I felt like making a demotivational poster for +Robert Scoble. It is with the best of intentions of course as I admire his contributions and work. I could have made one with some other people I follow here that have faced similar complaints, but I made this one after reading this topic he posted a few days ago:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/111091089527727420853/posts/63tRxMQk7rV

Poor +Tom Anderson. After making a demotivational poster of Scoble and reading Tom's post, I made this one. I guess I'll have to make one of Kawasaki also now.

https://plus.google.com/112063946124358686266/posts/JvqA6jQE9pk

After making demotivational posters of Mr. Scoble & Mr. Anderson, I felt I couldn't leave Mr. +Guy Kawasaki out.

After making demotivational posters of Kawasaki, Anderson & Scoble with the best of intentions, I felt like making this one of Mr. +Mark Zuckerberg. Being the undisputed leader on Google+ at the moment, I can't say I made this one with the best of intentions too :)

Next demotivational poster is for +danah boyd, again of course with only the best of intentions, after reading her post:

https://plus.google.com/115565811010545226083/posts/8Umbr6JY3xN

(and she asked for kittens and memes in an earlier post)

((I won't do kittens))

+Aaron Wood wants us to share more on +1 Wednesdays:

https://plus.google.com/114468593663912084118/posts/PhaxK1qhs24

So I felt like making him a demotivational poster.

After seeing +Wil Wheaton 's post, I felt like making this one.

https://plus.google.com/108176814619778619437/posts/LLGr5YJQ2ow

After +Jeremiah Owyang 's post:

https://plus.google.com/111654284395316165338/posts/EHZu5oJwNyz

I just had to make this one!

I feel I came full circle now: Mr. Owyang was the first person I circled here and is the last person I wanted to make a demotivational poster based on 'noisiness' for.

I guess I didn't understand the lesson fully :)

https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts/CHntgCZFZ3T

Sorry, I just couldn't resist after reading this post:

https://plus.google.com/103533326117556337218/posts/fesF1uygigQ

Only love for you Rose and thanks for hanging out with the rest of us here.

At least I know where Sergeant Foley stands in the Nymwars :)

SPOILER ALERT! DON'T LOOK AT THE IMAGE!!

+Sean Bonner made me lol with his post:

https://plus.google.com/101629211371073711149/posts/DkkKWWDPXWV

so I turned it into a demotivational poster. Read the post first!




You already looked at the image first didn't ya?

For those of you who finally made it here to Google+ but don't see what all the fuzz is about, I made you a thing. I'm no blogger, so feel free to skip my blabla and jump right to the end of my post.

Oh so you actually want to read this? Well then, if for some reason you are not convinced of the potential here, you're doing it wrong!
Just kidding, never let anyone tell you how you should use Google+. So then why did I bother making you this thing?

Well you see, I've had the strangest couple of weeks here. My online social life was limited to lurking, because no platform had convinced me to engage with its' members. And for various reasons I have been active online using pseudonyms instead of my real name. I came here to check it out and used my real name thinking it would just end up in lurking anyway.

But I saw a beta that is incredibly well advanced IMO with very few bugs. I loved the features and was eager to test them. That's when I hit a wall. I had no online social life, so I had not a single friend here. Lurking didn't bring me much. It would have been easy to think this place was pretty dead compared to other social networks. But I don't work for Forbes, so I figured I should just find a way to understand what was going on here.

I looked up +Jeremiah Owyang and sure enough, there was activity. He did his thing like I expected, but it seemed different somehow. His engagement here didn't seem to be simple testing. Genuine engagement in a beta product of just a few weeks old? I decided to look for others, to see if I could be tempted in engaging with them. For the first time under my real name. But where to look? How to know who to find?

Checking out the people following those you find interesting is a good start (if that info is shared). Reading the posts and especially the comments, checking who +1'ed or shared content you find interesting, clicking through to their profiles.

Ok, so you find a bunch of interesting people to follow. You organize them into circles and your streams start filling up. You hand out some +1's. You notice that the interaction is different here. Refreshing, energetic, promising... Maybe it's just early adopter's enthusiasm? Nope. I have seen high level interaction at a burning pace between members here. There's involvement by the Google staff and progress in the roll out of enhancements, fine tuning and new features.

This is not just another beta, some latest attempt. These are not just a bunch of curious lurking early adopters. I am confident in stating that this platform is a game changer, and that there is a real community building around it.

I'd say I'm all the proof one could ask for, as I am seriously considering leaving my lurking days behind me. But why take my word for it? Well don't. Just check it out for yourself.

So the end of my post and that thing I made: it's an image featuring many of the fascinating people you can get to know here. They are a very good starting point and will rocket launch you into this community. I'm already following over a hundred people in a mere 3 weeks, so I had to make a tough selection. Those that I had to leave out can be found easily by checking 'in my circles' or even better yet, by reading the posts and comments of the people I'm listing.

Welcome to this community. You're in for a hell of a ride. Who knows, maybe you could even convince me to leave my lurking days behind me.

In the image in order of appearance:
+Jesse Stay +Steve Rubel +Toby Stein +Paul mojica +Elena Kalis +Natsumi Hayashi +Andy Signore +byron rempel +Alexis Ohanian +Katherine Gramann +Sean Bonner +Ryan Estrada +Aaron Wood +Jeri Ryan +Felicia Day +Wil Wheaton +Brian Rose +Jason Calacanis +Jeremiah Owyang +Guy Kawasaki +Robert Scoble +Tom Anderson +Louis Gray +Natalie Villalobos +Bradley Horowitz +Sergey Brin

<I might add an intro/eye-catcher in a later edit (but don’t count on it)>

I’m not claiming my personal experience and this small sample is in any way representative of what’s going on in Google+, but here’s some feedback on my ‘GooglePoly’ so far:

- just a bit under half of the shares were not public. Of those, a lot were made on profiles without posts. There is no way for the newcomer to see this activity on those profiles. Do not mistake this for lack of activity on this platform. Even if they seem to be rather empty, many of those profiles do have already a lot of people circling them.

