Within the past few weeks Google has announced that it will be shutting down its Google+ platform over the coming weeks and months, the announcement came about following a possible data breach back in Spring 2018.
The platform was launched in 2010 in an attempt to create another social media platform similar to and rival Facebook, unfortunately it wasn’t as successful as expected due mainly to the huge following the likes of Facebook and Twitter have. Despite this Google+ still has a dedicated following through its series of online communities that have been established by its users.
Google sent out an email to all users of the platform commenting “In December 2018, we announced our decision to shut down Google+ for consumers in April 2019 due to low usage and challenges involved in maintaining a successful product that meets consumers’ expectations. We want to thank you for being part of Google+ and provide next steps, including how to download your photos and other content.“
What does this mean for your Google+ page?
On April 2nd Google will begin shutting down and deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts and pages, any photos and videos in your archive and pages will also be deleted. It is possible to download and save your uploaded content by following the help guide at https://support.google.com/plus/answer/1045788
The process of removing this content from accounts, pages and albums will take a few months and users will see some data for a while until everything is completely deleted.
Can I still create profiles and pages in the meantime?
From February 4th Google have ended the ability to create any new Google+ profiles, pages, communities and events so from today onwards you won’t be able to create anything new.
Will eckhoMedia help and assist with this process?
We will be helping clients remove content and remove any links to the Google+ profile from websites and other social media channels, we can also provide advice and assistance to clients and non-clients on this situation if required, simply get in contact with us through our contact us page.
Where can I find out more information?
Google have produced a full frequently asked questions page for further details and updates regarding the shutdown, taken from their informative email the following links and options may help:
- If you’re a Google+ Community owner or moderator, you may download and save your data for your Google+ Community. Starting early March 2019, additional data will be available for download, including author, body, and photos for every community post in a public community. Learn more
- If you sign in to sites and apps using the Google+ Sign-in button, these buttons will stop working in the coming weeks but in some cases may be replaced by a Google Sign-in button. You’ll still be able to sign in with your Google Account wherever you see Google Sign-in buttons. Learn more
- If you’ve used Google+ for comments on your own or other sites, this feature will be removed from Blogger by February 4th and other sites by March 7th. All your Google+ comments on all sites will be deleted starting April 2, 2019. Learn more
- If you’re a G Suite customer, Google+ for your G Suite account should remain active. Contact your G Suite administrator for more details. You can also expect a new look and new features soon. Learn more
