5 ms·

Why Google+ is a Plus for startups

50 points by cheerioty 15y ago

wunderkind 15y ago
this is an interesting story. I like the idea on finding experts via social networks. This is what facebook doesn't do: Aim on the users with a professional perspective. But it has risks too: What about the spammers and scammers?
pspeter3 15y ago
Why use Google+ when you can use LinkedIn which is designed to help you find professionals on the web? I like Google+ too but I just feel like each Social Network has its own purpose.
johnx123-up 15y ago
These "micro jobs" are worth only $5. Next time, please crosscheck with http://jobreapr.com/ http://jobreapr.com/
- mtogo 15y ago
  You believe that an hour or two of someone's time is worth $5? Even McDonald's pays more than that.
  - wccrawford 15y ago
    And it's certainly not worth only $5 for someone's professional time. Voice acting is not the piece of cake that people think it is.
  - johnx123-up 15y ago
    Please check "micro jobs" and related sites before down voting. You may not agree on "hard truth", but downvoting purely because you disagree is wrong in HN, AFAIK
wccrawford 15y ago
Nice, but it's not like that can't be done on other networks as well. G+ has everyone's attention, and that's a bonus, but it won't always be that way.
- ja27 15y ago
  It's a bit harder on other networks. I tried a search on Twitter to find voiceover artists. The search worked surprisingly well. Searching "Voice over artist" was useless though. Ok, now I've got a list of Twitter users that I want to put my request in front of. But I can't reach them. I could follow each and hope for a follow-back. I could @mention each of them and ask. I can't DM them because they're not following me. Not very easy on Twitter. I tried a search on Facebook. I can find pages for individual voiceover artists, but not a "Freelance Voiceover artists of the world unite" page that I was hoping for. So now I can message each artist individually or like each of their pages and write on the wall of their page. Not very easy on Facebook. I tried repeating their Google+ search. Not only do I get a list of voiceover artists on Google+, which I can add to a circle and message (though they'll have to add me to a circle or check their Incoming to see it), but there's a "VoiceActors onGPlus" Google+ profile already that 105 people have added to their circles. Unless I'm missing some Twitter or Facebook tricks, Google+ clearly wins that contest and I don't think it's just because it's new and people are checking it, though that certainly helped in this case.
  - wccrawford 15y ago
    The problem is that that profile is against TOS and will probably be deleted for that. It's not Google+ that helped you, it's people who abused it for something it's not. (At least, not yet.) Twitter probably also has lists of voice over artists... Yup, a quick google search for 'twitter voice over artists' provides a few directories that have been compiled by people. Facebook probably has groups. There are forums out there specifically for that, I'm sure. So there isn't really anything specific about Google+ that made it easier. (Again, at least not yet. I'm hoping they add those features soon.)
  - 123audioads 15y ago
    I agree. Being in the voice over business, I really like the fact that a business like DocTape.com can do a search and find my company, give me a call-out, and we can turn the project around in an hour, paid in full using PayPal. He's in Germany and I'm in the U.S. Gotta love Google+ for this feature!
mcobrien 15y ago
Is it just me or does the chosen voice sound synthesized? It would be interesting to hear the original as a comparison -- I'd often prefer to hear a screencast straight from the founder.
mcobrien 15y ago
Is it just me or does the chosen voice sound synthesized? It would be interesting to hear the original as a comparison -- I'd often prefer to hear a screencast straight from the founder.
spenvo 15y ago
My startup, Photochrome, has benefited from its page on FB, yes. But Facebook is not doing all that it can to open Pages to its users because revenue is derived from the buffer inherent in a closed system. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of targeted ads to drive likes/social connections, but free is nice too. Waiting for share-able circles or G+'s business offering...
skennedy 15y ago
With LinkedIn charging you to message a single person and Facebook's closed network, Google+ has a great opportunity by blending the open/closed network concepts. Nice creativity on your part!
StavrosK 15y ago
Until it gets infested with spam and nobody can do this sort of thing any more :/
- sapphirecat 15y ago
  Yeah, that was interesting. The default circles include 'Following'--I didn't realize you could invert the process and push stuff into other people's streams.
  - StavrosK 15y ago
    It goes to their "incoming" thing, which is why I never check mine... Too bad.
cedel2k1 15y ago
I wonder how long the ability will last to use Google+ that way.
123audioads 15y ago
I'm as real as they come! Matter of fact, the audio was produced without any compression or enhancement. What you hear is how it was recorded, minus a few gaps of silence. Cheers, Kim

