Topic-icon Social Channels - Google+

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9 years 1 month ago #52149 by joomleb
Hi guys,
JFBConnect 6.3 have been released, I checked in the changelog but i don't find anything.
Please, Do you have any update about the " Google+ - Social Channel " feature release?

Many Thanks for Support :)
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9 years 1 month ago #52154 by alzander
Replied by alzander on topic Social Channels - Google+
Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure when, or if, we'd implement Google+ streams and moments. Google+ itself is being hacked into bits by Google itself and sectioned into different parts. Their API hasn't been updated in over 6 months, which isn't a good sign for future development at all.

Just recently, Google actually split off some of the most widely used features of Google+: Pictures and Streams. For more information on the lack of activity on Google+ and the future of the system, see:
www.wired.com/2015/03/google-knew-dead-g...till-social-network/

With, what looks like large changes looming (or, alternatively, not a wide acceptance if no changes are made), it doesn't make sense for us to focus on the G+ stream features for the time being.

I hope that helps explain our situation, but if you have any questions or comments, please let us know.

Thanks,
Alex
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9 years 1 month ago - 9 years 1 month ago #52164 by joomleb
Replied by joomleb on topic Social Channels - Google+
Hi Alex,
In first of all, as always, many thanks for your answer. I want reply to you because you demonstrate in past to hear my words and I appreciate too much that (thank you and sorry for my English, be patient).
I'm really surprised by your words, especially since you are a developer. I'll try to be brief so as not to bore you:
1 - We are speaking about this issue because I believe, I'm sure, that the JFBConnect Social Channels feature is one of the best and helpful (for sites growing) JFBConnect features.
2 - In internet everything is in motion, is growing, always. What happened to MSN? Yet in the 2000 was the most used, yet today it is been included in Skype. How many times have you had to upgrade for the changes of Facebook? So we do nothing because tomorrow things will change? Today you do not use Gmail because tomorrow you will use (maybe) InBox?
3 - We have to look at today (with an eye to the future). Today you give attention to "Socials" (Yahoo, Twitter, LinkedIN, Microsoft) that cover more less than 5% of the users and not by careful Google+ covering 40%? Source: www.sourcecoast.com/blog It does not seem logical.
4 - As a developer you know which is made better (in terms of the characteristics and potential), the answer is one: Goggle +. Facebook is much less "simple" and above all much less integrated! (Gapps).
5 - As a developer you know that something is changing in the use of Socials: Facebook purchased WhatsApp but it hasn't included it into the Facebook App, but is bringing its features in Messenger that is undergoing a big mutation. (Personally, I think the old way of doing Socials, Facebook, will "die"/""change" soon because people love the simplicity and WhatsApp is the prove).
6 - Google recently tried to bring together all under Google+ (Do you remember also the changes on gmail accounts?), but she realized that it is not time yet, so he stepped back into the strategy, but not in the objective end! Hangout is growing at an impressive pace (it is already far ahead compared to Skype and WhatsApp), to make it grow has been separated from Google+, but this does not mean that it loses compatibility/intergration! You know, it's also a matter of market assessment and recall new users, Facebook now has Facebook (1.000.000.000 of users) and WhatsApp (500 million), are two public companies, but if you join it you will never have 1.500.000.000 of users! Indeed, perhaps someone will go because he wanted only one function and the total could be 750 million, so in the financial market half of the value!
7 - For example: Hangout growth as an App has forced Google to release "Messenger" which is actually a piece of Hangout, but in practice allows the spread of Google Android (on which can not impose the installation of Hangout to producers, but Android need a "Messenger" built in).
8 - "Pictures" is undergoing the same evolution, if you keep the "Pictures" in Google+ it blocks the spread, can not be pre-installed on Android. Should separate it as App (this also facilitates the development in programming). But not to say that "Pictures" will not be connected with Goggle+ etc., but just that is ripe to be in its own right, but more integrated (now ready "to be one" with Drive, for example).
9 - Google has demonstrate in the past that he never abandoned the developers, of course sometimes you have to make drastic decisions.
10 - I believe the Events managing is real Socials plus. The Google+ Events in much better than Facebook Events.
11 - "Their API hasn't been updated in over 6 months". This does not mean that Google+ is dieing, but that something good news are coming. Google+ is not died, recently I tested on my Gmail the new Contacts sections. Have you tested it? (Just go in Gmail > Contacts > on the left menu scroll down and click on "Test new Contacts preview). The preview does remember anything to you? (Google+). The next step sure will be the Contacts Groups/Circles integration/fusion.
12 - I know you worked on Google+ Social Channel feature after my suggestion/request (I saw your test on Google+) with good results.

