What will you do with Google+?

It is interesting watching the media coverage and interest in Google+. The important goal here for Google is to try to break through the media saturated environment so that people can understand advantages of its new product.

Even though a recent news article says there are only 20 million users right now, it appears from the Google+ web site that it is "overcapacity" right now, so it makes sense it will not catch up to Facebook numbers any time soon. And, a half billion users may not be a goal anyway. A Forbes reporter is already writing an eulogy for Google+ and explains why.

If you are a communications strategist for a large company, then you have been spending time trying to understand and use this product. Where does it fit in with all the other channels you are recommending and building elaborate plans to use?

Read this NPR story to get some extra perspective on Google+ as you plan your strategy going forward.

Watching New York Times new digital model unfold

There is no doubt that the New York Times has taken on a mightly challenge in setting up its digital subscription plan. Are there enough of us who regularly read a lot of NYT pages that will take the plunge? Read about how some people are viewing the change on Adweek. Wired puts it well: "The New York Times unveiled its widely anticipated digital subscription plan Thursday, a big step by one of the most impactful newspapers in the world. In the months to come, the headlong dive by this resource-rich media giant should help answer the biggest question in digital news: Can newspapers convert digital readers they have conditioned for years to expect “free” into paying customers? In other words, if The New York Times can’t, who can?"

Planning content for a tablet

Hewlett-Packard announced its long-awaited new tablet device called the TouchPad today. There's no doubt that developing a web site today is not like it was a few years back.

We need to plan for how this information is displayed and how it is consumed in a new way. We got some practice with the iPhone and then the iPad, but the tablet is more ubiquitous now.

I will leave the details to the techies who help us brand messaging and content folks get the info out in the right format. But no doubt the mobilty factor is not just about phones.

For the consumer looking for information, anything goes now. To learn more about this tablet, visit the New York Times.