- about ⅓ added something when sharing my post publicly. It would seem that it’s no indicator for the interaction it can beget. I’ve seen shares with nice added value, yet little interaction. Shares without anything added getting several +1’s and comments. It seem to depend on the people circling the author and the interaction they are used to.

- this thing went international really fast. Just check the list of shares, so much for ‘white male dominance’ I guess.

- I found it shared on some ‘serious’ profiles, discussing technology, social media and G+, but also on ‘artistic’ profiles and especially on ‘fun’ profiles. I’ve seen lots of animated gifs and kittens following the shares. When on profiles that have a lot of LOL, it sure felt like browsing a ‘normal’ social network.

- ALL of the comments and posts have been positive (ok, I didn’t go as far as to translate all of the Asian posts, but they looked positive enough). Who would have thought such a thing was possible on teh internetz nowadays?

- I find it normal that the +1’s the shares are receiving elsewhere are not added to my post. A +1 on a share could mean an appreciation of the author’s post, not necessarily a +1 to my original post. And people can click through easily enough to give a +1 on the original post. However, after a certain number, there is no way humanly possible (unless you’re +Robert Scoble maybe, but then again, I suspect him to be a cyborg) to keep track of all the shares and all the people who expressed appreciation or have commented on them. Some basic stats on your post sure would be nice, comparable to what you get on YouTube maybe? Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not a popularity contest to me. It’s more that I would like to engage with people who took the effort of commenting and adding value, yet I don’t see what happens elsewhere. And not everyone can be bothered to comment both on the sharer’s post and on the original post.

- speaking of popularity, I admit the notion of making follow-up or spin-off versions has crossed my mind. Say a board with only photographers or a fresh monthly version based on my latest experiences. But then I just made a demotivational poster to myself for a change :)

- I received some questions about publication outside of Google+ (see my comment in the original post if you want to help). So I’m missing some help section/FAQ/forum that I can access easily and quickly to find answers. I know there are places one can find help, but I don’t see them at first glance when looking at the interface here. I’d rather spend my time on the user’s content here than searching sources for such info.

- I’ll edit this post should I feel like sharing new feedback I might have later.


Thank you all for making this place so great!

ps: I call dibs on the battleship
pps: oh my, I guess I really will have to update my About me info now

I love it when it doesn't always have to be so serious:

https://plus.google.com/111654284395316165338/posts/Gvjhdrfs7Ux

Hello there stranger!

Welcome to my wall euhm, profile page ( what’s it called here anyway? ) Posts.

I have a big announcement to make:

there just has been a 5.9 earthquake!

my lurking days are over!

So what? What’s big about that? Why should you care? You already want to leave? That’s normal I guess, after all I’m as much a stranger to you as you are to me. You know what? Go help some people/animals that might have suffered from that earthquake first. You can come back to this post anytime later.


People that actually know me think they know me are floored now after reading this announcement. Yet here I am, welcoming strangers publicly in my own real name. So what happened and why might you start to care? Google+ happened.

I’m not some tech-nut or early adopter that is jumping the gun here for a beta after but a few weeks of activity. This place might after all just be the latest fad/ill-conceived-catch-up-attempt/clone/evil plot/food for you social network fatigue/... according to many. But I made my choice. +Robert Scoble expressed the reason why first here:

https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts/BBAYpUasrVX

He simply nailed it.

If ever you were to read but one post before leaving Google+ (well, after reading this post of course), read that one. Suggestion: read the rest of my post first and give that one all the attention you can, including the comments. It will take some time.

You could easily think I’m just name-dropping here or kissing ass. Or acting all fanboy about Google+. That’s because you don’t know me. Why don’t you get to know me a bit better before you pass judgment? Or even better, why judge at all? Interact with me or anyone here if you feel like it, even if you disagree on the point of view. If you do it with respect, I’ll respect you back for it. I’m absolutely not into convincing people of anything. I also try never to judge. That doesn’t mean I don’t have opinions.

I enjoy ideas and creativity, stupid fun or dead-serious debate, almost the entire spectrum of human activity and nature.

I made this post to finally properly welcome all those who made the effort of coming here and interact with me. I also welcome all those of you who joined just now or will join later. I don’t know what will happen from here. I have never done this before. But I’m willing to take a chance, to see what happens. I can only learn from it and grow.

I’d like you to help Google+ grow as big as it can be. The reason why? To further feed my new found addiction Read that Scoble post. Mind you, I’m against any form of monopoly (yes, pun intended). I do think there’s a place for the Facebooks, Twitters, Linkedins... of this world to exist next to Google+.

I’d like to end this post with the simple request to, in turn, also welcome the people that found you and Google+. Not here. On your Posts.


ps: no eye-catching image but just plain text. I’m curious to find out if I’ll do that more.
pps: no commitments whatsoever as to what I’ll do next or even when I’ll finally update my About me. Real life/work/Google+/all my interests/... in 24h/day. I’ll just try my best.

Is it too soon for me to do a rant? Yes? No? Whatchagonnadoboutit huh? Well, maybe mute me or even uncircle me I guess. But at least I'll be able to say I tried a rant once.

The rant:
what the frak is up with those hashtags here on Google+?

Helloooo, this isn't Twitter!

Ok, there, I did it. Pretty short rant huh. Does it even qualify as one? Anyway, I'm not the ranting type. I largely prefer identifying a problem or issue, expressing my view and if possible, provide a suggestion.

