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Google+ Etiquette: Comments Defined
In case you haven’t heard (if not, where the hell have you been?), Google introduced Google+ last week. Invitations have been wide open since the weekend with no end in sight. In fact, PC World says that G+ will top 20 million users this weekend. With the crush of use and rampant posting and commenting going on this week, I’ve noticed a Facebook habit that some are carrying over to G+ and I’d like to offer an etiquette suggestion.
There’s Commenting …

Webster’s definition:
1.
a remark, observation, or criticism: a comment about theweather.
2.
gossip; talk: His frequent absences gave rise to comment.
3.
a criticism or interpretation, often by implication orsuggestion: The play is a comment on modern society.
I propose that the definition be expanded for social media purposes. By Webster’s definition, ‘wow’ is a comment - and so is ‘that’s cool’ or ‘that’s awesome’ or ‘thanks for posting’. But, in the Social Media world, these phrases add nothing to the conversation - there’s no dia (across) in the log (speak), so to speak. So, here’s my addendum to the definition:

A.
a comment should provide new insight to the topic of discussion or broaden the debate or reinforce a concept by offering examples or data to back it up
If you’ve been on G+ this week, one of the main gripes has been the inability to collapse comments. If you follow a +Chris Pirillo or a +Steve Rubel (like I do), the comments on one post can be 4 or 5 pages long. Thankfully, there are many of those comments that fit my expanded definition! Yay for G+!! But, there are also many, many comments along the lines of ‘wow’, ‘hooray’, and the ever popular ‘thanks for posting.’

… And There’s +1
+1 is Google’s version of Facebook’s ‘Like’ button. Of course, on Facebook, almost everyone that clicked ‘Like’ also left a lame ‘I love this’ comment, so they never really used it like it should be used. Let’s break with that tradition/habit in our new G+ universe - there’s no need to throw out a lame old ‘atta boy Luther!’ (even if it is from one of the funniest scenes in motion picture history). Just use +1 to support posts that you like and agree with and reserve commenting for those times that you can add real meat to the conversation.

+1 FTW

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