Steve actually makes a pretty good case for the dynamic and problems facing G+. I think he buries one problem, that for many people, G+ marked a major turn in perception of the company. Just as Microsoft long ago became the software you had to use rather than the software you chose to use, Google has become the Internet company you have to use, and G+ the social network it forced you into. And the fact that this happened under the watch of a former Microsoft executive is possibly not entirely coincidental.

The bigger problem, and one that's hitting pretty much all the social sites lately, is the post-Snowden era and the realization that large, centralized stores of pervasive personal information facilitating what Bruce Schneier calls "bulk surveillance" may not be a good thing. It's hitting all the social sites now, and even Zuck's trying to change his tune at F8

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/04/info_on_russi...

http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-at-facebook-f...

(though I don't think he'll succeed: http://redd.it/24h6or).

There's a lot else going on -- many mis-steps along the G+ pathway (Real Names, #nymwars, the War on Words, the YouTube Anschluss, total failure to grasp community dynamics, and more.

And I also say, entirely without irony, that there's been a great exchange going on at Steve's G+ post on this topic, including most of what I've touched on here, and a word or 2000 from yours, truly:

https://plus.google.com/+SteveFaktor/posts/Lj3NBBUV8pa,

Also, for those who're inclined to think Steve's inherently biased, Mike Elgan , who's ... let's just say, unabashed adoration of G+ usually leaves me short of appetite, in his most recent TWiT podcast questions Google's participation and engagement numbers, and comments on the immense unpopularity of the forced YouTube / G+ integration, as well as the toes crushed by Vic during his tenure with the company.

https://plus.google.com/+MikeElgan/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoGNtepAbNY&feature=youtu.be...