Like many people, I use google for search many times per day. The majority of my searches throw up no ads and are reasonably private. Google seems fine to recognize that and does very well monetizing the small number of searches of interest to advertisers.
Why can't a social network become very profitable and operate in a similar way?
This blog makes a compelling argument that being forced to use your real name and a tendency for the system to default to 'public' is a big deterrent to adoption. It's not about 'what do you have to hide?' but rather, 'if you don't make me feel comfortable how my information will be used, then I won't give it to you.'
At best, arguing with me that I should be comfortable, misses the point. I get to decide whether I am comfortable or not.
Users like the author of this blog need to feel comfortable with how their information is used if google+ is to succeed.
Comments
Like many people, I use google for search many times per day. The majority of my searches throw up no ads and are reasonably private. Google seems fine to recognize that and does very well monetizing the small number of searches of interest to advertisers.
Why can't a social network become very profitable and operate in a similar way?
This blog makes a compelling argument that being forced to use your real name and a tendency for the system to default to 'public' is a big deterrent to adoption. It's not about 'what do you have to hide?' but rather, 'if you don't make me feel comfortable how my information will be used, then I won't give it to you.'
At best, arguing with me that I should be comfortable, misses the point. I get to decide whether I am comfortable or not.
Users like the author of this blog need to feel comfortable with how their information is used if google+ is to succeed.