Now that I'm a 'public content-creator' (how long will it take me to get used to that one?), I don't have to wait to find some post on the topic. I can post it myself. Granted, at the risk of it falling on deaf ears. But then again, I can always go rant contribute to someone else's post later right?

So my view & suggestion:

we're already getting used to tagging someone in a comment by +naming the person. Why not do the same for 'hashtags'?

typing +howtoinsertthehashtag could display instead of user names a list of tags. Or you could type the word, then right-click (and whatever that Mac equivalent is) and turn it into a tag.

Ok: so I don't know what the technical implications would be or if there can't be a more elegant solution. But until I see it, I'll write +tags like this.

+getoverit

Commenting goes off on this one, because I'm not looking to stir up anything here. Plenty places elsewhere to do that. It's humor, take it as such. Feel like discussing nonetheless, message me directly.

When +Robert Scoble asked what our reasons are to post to strangers, it got stuck in my head. So I was thinking: why not just link different people in a post who probably don't know each other yet?

I'm trying this at least once:

+Ezra Klein meet +Jeremie Tisseau

ps: I solemnly swear I won't name drop Scoble anymore for the rest of this month

Poor +Mike Elgan:

https://plus.google.com/113117251731252114390/posts/VsP8StNT6xH

+getoverit

I do hope he's well.

This just cracks me up :)

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POST I MADE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!

(granted, that doesn't mean much given I just started posting a few days ago)

With this post I will provide you further proof that Google+ is a game changer, yet at the same time I'm calling out Google to take things to the next level.

That's a pretty bold statement right?

-------------------------------------------------

A bit of background (so you won't have to wade through each and every single one of my posts):

I'm an ex-lurker. I suffered from social media fatigue, and that was even without having an online social life. I had never heard of many of the 'big names' when I came here. I love using several of the Google products, yet I feared another Buzz. I'm not into convincing people of anything. I know one thing well though, and that's the fact that you need community to succeed. So my approach to testing this place was to look for signs of community engagement. I heard there were already +20 million users when I joined, so I wondered whether I could find telling signs.

-------------------------------------------------

Yeah yeah, what's this all about, I got streams to follow you know!

HASHTAGS

You know, those #twitter things.

I made this post on the topic (disabled commenting):

https://plus.google.com/109907447383307087458/posts/hGCeqNwvxLg

Then I did what I love doing here: reading interesting posts. One of those posts led me to +Chris Messina. Now I know community, and I had already found proof of engagement here beyond my wildest expectations. The 'big names', the 'power users', were actually approachable here. They interact with us 'common' users. All it takes is reaching out.
Now you could easily dismiss this as early adopter enthousiasm, claim that it will wear off with time when there's a new shiny toy to play with.

Well, I know community, and from what I can see, there's a real one building here (or several ones, depends on the point of view, but I won't go into that now). In a community, there's real engagement. People take care of each other and their community. Sure, some of the power user will have to move on to other things, given they're in the tech business that is ever evolving and requires the attention of early adopters. But others will become opinion leaders here and help maintain and grow this community.

When I set out testing here, I would never ever have dreamed of interacting direclty with the people actually building this place. Especially given I was just going to lurk like I always had. Yet there was already a community forming that pulled me right in. On a platform like I had never seen before. By arguably the strongest company online. Could this become the place I have been dreaming of? The place that combines all that I love about Google products and that would allow me to do much of what I like in 1 single place? I reached out. I received.

This is just a 2 months old beta. I have been here less than 1 month. There is so so much still to do. That's part of the experience of building a great community. You improve the product together. And that never ends actually. So I decided to help as I could. What little could I do without any friend here? Without being a power user that people listen to? Simple: engage, contribute, share, respect.

I found people using hashtags. That's understandable, after all they date way back to IRC and since Twitter, well you know...

Google is clearly on to something here, and the reactions I received are proof of that. I got heard. So I was waiting to see how they would solve these hashtags. By solve I mean find a way to tag words & topics in an integrated way. Would that way be #? Counting on search results is not enough. It will work to find things by searching on specific words, but tags do more than that. They help you structure in a visual way. They allow you to see what's popular, trending, fresh... You can be creative with them.

I saw very little moving in that direction. Some people took initiatives in the meantime, and that's like it should be. But it requires a real integration.

As a lurker without any social interaction, I learned to tag people by using the + in no time. It's also very visual in a text. Love it!

So I made my post, asking to +tag words like +this. I asked +Chris Messina to check it out, as I figured he might have an opinion on this. Not only was he so kind to find the time to check it out, he answered with some good points:

-------------------------------------------------

"Shrug. I mean, go for it. I don't have any veto power over what typographics people use in their posts. If you're confident that you can retrain folks (and brands) to use a new character in front of words to identify them as tags, I won't tell you not to.

That said, Twitter set a precedent where @mentions and #hashtags are separate, and I think it works much better to separate the namespaces. That is, it would be pretty annoying if you're trying to +mention a friend, but a bunch of +tags keep getting in your way. Especially on mobile, it's just an increased inconvenience. So, AFAIC, I prefer the ability to mention people using one character, and using a different one to tag my posts.

And, if Twitter and Google+ are different in your analysis, why does Google+ need any kind of tags? Surely just changing the character denoting tags isn't that useful?"

Chris Messina


-------------------------------------------------

Here are my views (again, I'm not into convincing anyone, I'm just reaching out):

1) if you had veto power, I would have been out of here faster than you could've typed +shrug

2) I cannot retrain folks (and brands). Google can. We can.

3) as strange as it might seem to us tech-savvy folk here, the world isn't trained in using (hash)tags yet. Need proof? I've been active online for over 20 years now, yet I get by without using hashtags. My parents are online almost every day, but are clueless regarding hashtags.

