Goodbye GooglePlus.
Many months have passed since GooglePlus shut down.
Are you looking for a Google Plus alternative?
You’ve come to the right place (blog post).
13 sites like GooglePlus await you.
These GooglePlus alternatives are all still thriving.
However, you should note:
While I stand by the research presented in this article, many people insist only Instagram is on the road to the stars as far as growth.
According to these social media experts, Instagram is considered the best replacement for GooglePlus.
On the other hand, I believe all of these would make a fine GooglePlus replacement. I should know since I use them all.
Let’s dive in and explore alternatives to GooglePlus.
What was GooglePlus?
(Also known as, “What was Google+?)
GooglePlus was Google’s social media site.
What was GooglePlus used for?
The platform was organized around niche-based groups. Like-minded individuals could find each other. For instance, there were political groups. GooglePlus had groups about photography as well. Really, any type of content you could imagine– there was a GooglePlus community for it.
Also, people needing information could find answers by going to the applicable group.
For instance, when I had a question about WordPress, I went to the WordPress group, posed my question, and someone would respond with the answer.
People ask if Google will replace GooglePlus with another social media site. I keep reading that the answer is “yes.” First, I heard it was going to be called “Shoelace.” Then, I heard it was going to be called something else.
At the time of this writing in August of 2020 GooglePlus has not released another social media site.
UPDATES
October 2021
On Monday, October 4, Facebook went down. Since Facebook keeps stopping, people speculate more social media sites will be developed that serve Facebook’s purpose. Since both the communications and ecommerce sectors were crippled, at this time, there is no viable Facebook alternative.
There have been more updates to this situation since the original publication of this article.
First, GooglePlus announced its closing down four months ahead of schedule due to a second data breach. The site will forever close its doors this April of 2019.
Next, GooglePlus now provides directions for saving your GooglePlus data.
In addition, MeWe (added below as a Bonus Tip) is providing a way for GooglePlus users to upload their content directly onto MeWe.
And the main lesson for those end-users, like me, who invested thousands of hours helping to build services like Google+ and Google Reader? Never invest deeply in a platform that isn’t the primary focus of the company behind it.
So GooglePlus is dead now? 
#RIP #GooglePlus
The news that Google is shutting down #GooglePlus is met with immense joy and sighs of relief from Social Media Professionals all across the industry who were only publishing on or monitoring the dead platform because it was a checkbox on an executive’s social strategy.
#GooglePlus ? More like #GoogleMinus
The #GooglePlus data breach is not really a huge deal. No one uses the platform.
Google Is Shutting Down Google+ After Exposing Data Of Up To 500,000 Users. SHOCKING. Never Knew Google Plus Had 500,000 Users.
#GooglePlus
What is Social Media?
Social media websites are online communities where people interact. These communities encourage the sharing of information. According to Wikipedia, “User-generated content is the lifeblood of social media.”
What is Social Bookmarking?
Social bookmarking sites can be used to save entire articles. You “bookmark” those articles to find again later.
This post recommends using both social media sites and social bookmarking sites as alternatives to using GooglePlus to promote your content.
13 Social Media Sites You Can Use as Alternatives to GooglePlus
September 2020 Update: At KWFinder, a keyword research tool, I discovered that the keyword “Flipboard” only gets 10 searches per month. Clearly, interest in this once popular site has dramatically decreased.
In contrast, according to Neil Patel, TikTok has yet to become a marketer’s playground since the site is still so new.
Although Gary V predicted Instagram’s growth would stabilize in 2020 due to the newness of TikTok, I heard Instagram is still growing.”
Medium
Screenshot Courtesy of Statista
Scoop.it!
According to 2018 statistics, Hubshout reports 79% of everyone online still uses Facebook and 76% of Facebook users use Facebook daily. Despite its recent troubles, I also continue to use Facebook groups to promote my blog.
Steemit
Viral Content Bee
Snapchat
According to TechCrunch.com, Snapchat reported growth in January of this year despite Snapchat’s online competition. Bloggers and marketers can use Snapchat to generate website traffic.
You can make money by using Snapchat as well as generate website traffic.
Quora
Quora is a question and answer site. I’m including it here since you can promote your content and interact with the site users. This was the criteria I shared above to be a social media site.
Is Quora growing? Definitely!
In January of this year, Quora boasted a 150% growth rate.
According to September 2018 stats, Reddit is continuing to grow. “Reddit has grown dramatically over the years. It has tens of millions of users, hundreds of thousands of subreddits, and it is always growing.”
Despite its reputation for considering bloggers as spammers, it is possible to get the kind of blog traffic you want with Reddit.
If you’d like to use Reddit as a Google Plus alternative, here are interesting Reddit subreddits you might enjoy using to network.
UPDATE Bonus Tip: MeWe
Since the original publication of this article, I discovered MeWe, a new social media site, which offers itself as a Facebook alternative for people concerned their data is getting sold.
MeWe is gaining in popularity since the 2020 Presidential Election. As Facebook users leave Facebook, they are flocking to MeWe and the now offline social media site Parler. More information and a tutorial can be found here: MeWe Review.
