1000 words on why Google Plus sucks

Recently I decided I wanted to start scheduling posts on Google Plus.

Google Plus is one of the social networks Buildicus uses to promote blog posts. I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like on there, and decided I should remedy that by scheduling posts, which is the easiest way for me to post more frequently.

Howevs. Unlike Facebook, Google Plus doesn’t allow you to schedule posts (lame), so I decided to link it up with Hootsuite, which is the platform I use for scheduling Tweets (read: “How to Schedule Tweets and Save Your Sanity”).

This was easier said than done. Behold: a story about why Google Plus sucks.

The Frustration Begins

To start, I went to Hootsuite and clicked “Add Social Network,” then the button for Google Plus. What popped up was a Buildicus profile I didn’t know existed, but no option for adding the Google Plus profile I actually use.

“What the fuuuuuuuddddge,” I said, under my breath.

[caption id=”attachment_2076” align=”aligncenter” width=”450”] via Froggy 103[/caption]

I decided to track down this mysterious Buildicus page and delete it. I figured Hootsuite wasn’t letting me add my real G+ profile because this one was getting in the way.

It turns out the profile was created a thousand years ago, but we never actually used it. And we picked such a great password for it, even I couldn’t figure it out. So first things first: change the damn password.

Only! I didn’t have permission to do so. My boss, Irma, was the contact for this. So a password change email was sent to her, which I forgot to mention, which confused her, which led to a chain of emails, which eventually ended with me finally changing the password to something I could easily remember: PASSWORD.

J/K.

But not really.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Once I had the password sitch all worked out, I set out to delete the useless Buildicus profile.

Here’s a fun exercise for you kids playing at home. Go to your Google Plus profile (if you have one), and look for the link that says “Delete profile.” See you in a few hours.

Not being able to easily figure out how to delete the Buildicus page, I had to Google it (THE CIRCLE IS CLOSING IN ON ME). Even with directions, it took me awhile.

On my page, I clicked on my photo, clicked on “Account,” clicked on “Data Tools,” clicked on “Delete account and data” and it worked.

[caption id=”attachment_2072” align=”aligncenter” width=”300”] via PJ Media[/caption]

It did not work. I was informed the Buildicus page was tied to a YouTube page, and that to delete the profile, I had to delete the YouTube page. Only I didn’t want to delete the YouTube page because we, like, use it. So now what?

YouTube? YouSuck

I went to the YouTube page to figure out what the hell I needed to do to link the page to the correct Google Plus profile.

Look, I’ll be honest. Even I don’t really know what happened next. There was a lot of clicking of useless links, some crying, some swearing, and I think an innocent bystander may have been punched in the throat.

What I can tell you is, somehow the page was connected to the right profile, the content wasn’t deleted (as Google initially led me to believe it would be), and the birds started singing and once again there was joy and light and puppies in the world. Huzzah!

What Am I Even Doing Anymore

At this point, an hour into the quest, I had completely forgotten what my purpose in going through all this was. (Reminder: it was to link Google Plus to Hootsuite so I could schedule posts.)

After figuring out the YouTube thing, I mentally checked out, getting lost on Facebook, eating a sandwich, walking around the building aimlessly. I was like:

Until I sat back down at my computer, and remembered: “Oh yeah, Google Plus. Craaaaap.”

Back to Hootsuite

So now that I had our YouTube page tied to the correct Google account, I could safely delete the bogus Buildicus profile.

I clicked on the right-hand photo, clicked on “Account,” clicked on “Data Tools,” clicked on “Delete account and data” and it worked. For realsies this time.

I made my way back to Hootsuite, clicked “Add Social Network,” clicked the “Google Plus” option, gave Hootsuite permission to access my account, then sat back, rubbing my hands together and giggling in giddy anticipation. All my hard work was about to pay off.

[caption id=”attachment_2080” align=”aligncenter” width=”500”] via Photobucket[/caption]

Instead of bringing up my Google Plus account, I got this message:

Which is, of course, baloney. So I opted to “Learn More.”

I clicked the button, and found the following super helpful message from the Hootsuite help desk:

Whuuuuuuuuut.

Why I Will Never Love or Trust Again

So after everything, it turns out Google Plus doesn’t even allow Hootsuite to link to personal profiles, which my Google Plus account is. Meaning I can’t schedule posts from Hootsuite, meaning if I want to post on Google Plus, I have to log in throughout the day and do it in real time, meaning: DAMMIT.

[caption id=”attachment_2086” align=”aligncenter” width=”437”] via QS PRN[/caption]

I Still Can't Quit You, Google+

Every day, I see content marketers talking about the merits of Google Plus and I think, “What am I missing here?”

Clearly it is working for some folks. But, to be honest, I don’t know anyone IRL who uses Google Plus with regularity. In fact, I see a lot of abandoned profiles.

Look, I’m not going to go crazy and delete my Google Plus profile or anything like that. We’ll continue to promote Buildicus posts on it, of course. But I really don’t see it being a place where I spend a lot of time, unlike Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest.

Until Google Plus gets its crap together and make things not so damn difficult, I see it remaining my least favorite social network.

But enough about me. What do you think? Am I completely missing the merits of Google Plus as an effective marketing tool? Or am I totally correct in believing Google Plus sucks?