4) Twitter set the precedent and did it well. It should keep using it. This place can do much more than Twitter. So much so IMHO, that Twitter should start rethinking its' bottom line and specialise in order to survive.

5) Google needs tags, because people need to be able to organize info. We're wired to categorize things. We live with information overload, and it will get worse. Asking people to search for info using keywords themselves each time, that's web 1.0. Circles are a great step, but they aren't enough. And we already live in a world where we have to configure every single damn thing, from your phone over your DVR to even your fridge. Settings, settings, settings. I need user friendly, time saving, low barrier, elegant solutions. I'd even say enchanting ones (wink wink +Guy Kawasaki).

Now that's easy for me to say right, I'm not giving real solutions. After all even Facebook hasn't tackled this issue. As soon as you start typing +, followed by a letter, it starts looking for names. I know that as it is now, it's a +fail. And how to do this on mobile, which will only become more and more important? Right-click/Ctrl-click on a word to turn it into a tag? +typing, opening names next to tagwords lists? Triple-tapping/-clicking on a word?

6) what do I know? I haven't used hashtags. That doesn't matter. We'll crowdsource the solutions, because we're building a community here. Together we'll find it. Or some of you smart guys over at Google will figure out a way if you focus.

7) why so hung up on that +tag then? Why not use #? Here comes the point I want to stress most: IDENTITY
Google+ needs to establish itself as a game changer, as a brand, with an identity. One that will change the internet again. They could have gone for the @naming, yet they didn't. We've grown already familiar with +tagging users in a matter of weeks (and with +1-ing).

So that's my challenge to you Google: find a way to go all the way. Bring that + everywhere, in everything you do. Take it to the next level.

If there is one company that can pull this off, it's Google. We're here to help make this happen.

-------------------------------------------------

Now the proof this place is a game changer? I, a so called 'nobody', have set this in motion. Now watch what will happen from here. Then know that you could make the next thing happen too. By making use of the community around you. That's what this place allows you to do in a groundbreaking way.

I'm listing the 'power users' I ask to help out on this matter, that have already interacted with me in these past weeks:

+Jeremiah Owyang +Jesse Stay +Craig Kanalley +Katherine Gramann +Louis Gray +Natalie Villalobos +Sean Bonner

+Robert Scoble (sorry that I broke my own promise of no longer name dropping you, but I felt this to be of too much importance)

I invite anyone to comment here, but due to the 500 comments limit, I'll remove anything that I deem is not a contribution to the discussion. I welcome all and any 'power-users' to take the discussion to their posts.

-------------------------------------------------

ps: why not simply convert a #hashtag automatically to a +tag?

pps: now that I looked into this matter, I found I just missed the 4th anniversary of the hashtag by 1 day when posting my original post. +canthaveitall

Sorry, just couldn't resist making this one.

DO...NOT...DO...THIS!

Seriously, if you want me to block you, just send me a chain letter.

I think we can all admit we're jealous of the beanie. Congrats again +Louis Gray!
https://plus.google.com/100535338638690515335/posts/aCYph3i6opC

Thinking about +tags got me all philosoraptor
(that, or sleep deprivation, not sure)

Ok, so maybe you're not into memes like I am (or maybe I just suck at 'em), but can you just +1 or share your preference anyway?
This one for hashtags.

For plustags go here:

https://plus.google.com/109907447383307087458/posts/BLehBzjKT22

To join the discussion:

https://plus.google.com/109907447383307087458/posts/NcFj7UH8mU3

#WeWantHashtags

Ok, so maybe you're not into memes like I am (or maybe I just suck at 'em), but can you just +1 or share your preference anyway?
This one for plustags.

For hashtags go here:

https://plus.google.com/109907447383307087458/posts/JmWoZG4xuG5

To join the discussion:

https://plus.google.com/109907447383307087458/posts/NcFj7UH8mU3

+wewantplustags

Thanks for clarifying this one +Aaron Wood.

I saw a discussion on this here the other day, so I wanted to help out.

Hello there stranger part 2: the Revenge!

I have been on Google+ for a month now. Time for a status update:

The moderation and the general community behavior have convinced me, so I decided to display publicly the people who have circled me. Aside from 5 people I know from real life, they're all complete and total strangers to me. I'm just as much a stranger to them. Yet, somehow, our paths have crossed here. Around interests we share or out of respect for opinions we've expressed.

I got to know many interesting individuals here a bit better. They're not my 'friends', but they sure are people I'd like to keep interacting with. Which in turn can grow into more. Those who have circled me, check out the others. You're bound to find some people there that can enrich your experience here. Those who feel uncomfortable being displayed, feel free to uncircle me, no hard feelings.

I don't automatically circle back. I check out the content of your posts first. If it's not immediately appealing to me, I'll see how our paths cross. If I find things of value in your contributions here, even if I don't necessarily agree with them, I'll circle you.

Given we don't have some personal FAQ on ourself, I feel I need to say a bit more about myself:

- I'm a native Dutch speaker, but I'll post and allow comments only in English. You can talk to me in Dutch or French when in Limited or elsewhere if you prefer.

- I enjoy entertainment, technology & science. I also like memes (you might have noticed), actually humor in general, except for jokes.

- I am tolerant but I don't like disrespectful behavior. I do not want to convince anyone of anything. I have my opinions, but I'm new to sharing them in public under my real name, so I'll have to grow into that.

- I want this place to work, because I can see so much potential. I love many of the Google products and am looking forward to a single place where I can concentrate the majority of my internet activity. I'm tired of managing xx accounts with all different settings. That explains why I like to talk so much about G+ itself. But that doesn't mean I don't have many other interests. It's just that we have a shot here as a community to build a great product and change the web. That has to be a priority.

