.

I am not trying to say that we will not need normal doctors in the future, but rather demonstrate how computer technicians will be nearly as important. So be nice to your IT support guy--he may save your life.

You can follow me @vivekmgeorge

Finding a Digital/New Media Job as a MBA

A few weeks back I completed my MBA from NYU Stern.  The past two years have been two of the best years in my life. I met great friends, took some incredible classes, helped launch an iPhone app and recently secured an incredible job at an advance media startup (subsequently requiring me to turn down an investment banking offer). But the process of getting a job at a digital/new media company is not easy nor clear cut coming out of B-School.  Below is a compilation of the best tips I found from online research, advice of friends, and lastly my own process.

Create Your Online Presence
Paper resumes still have there place in the modern world, but today the first page of a Google search result is one of your most important personal marketing tools.  So use it and get involved digitally.  If you are serious about the space you need to be sharing and learning with the industry.  That means tweeting and blogging.  An about.me page, Linkedin profile (I have heard a paid profile can be helpful) and a Facebook account (Tumblr is also good) are essential and bring depth to a name and resume.  Yes, I know it is a lot of work, but the more involved you are the more opportunities that present themselves, and the more you learn about the industry. I have friend that got a senior job at a hot startup because of blogging and networking.  

Build Something
Personally I built an app from scratch with two classmates and this was essential in securing a product manager role after graduation. This experience gave me the basic experience and knowledge in doing the job.  Additionally, it showed commitment and greater understanding of the mobile space which set me apart from other candidates.  If you can't come up with your own idea or find people to work on something of your own, then find another person's project and work as a free intern.  Yes, free! It will be worth it. It will help you find another job later on, and speak more confidently about the space. And interns are always needed. Even my app is looking for one or two solid interns...hit me up if interested.

Join the Community
Whether you are attending events at school put on by the tech or media clubs, or just joining the local tech meetups and conferences get involved in the digital community.  The more people see and meet you the easier it is to stand out as a person knowledgeable in the space. Mingle and introduce yourself, techies are friendly and will be happy to chat. After a few events you will be surprised by different opportunities that appear. Without even asking, the CEO of a technology medical startup gave me his card, suggesting that his company could use a MBA. 
         
Make Friends
No, not networking, but actually make friends in the industry. The more friends you have in the space the more opportunities will present themselves.  I got my startup job from a close friend. She has been in the industry for many years and had already accepted an offer, so when different opportunities came her way she always sent them to me first.  She did this because she knew and liked me, and because she felt I could do the job well.  But we were friends, I was not just a "contact".

Hustle
Last but not least you need to hustle and go out there and be aggressive.  A job is just not going to fall on your lap, you need to be passionate and use every resource possible. Your school's career center, headhunters, networking events, friends and family, targeted searching online (for geographically relevant companies), LinkedIn, and anything else people advise you to use or do. A tech/media job is not like a banking or consulting job where there is a set process and interviewing period, you have to pound the streets and go out there and create opportunities for yourself by getting in front of those who could possibly hire you.

Below is a link to a blog piece by Charlie O'Donnell's (Principal investor at First Round Capital) discussing a few additional tips that maybe helpful: http://bit.ly/9wzGD3.

Good luck and if you any additional suggestions please include in the comments below for everyone to learn from.