UPDATES: Clubhouse
April 2021
Despite continuing enthusiasm for Clubhouse, predictions are dim for the new site that I indicated might be one of the replacements for GooglePlus.
Many “copycat” sites with audio conversations are popping up including Twitter Spaces. Although, Neil Patel and Eric Sui indicated people aren’t coming up with new things to say at Clubhouse, and they repeat themselves often.
January 2021
A new social media site, Clubhouse, began. Clubhouse is for iOS users. The social media app is different than other social media sites.
When people network on Clubhouse, they talk out loud as opposed to in writing.
I heard becoming addicted to Clubhouse is easy. Neil Patel reported that people spend seven hours a day there.
You need to be invited to join Clubhouse. Since I haven’t yet been invited, this information is second-hand.
Clubhouse has rooms based on topics. You can even have an Ask Me Anything room.
I downloaded the app and made an account. At the time of this writing, I haven’t heard back from the site. Watch this space as more information becomes available to me.
November 2020
Update 1
In the October 2020 update to this post, I mentioned Parler is not a viable GooglePlus alternative.
Perhaps I better rethink what I wrote.
Since the U.S. Presidential election on November 3, 2020, Parler has been downloaded more than any other app in the world.
Politically-minded Facebook groups that leaned right are leaving Facebook and looking for a new social media home. Conservative groups are leaving Facebook and flocking to the MeWe social media site (reviewed in this article) and Parler instead.
In the October 2020 update to this post, I recommended you stay away from Parler due to its lack of censorship.
Optimists speculate when the political furor dies down, Parler might be an acceptable social media site to frequent. UPDATE: Parler went offline on January 10, 2021.
November 2020 Update 2
On Quora, I was asked which is a bigger site Twitter or Tumblr. After speculating the answer is Twitter, I conducted research.
According to Statista, Tumblr has a user base of 171.5 million users. Statista called this a “relatively low reach” compared to other social media sites.
In contrast, Twitter has a user base of 330 million.
October 2020
Social media sites that are not viable GooglePlus alternatives:
I reviewed Huddol, a new social media site, but there doesn’t seem to be any hype about Huddol that I’ve heard of, so I assume the user growth is not rising at numbers high enough to report.
Parler is also a new social media site. I do not recommend Parler as a GooglePlus alternative due to the reports of racist content being left on Parler. This is by design. The social media platform is based around the belief in free speech.
UPDATE: TikTok
UPDATE November 2021
I finally jumped on the TikTok bandwagon and despite my erroneous belief that TikTok is just for teenagers, I am loving it.
Two years after its inception,TikTok continues to thrive especially after the 2020 lockdown which people spent watching short videos like the kind you see on TikTok.
September 2020
In August, I reported Trump’s plans to ban TikTok in the U.S. stopped me from listing Tik Tok as a social media site on the rise.
There’s been an update to this situation: After it looked like Microsoft would buy TikTok, Oracle is going to be the new owner of TikTok.
Tik Tok is definitely on the rise! According to the site, there are 100 million monthly users of Tik Tok in the U.S. alone. The company reports the Tik Tok app has been download 2 billion times.
August 2020
I had a blogging friend so disappointed over StumbleUpon’s closure, he vowed to take over StumbleUpon and bring the defunct app back to life.
StumbleUpon was such a major source of traffic for bloggers, the return of StumbleUpon would have been well-timed considering GooglePlus folded.
However, he shared his plans for StumbleUpon’s return years ago. Since I never heard more, I have to assume he dropped his plans to bring back StumbleUpon.
You might wonder why I am not including TikTok in this post as a rising social media site. As of this writing, U.S. President Donald Trump implemented plans to ban TikTok in the United States.
June 2020
According to the Marie Haynes podcast, Google is developing a new social media site similar to Pinterest called “Keen.” According to Haynes, Google likes the way the site is collected at Pinterest and wants a comparable site that improves users’ ability to search.
Related Reading: If you need a Pinterest refresher, you will find one here: Is Pinterest social media?
May 2020
Since the publication of this article, many new social media sites started.
For example, the social media site Huddol places an emphasis on personal growth and development.
Here is more information about Huddol if you’re interested.
In addition, new social media sites began that pays its members. For example, WebToons is a social media site for cartoonists. At WebToons, users can sponsor their art.
Here is more information about websites that provide social pay if you’re curious.
AUGUST 2019
WebTalk, a new social media site, pays its members.
Wrapping Up: Alternatives to GooglePlus
UPDATE: October 2019
How have you been doing since the Google Plus shutdown? Were you able to transfer your Google Plus account to Mix?
Where do you promote? Where do you find groups with like-minded social media users? Please answer in the comments.
GooglePlus Closes: FAQ
Why is GooglePlus shutting down?
GooglePlus shut down due to poor management, a lack of focus, and several data breaches that occurred in 2018.
Are GooglePlus and GMail the same?
No. GooglePlus is a defunct social media site. GMail is an email service. Both are Google tools.
Which alternative to Google Plus will you pick? I look forward to your opinions in the comments section about the best Google+ replacement.
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