Now, talking about G+, I reached out regarding the hashtag/plustag issue. I want this solved before the flood gates are opened. Google already has made a big mess of the nymwars, I don't want to see tags suffering in the same way. There are plenty of people fighting the nymwars, so I won't get involved. I did try to do something for the tags though. Contribute to the discussion here please, as it matters to us all:

https://plus.google.com/109907447383307087458/posts/NcFj7UH8mU3

Without sharing, it won't go out of my circles. So if you care about the topic, comment, vote, share or start a post yourself.

Now I have to say, I have seen little reaction to some of my posts. There can be many different reasons for this. I post for myself first. If I like it, I might post it, even if no one gives a damn. I know community, and because I like what I'm seeing here and I appreciate the interactions we had, I wanted to contribute. But things went wrong when I took on tags.

I found that in order to get the word out, and due to the lack of reaction by most of you, I had to do things I don't like doing. I'm basically almost stalking some power users on some topics, doing attention whoring, name dropping, plugging my posts ... I hate that. That's not me. It's not the behavior I want to see in this place, let alone be the one doing it.

I'm not the one to rally the troops, to stand on the barricades, to cry for attention, to fight the good cause. I don't get star-struck either. My life is filled with my relation, interests and work. So I can do without this.

I gave this tags issue a shot, you can read back in my posts and in comments spread out there. I would be tempted to ask for your help, to step in. But after all we're still but strangers to each other. Should you have been interested or able, you would have acted no? Maybe you still might. Maybe I hope for too much in too little time.

I have to start on new projects in my professional life. I'm behind on over a dozen of games and Gears Of War 3 is almost upon us. I'm pulling again an all-nighter here now. So I'm going to revert to the activity I like. The one prior to taking on the tags. I'll help where I can regarding the tags, but I'd love someone else to champion this issue. I'd appreciate your help in the matter, as we're all concerned.

Thank you for reading this post, for circling me, and for being/becoming part of this community.

Help +Kim Sherrell get the proof she needs here:
https://plus.google.com/102976465024742837897/posts/3xMrKQF7xbG

OK, here's the deal:

I'll post a meme a day for as long as we don't have tags here. I'll start tomorrow (because I already posted this one previously).

#MemesForTags : 0
+memesfortags : 0

#WeWantHashTags
+wewantplustags

Meme : Pretty Cool Guy

#MemesForTags : 1
+memesfortags : 1

#WeWantHashTags
+wewantplustags

Hey Ms. (Mrs?) dunnie. Saw your last post. Just wanna say:

Sorry, forgot what it was about by the time I made this one.

https://plus.google.com/117381651485941996132/posts/ghSf3pnL44e

Mr. +Guy Kawasaki gives tips to become a content creator here:

https://plus.google.com/112374836634096795698/posts/aKaA6L1sVBx

Content creation or at least curation.

I'm learning to create content now thanks to Google+. One of the tips provided is to think niche. So I wondered in what niche I could create or curate. After wrecking my brains for at least 2 whole seconds, I came up with memes. I found myself enjoying creating some instead of simply viewing them online.

Then it occurred to me that people might see me as a one-trick-pony. Sure, I could probably create a network of people who enjoy memes as form of humor. But sticking to 1 thing alone will not enrich this place for the better. I'd rather have several weaker networks, covering a vast spectrum of interests. Preferably even have them cross paths as often as possible.

So what content could I create aside from my meme attempts? I'm no blogger, and I don't want to convince other people of anything. I posted some scribblings here already, based on my experiences as a newcomer. I did because I believe they could prove useful to some other newcomers. But I won't stay a newcomer for long. And posting with advice and tips to newcomers, less and less from personal experience, is in a way blogging, and that's not me.

I can't draw. I can't sing. I don't play instruments. I broke my camera years ago and never found the time to get me a new one. My photos would just pale in comparison with the incredible richness here anyway. I don't want to do video for sure.

So then, what can I do? I can read a lot of posts, on many various topics. I know how to put text on an image. I like contributing to this community.

I decided to point you here in my posts to other posts I find interesting. Actually I already did that on several occasions, but that was randomly, there was no 'plan' behind it, no predefined goal.

When I did, I tried to add some visual. The problem with that is that I can't do a share of the original post and add an image at the same time. So while I do drive some traffic to the post, it is not counted as a share. A shame. I'm waiting on some integration of a version of Google Analytics that will give authors of posts insights into their traffic. I'm sure it will come. So I'll stick to my added images.

When I see an interesting post (by my standards of course), and a way to create an image for it, I'll make a post pointing to it.

This time a post by +Andrea Kuszewski:

https://plus.google.com/108998673146368660257/posts/QhvXsXJBj8Q

Check out +Kevin Wilson.

Go help the poor girl here:

https://plus.google.com/117958363368979774542/posts/doqM1WJKbuX

Edit: removed the image.
To clarify: I always use my sense of 'humor' on people I respect (Yes, I even respect Zuckerberg to some extend). I'm not into explaining my work and I am fully aware that it can be taken for anything but what I had in mind. Once you create something, and put it out there in public, I think it no longer belongs to you. People can make of it what they want. But if the person in question, for whatever reason, is not pleased, I'll delete.
I'm leaving this post because people interested in AI could find the link useful. And because this way I've clarified a bit more what I set out to do.

