other

Google+

plus.google.com | Shut down April 2, 2019

Google's attempt at a social network, folded into everything and wanted by almost nobody.

What it did

Google+ was a social network built around Circles for sharing with specific groups, plus Hangouts video chat and a profile layer Google wired into search, YouTube and Gmail.

The facts, as reported

Google announced in October 2018 that the consumer version of Google+ would close, citing low usage and a software flaw that exposed profile data. Consumer accounts and content were deleted starting April 2, 2019. An enterprise version continued under a different name.

Google+ (Wikipedia)
reporting | 4/2/2019
"Google shut down the consumer version of Google+ on April 2, 2019, citing low usage and a data exposure flaw."
Project Strobe: Protecting your data (Google blog)
official_announcement | 10/8/2018
"Google announced it would sunset the consumer version of Google+ following a review of third-party data access."

Marketur analysis, not fact

Distribution was never the problem. Google could put this in front of a billion people and did. What it could not do was manufacture a reason to post. Forced integration made people angry instead of active, and usage numbers that Google itself called very low ended the argument.

What to take from it

Distribution does not create demand. If people have no reason to show up, traffic will not save you.
Forcing an unwanted product into a product people already love damages both.
Low engagement is a verdict, not a marketing problem.