I have to stop because as I sad I don't want to bore you.
I still hope to see this integration soon, maybe before the next release :P
Last edit: 9 years 1 month ago by joomleb.
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9 years 1 month ago #52169 by alzander
Replied by alzander on topic Social Channels - Google+
I can't respond to each of your points, but will try to explain our position more clearly.

Mainly, over the last 12 months, you've been the only user requesting Google+ moments support or the option of showing a Google+ feed in the timeline. We do support other Google+ features, such as authentication and the G+1 button because we realize that those are both widely used features. While authentication from some of the networks we support may not be widely used, each network we support has been requested many, many times by various users.

For #4, I'm not sure what you mean here. Google's API is a disaster. There's no uniformity in how it works and, again, things are being carved out and big change is coming. Facebook's API uses a versioning system and give large notices about when things are going to change. Regardless of your feelings about the social network features in general, the bottom line here is that Facebook is much easier to develop for now and Google+ isn't widely used. The authentication features of Google are very, very widely used. The social network portion is not.

#11, "Big change is coming".. that's a perfect reason for us to not implement something now. More Google+ features aren't being requested and, if we do implement them, if large changes are coming, we don't want to deal with the aftermath of user scorn when things break. It's not fun.

Bottom lining it, if:
* Google+ comes out with some amazing API features
* and the API seems like it's stable enough that it won't cause us support nightmares
* and users actually request us to implement the features
We'll gladly look into them. Right now, the features above don't hit any of those marks.

I really do like Google+. The interface is slick, the features are great, and lots more. If I was JFBConnect's only user, I may take time to implement more functionality with it. I'm not though, and we cater to thousands of users and tens of thousands of sites. That means we deliberate over every feature and want to make sure it's worth the effort to a) implement and b) support from that point going forward.

I hope that helps explain more. Google is massive, but Google+ extended features doesn't have the critical mass *for us* to implement yet.

Thanks,
Alex
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9 years 1 month ago #52171 by joomleb
Replied by joomleb on topic Social Channels - Google+
Hi Alex,
thank you very much for your answer, I understand what you mean.
As I sad I don't want to bore you, so, just some small clarification and propositive suggestions:
1 - " "Big change is coming".. that's a perfect reason for us to not implement something now. " = If you adopt the same technique you should stop the JFBConnect development, because in internet all is changing, always. With "Big change is coming" i don't mean that, but I mean that the "Google+" project is alive (the new Contact layout into Gmail is the prove).
2 - As I wrote here more than one time, I believe that the JFBConnect Social Channels feature is one of the simple, best and helpful (for sites growing) JFBConnect features (in special for my customers from the frontend). Having Google+a 40% of share, really I don't understand why nobody have asked you about a Google+ Social Channel. Have you thought about anything like an emailing poll ?
3 - I know you worked on Google+ Social Channel feature after my suggestion/request (I saw your test on Google+) with good results. Could I have a quotation (in dollars) from you to implement this features ?

Thanks!
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9 years 1 month ago #52175 by alzander
Replied by alzander on topic Social Channels - Google+
We agree a "big change" isn't a bad thing. It's all taken in context though. Because Google+ additional features aren't requested, the thought of implementing something now just to a) have it break soon or b) not used by many users, makes it more difficult for us to focus on now.

With everything above said, Google+ is still on our to-do list, I just don't know a timeline on when it may be done. We have many things we want to work on, but overall, we're focusing on improving the features we have no and rounding out additional features for the networks we currently support. Google+ streams definitely fits into that latter goal as we aren't planning to add many new social networks. Again though, it's just a balancing ac of getting the right features that all of our users are looking for.

Unfortunately, we don't offer paid customization services. We're just not staffed to support such requests.

Thanks,
Alex
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