(Now if only there was some elegant solution to create a FAQ section on ourself in addition to the About page)

Meme : Musically Oblivious 8th Grader

#MemesForTags : 2
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Meme : CSI 4 Pane Comics

#MemesForTags : 3
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Language like our troops on a global platform is really not ok. But the idea in itself is commendable:

https://plus.google.com/114685727151899977785/posts/M61cSVFUjVV

Meme : Successful Black Man

#MemesForTags : 4
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If you're into journalism, check this one out:

https://plus.google.com/103399926392582289066/posts/MQ7NgyT32Tw

Thought-provoking piece on The End of Silicon Valley by +Mathew Honan:

https://plus.google.com/111203177111013925515/posts/b2XEWHrZ6Rg

RESHARE:
This is my first 'normal' share, simply because there is nothing I want to add to this. I'd love to see some more of these. I don't know when I'll be ready for one of my own.

Reshared text:
Google+ Manifesto

I will post what I love.

I will not spell everything correctly. I will start sentences with "And". I will use incorrect grammar. I will write run on sentences and use way more words than necessary to explain myself.

I will post things I am passionate about and things that excite me. I will share creative posts from other users. I will have strong opinions and will frequently change them. I will post half-baked ideas and hopes for the future.

I will do this because the Google+ community is fantastic at helping me form ideas and opinions and even the future.

I will post what I love.

This is who I am.

RESHARE:
I felt like sharing this one, yet at the same time I was wondering what it could mean to 'endorse' this. Sure, you could think everybody's taking a cut (G+/YouTube/Apple/Tyler...). You could think that +Max Huijgen isn't really the good Samaritan either, because it could give him the positive attention he might be looking for. Heck, I might even be doing it for that reason.

Luckily I try to live my life without judging others. I like seeing a story unfold over new ways of interaction. I like to learn something new. I like to see a string of actions evolve into something unique, fresh or just plain entertaining.

I enjoyed it and it made me reflect again on what this internet is allowing us to do. Sharing could do this for someone else too. Knowing that makes me feel good, and that alone is reason enough for me. Yes, I can be selfish like that.

Reshared text:
Come on G+ people let´s get this viral. The cover of Purple rain is excellent, the guy is a great singer and every inch an artist and as a homeless needs the money.

Listen to the music and if you´re as impressed as I am make sure it goes viral on G+ and we all pay the 0,99ct. We are a relatively rich group of people so we should be able to afford the dollar to support this guy. Let´s see if we can outperform the youtubers...

Kudos to Tyler Ward as well. See the ´how we met´ here The Dred Scott Project - Part One - How We Met on YouTube-

I have tried to do get this viral in the beginning of G+ but now that we are mature group we must be capable of kill two birds in one stone. Feel good because you helped a real artist and enjoy his music.

Meme : The Most Interesting Man In The World

#MemesForTags : 5
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+Ahmed Zeeshan made a great post, as usual, on the suggested users list. If you want to get informed on the topic, this is your best starting point:

https://plus.google.com/103030116155431184588/posts/VyfAmofhAGg

Let's help +Brian Bitzer get his horse:

https://plus.google.com/101989171644896834606/posts/haH5AXwBaBC

Meme : Business Cat

#MemesForTags : 6
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Meme : Ronald McDonald Call

#MemesForTags : 7
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Aah that +Sean Bonner:

https://plus.google.com/101629211371073711149/posts/g5uppf9Nw99

Meme : Good Guy Greg

#MemesForTags : 8
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Meme : Yo Dawg

#MemesForTags : 9
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Yo Dawg, I herd you like the G’s here

Hi there people, fellow members.

You are already more than 300 to follow me. WOW. It happened so fast, I didn’t even find the time to make some ‘300 Prepare for glory’ spoof. I found a lot of very interesting people among those following me. Don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself.

<----

Now it was pointed out in a post I came across, that in a way, we are all community managers of our own community that we create around our posts. As such, and seen your number, I thought I should share a bit more about myself.

I’m still new at content creation, so I don’t feel ready yet to post about my interests. Yes, they go beyond a newfound interest for internet memes. I can do more than whine about tags or point you towards stranger’s posts.

I find myself commenting more and more. Chances are however that you did not come across my comments, spread a bit everywhere. So I’d like to point you to 2 posts that deal on a topic I’m passionate about: community.

This topic is so vast and complex, that I would need several posts to share my thoughts. I’m not ready for that yet. So these posts, and especially their comments (including mine) are a good starting point. They are very long to read, but if you want to contribute to the ongoing community efforts on Google+, they’re well worth the read.

post 1: https://plus.google.com/102615863344410467759/posts/deJBHmyjuMT
post 2: https://plus.google.com/115516333681138986628/posts/ikyx9QKrHgz

You’ll notice a difference in tone I take in those posts. I adapt to the content and context. I’ll change my tone if I believe it can serve the discussion. The authors of the posts are free to delete my comments anytime anyway.

As ‘community manager’ of my own place here, I would like you to know that I don’t tolerate disrespect towards other members. I am invulnerable to disrespect directed at me. I like feedback, the good, the bad and the ugly. So you can give it to me straight. But because I don’t want to give any excuse for promoting disrespect, I’ll probably remove disrespectful comments aimed at me, even if they can’t harm me in any way.

Please comment on community in the 2 posts instead of here.

I hope to find your public contributions to Google+ here and elsewhere. But I’m ok with lurking too, so no obligations in any way.

Edit to add a 3rd post: https://plus.google.com/103765013042311928518/posts/MqX2H6wgFXb

Obviously I can't make it there. But I was waiting for an excuse to thank you +Daniella Ayala for making me feel appreciated here.

Have fun there:

https://plus.google.com/108502544742527327179/posts/WSey86UCKLe

RESHARE:
When will those Germans finally learn to stop hating???

At least this one speaks English without a horrific accent.


Just kidding of course :p :p :p, LOVE it man!

People, if you want to help build this place into the best on the web, you know what to do: sharing is caring.

