Google+ (Behavior Selection Failure)

What was selected (and why it misfit)

• Selected behavior: Symmetric social networking (mutual connections, personal sharing).
• Misfit: Google users oriented to asymmetric following/subscriptions (YouTube), discovery, and professional information.

Consequences

• Friction to recreate social graph; identity policy conflicts; low motivation to switch.
• Coordination/network effects unaddressed; failure to reach critical mass in groups.

What should have been selected

• Asymmetric following and content curation with identity flexibility; leverage Google’s strength in discovery.

Lessons

• Behavior selection must match existing user patterns; solve coordination for social behaviors.
• Network effects are part of behavior selection; plan for group switching and multi-homing.

See also: Behavior Market Fit, Behavior Ranking & Selection