50 points by cheerioty 15y ago

this is an interesting story. I like the idea on finding experts via social networks. This is what facebook doesn't do: Aim on the users with a professional perspective. But it has risks too: What about the spammers and scammers?

pspeter3 15y ago

Why use Google+ when you can use LinkedIn which is designed to help you find professionals on the web? I like Google+ too but I just feel like each Social Network has its own purpose.

johnx123-up 15y ago

These "micro jobs" are worth only $5. Next time, please crosscheck with http://jobreapr.com/ http://jobreapr.com/

mtogo 15y ago
You believe that an hour or two of someone's time is worth $5? Even McDonald's pays more than that.
- wccrawford 15y ago
  And it's certainly not worth only $5 for someone's professional time. Voice acting is not the piece of cake that people think it is.
- johnx123-up 15y ago
  Please check "micro jobs" and related sites before down voting. You may not agree on "hard truth", but downvoting purely because you disagree is wrong in HN, AFAIK

wccrawford 15y ago

Nice, but it's not like that can't be done on other networks as well. G+ has everyone's attention, and that's a bonus, but it won't always be that way.

ja27 15y ago
It's a bit harder on other networks. I tried a search on Twitter to find voiceover artists. The search worked surprisingly well. Searching "Voice over artist" was useless though. Ok, now I've got a list of Twitter users that I want to put my request in front of. But I can't reach them. I could follow each and hope for a follow-back. I could @mention each of them and ask. I can't DM them because they're not following me. Not very easy on Twitter. I tried a search on Facebook. I can find pages for individual voiceover artists, but not a "Freelance Voiceover artists of the world unite" page that I was hoping for. So now I can message each artist individually or like each of their pages and write on the wall of their page. Not very easy on Facebook. I tried repeating their Google+ search. Not only do I get a list of voiceover artists on Google+, which I can add to a circle and message (though they'll have to add me to a circle or check their Incoming to see it), but there's a "VoiceActors onGPlus" Google+ profile already that 105 people have added to their circles. Unless I'm missing some Twitter or Facebook tricks, Google+ clearly wins that contest and I don't think it's just because it's new and people are checking it, though that certainly helped in this case.
- wccrawford 15y ago
  The problem is that that profile is against TOS and will probably be deleted for that. It's not Google+ that helped you, it's people who abused it for something it's not. (At least, not yet.) Twitter probably also has lists of voice over artists... Yup, a quick google search for 'twitter voice over artists' provides a few directories that have been compiled by people. Facebook probably has groups. There are forums out there specifically for that, I'm sure. So there isn't really anything specific about Google+ that made it easier. (Again, at least not yet. I'm hoping they add those features soon.)
- 123audioads 15y ago
  I agree. Being in the voice over business, I really like the fact that a business like DocTape.com can do a search and find my company, give me a call-out, and we can turn the project around in an hour, paid in full using PayPal. He's in Germany and I'm in the U.S. Gotta love Google+ for this feature!

mcobrien 15y ago

Is it just me or does the chosen voice sound synthesized? It would be interesting to hear the original as a comparison -- I'd often prefer to hear a screencast straight from the founder.

mcobrien 15y ago

Is it just me or does the chosen voice sound synthesized? It would be interesting to hear the original as a comparison -- I'd often prefer to hear a screencast straight from the founder.

spenvo 15y ago

My startup, Photochrome, has benefited from its page on FB, yes. But Facebook is not doing all that it can to open Pages to its users because revenue is derived from the buffer inherent in a closed system. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of targeted ads to drive likes/social connections, but free is nice too. Waiting for share-able circles or G+'s business offering...

skennedy 15y ago

With LinkedIn charging you to message a single person and Facebook's closed network, Google+ has a great opportunity by blending the open/closed network concepts. Nice creativity on your part!

StavrosK 15y ago

Until it gets infested with spam and nobody can do this sort of thing any more :/

sapphirecat 15y ago
Yeah, that was interesting. The default circles include 'Following'--I didn't realize you could invert the process and push stuff into other people's streams.
- StavrosK 15y ago
  It goes to their "incoming" thing, which is why I never check mine... Too bad.

cedel2k1 15y ago

I wonder how long the ability will last to use Google+ that way.

123audioads 15y ago

I'm as real as they come! Matter of fact, the audio was produced without any compression or enhancement. What you hear is how it was recorded, minus a few gaps of silence. Cheers, Kim