Feedback is always welcome, especially if it's this creative and entertaining. I can't wait to see what else will be created here.

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I'm sorry +Natalie Villalobos...

After I recorded the hangout joining sound I thought why not use the footage of our hangout to show people what a hangout is. I hope you don't mind me using it. I sped you up 4x to censor what you were saying and I think I did a good job on censoring everyone else's content but I had to use +Milos Janata's good morning 9+ and I left +Youssef Hachhouch post, that I shared on my stream uncensored because I want to support his humor.

I guess the moral of this video is: Only when you love something so much you can come up with 25 things you hate about it. :P

BIG thanks to Trees for letting me use "telepathic" and editing out the vocal tracks!
http://www.facebook.com/MandalaTrees

+Steven Harper nails it with his comment in +Michelle Marie's great post:

https://plus.google.com/114618043230336563405/posts/211fWbKbCbX

Meme : Bill O'Reilly You Can't Explain That'

#MemesForTags : 10
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My 10th meme in this series is dedicated to +Andreas Knüttel's video:

https://plus.google.com/112652642866960214917/posts/bcBMNvNBTpL

I'm gonna try something different here: pointing to an external site for once.

This is an interesting post by bitly on the half-life of shared links. I learned about it on Twitter, am posting it here and used a google shortner just for the meta lulz of it :)

Meme : Technologically Impaired Duck

#MemesForTags : 11
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Mix up some stalking with some brown-nosing and I might just goof around with you :p
Kudos to +Jason Warren for taking a chance ;)

I AM A STAR NOW



And you can become one too.

Check out this interesting experiment by +Jonathan Langdale and turn yourself into a star. A must if you're into science or just creative social experimenting.

I wouldn't be me if I didn't try to add a little twist of my own to the mix: so why not pick your star and check out the person closest to it to circle?



ps: I don't mean that in a dating kind of way. I'm already taken sorry.

+getoverit

Watch this video of upcoming talent +Ryan Crowe doing a great impersonation of Xzibit!

Kidding kidding!

Great interview there by +Peter McDermott. Keep 'em coming.

https://plus.google.com/108541235642523883716/posts/7MDCCEabn8D

Tired of hearing me talk G+ on G+ even though it's still just an early beta? Knock yourself out: go all off topic here and point us to the content you find interesting. Shameless self promotion allowed!

RESHARE:
Blackjack and hookers!

and +Ben Hickling!!!

Have you already had such a moment on Google+ where you instantly fell in love with some stranger's work? It just makes your day.

And he makes a Totoro like he did in just 3-4 hours??? The only thing that can impress me more is the actual Totoro film. If you haven't seen it yet: SEE IT!

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Blackjack and hookers! Done for this week's Super Sketch Squad theme, "Futurama"

Meme : Pedobear

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Meme : Alpha Boyfriend

#MemesForTags : 13
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Ewww, the real world is knocking at our door. Make it go awaaaay please.

Scoble: https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts/a6zPvRA2462

Laser: https://plus.google.com/104973761519912571719/posts/U7qTSeJhr8H

RESHARE:
Just seeing the video image preview gave me goose bumps. I had to share.

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*
Michael J. Fox with the RARE New Sneakers on Ebay! Great Scott!
.

My first and last contribution to Booberday:

http://www.bcf.org.sg/
http://ww5.komen.org/
http://www.tegenkanker.be

Are you (man or woman) obsessed with the right things?
Feel free to share these boobs if you’re into that.

RESHARE:
They have seen the light.

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amazing easy solution that makes life for so many much more happy.

Meme : Foul Bachelor Frog

#MemesForTags : 14
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I did it! I finally did it. I shared a video featuring Justin Bieber!

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Science is great, geeks are cool! Spread this message to kids.

Brought to you by Dean Kamen's First ( http://www.usfirst.org/ ) organization.

I like +Virginie Renson's fallacies concerning Booberday. They sure come in handy in a discussion:

https://plus.google.com/113433001494619467467/posts/8QgADFWenPQ

Meme : Why Not Zoidberg?

#MemesForTags : 15
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Meme : Net Noob

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Zuckerberg has passed the 500K mark. This is ridiculous people. Anyone up for a Uncircle The Zuck campaign?

ps: unless he starts adding content of course...

Let's uncircle Mark Zuckerberg as long as he's not creating content here.

Meme : Hipster Kitty

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Meme : Anxiety Cat

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I don't care how many times you might have seen this one already. This post and its comments is the best example of how people all over the world can come together in one thread and express similar feelings. So, I must share. And if everyone else shares it too and I have to see it a thousand times over, so be it.

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One of the last pictures I took yesterday - Aurora Australis - the southern lights - dancing with the constellation Orion. An amazing moment.

Meme : Insanity Wolf

#MemesForTags : 19
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Meme : Sir Courage Wolf Esquire

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So it’s already Saturday where I live and I wanted to state that I’m done with Booberdays (& Caturdays). You can find some final comments in Scoble’s post here:

https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts/7BpY7iu3K8E

ps: should Chesterday take off in a way I can support, I might find the motivation to work my pecs and take up photography again to join the effort. Here’s to good resolutions...

RESHARE:
Some interesting things going on here, but it could use some more input and help. If you know of similar efforts, make sure to point to them in the comments.

https://plus.google.com/113498200739911917070/posts/BJ6y3hqZuK1

Reshared text:
An attempt to build a semantic matrix for Google+.
In order to describe the features of Google+ (= semantic), I propose an array which gives for each action:
- itsconsequences for the user
- its consequences for others.
http://goo.gl/OpV8e (en français à http://goo.gl/Lb9VF ).
It can also be used as a compact tutorial.

Meme : Advice Yoda Gives

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Meme : Paranoid Parrot

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Meme : Omsk Crow

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Meme : X all the Y

Soooooo: should I keep at it? Time to give it up now that we have search?

The fact remains that tags haven't been integrated yet. Here you can see +Brian Rose provide some searches, including ones using hashtags. Yet, do a search on the same word without the # or +, and it will work just as well:

https://plus.google.com/113686253941057080055/posts/C3urgxpSKVZ

Just try it for yourself by searching on the tags from this post.

I'll continue the discussion on my post on tags here: http://goo.gl/JX2qG

The question you can answer here: should I stop creating my memes for tags?


#MemesForTags : 24
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+1 Bomb responsibly?

https://plus.google.com/104219386206797402856/posts/eqZNrYmy5LX

Losing My Religion.

It's the End of the World as We Know It.
(And I Feel Fine)

R. I. P.
E.
M.

Hello there stranger III: Resurrection part1.

The floodgates are open. I guess you’ve noticed some effects by now. So what to do?

So far I had the most effect on my GooglePoly post. It saw no recent action there in the past days. Then all of a sudden it started getting comments. Comments that do not add real value to the conversation.

This is no longer our early adopters playground. As a young community we’re at that turning point where ‘the masses’ start pouring in, forever changing the community. If you think we can go back to what it was, you’re dreaming. If you think you can influence it enough to have those newcomers behave to your likings, you’re dreaming.

Does it mean it’s a lost cause, we shouldn’t even try? Of course not. We can influence the evolution of ‘our’ community. We can lead by example. We’ll find the middle ground, turning this place into the best it can possibly be. Which will not be what it was. Nor does it have to be what is elsewhere.

My take on this:

I've build my self-esteem over the years up to a point where it is not influenced anymore by external opinions. I have learned to live with my strengths, weaknesses and preferences. I want to learn as much as I can. I don't want to judge others, I don't want to convince anyone of anything.

When putting my 'work' out there, I welcome any possible feedback. Positive, respectful, blunt, arrogant, emotional, without added value, trolling... it does not matter. Because it allows me to know the person who commented a bit better. If one with superior skills to mine were to come and point out my weaknesses in a disrespectful manner, displaying his superiority, in a public way... he would be showing the world in a way who he is. The world can judge him for it or not. I won't.
I'll always try to learn from it. If that's not possible, at least others can get to know that person a bit better. No comments is worse. But even no reaction at all does not shake my self-esteem. I can feed the creative monster inside, or I can at least learn that it does not begets feedback.

There are also cultural differences. I know from first hand interactions how something can be appreciated in one culture and have the complete opposite effect in another. Some do not master English well enough to express their thoughts, but still will show their appreciation, even if it’s as simple as a ‘cool’.

Having your work ignored or crushed can be very painful, especially if you're young/new at it. But channel that pain to learn and grow. I suspect that artists that have not encountered such pain make less rich work.

I do prefer a place where interactions are respectful. I'll moderate my own page in a way that discourages negative, disrespectful behavior. Not because it affects me, but because it affects others. The internet is not in balance. So I want to help counter-balance the negativity. I've chosen this place for that.

I’ll leave comments that lack ‘value’. Leading by example means that I will try to comment myself with ‘more value’. I’ll +1 comments that added value to the thread for me. I’ll look up the author if it was really good value, and if I like what I find, I’ll circle him/her. I’ll build my circles collecting people that add value to my experience here. My streams might see discussions filled with comments of low or no value, when they are public. I might turn to Limited posts or even hangouts when I need ‘higher value’.

When was the last time you went ‘in public in real life’ and found only things that matched your preferences? That’s not what public means to me, that’s not what I expect public posts to be here.

On this topic, +Guy Kawasaki asked his question here:

https://plus.google.com/112374836634096795698/posts/cSnnMxSgVaF

+Robert Scoble answered here:

https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts/Ct3QBq3raBm

ps: thanks to +Jason Casey & +Olaf Arisson for making me lol.

Hello there stranger III: Resurrection part2.

My name is Youssef, and I’m a Googleholic

Google+ is open to the public now, Facebook is about to hold its f8. Other services try to keep up or are in the process of panicking reinventing themselves. Exciting times. The Internet as we knew it is gone forever.

I made my choice, I’m Google+ all the way. This place has reinvigorated many of my interests that were on life support. So much so even, that it tipped the balance over to the side of addiction. In under 2 months. And that’s with just 100 features. Hundreds more are still to come.

The only addiction I tolerate for myself, is coffee. So I need to make a change. I could trade one addiction for another. Say, go cold turkey on G+ and dive into full on Gears of War 3 madness. Tempting as it may be, I’m going for a more balanced life. I’ll keep using G+, I’ll kill me some Locust, I’ll try to sleep a decent amount of hours a day...

I don’t want to champion anything here. It’s too time consuming. It would only further feed my addiction. It would require public self-promotion, which just ain’t me.

So I’ve decided to drop my ‘meme a day for tags’. Google is working hard on the integration of new features, fixing bugs and fine tuning where needed. No doubt they’ll work on tagging solutions when possible. We can help them figure out what we need by providing feedback. I’ve sent my feedback already using the ‘Send feedback’ feature. Next to individual feedback, collaborative efforts are popping up left and right. If I see one that includes tagging, I’ll try to contribute.

I’ll post when I feel like it. Sometimes several times a day, sometimes nothing for days. I’ll keep collecting interesting people in my circles and I’ll comment to their posts whenever I think I can add some value. I prefer commenting to posting anyway.

+1 you later!

#MemesForTags : 25
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#WeWantHashTags
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For the full quality image:
https://rapidshare.com/files/3575515813/Google__Memes.png