Because G+ is a Passion

+matthew rappaport waxes nigh poetic-like on G+. Well worth taking a few minutes and reading. Well said Matthew.

Matt's post: http://goo.gl/DvnL5T

Matt's words cut/pasted below from his post (since his was a share):

Wil Wheaton Explains Wheaton's Law (Don't Be A Dick)

Google+ is about friendships, relationships.

From the start, I was head first into everything I could find. 
I saw a post I enjoyed, I shared it. This hasn't changed.
I felt like posting something, I did. This hasn't changed.

A lot of us noticed that follower counts in the beginning were rising faster than most networks we had experienced which was interesting. It was purely from being active, posting, sharing, commenting, hanging out and a little to do with being in an invite only scenario where people here really wanted to be here.

The only way back then to let others know about someone else besides resharing their posts was to +mention them. Only 2 weeks here and I posted this: https://plus.google.com/111048918866742956374/posts/PrZN2MLrqUV

In my first week I posted this (only extended circles, shocking I know):
https://plus.google.com/111048918866742956374/posts/e3TK2KD9P5D

And this which now exists, not sure how great a CIRCLE ALL is after all but I believe in being supportive:
https://plus.google.com/111048918866742956374/posts/TYkwB48gLH7

[The links above are ones of mine tagging other Plussers I found interesting and worth circling in posts before one could do so with shared circles]

For me, it's about the whole picture, more than what you post. I had a high follower count way back then before any new feature to enhance that and I still posted what I wanted to, shared posts, tagged people and did support people I had gotten to know through hangouts & the stream (the same for the month before, during and after I was on the SUL). I shared all of them in a ton of shared circles too, whether they did the same or not because we had gotten to know each other. It wasn't about competition and it shouldn't be. A lot of cool and awesome things have happened along the way but some sad things did too. I am talking purely about human relationships and how they were formed and that they were either not so real or broken for one reason or another. I did and still do believe that Action is eloquence
, it speaks louder than any words. 

I understand your profile is your profile and it represents you. I am not ashamed to have my profile mixed with the posts of many other Plussers besides my own. I don't fault people for not sharing much or at all but those that do share are saying "I liked this content and maybe I like this person too" and it will be on my profile for all to see, it'll be in the stream with my name attached to for all to see that I am showing support for this piece of content. There are so many out there that are ALL TALK and they continue to say  "You are my community and together we are awesome" and they are not sharing your post unless it specifically fills some agenda, which can be a rarity.

Google+ isn't about 1 person or 10 people but it's about ALL OF US.
When I first met +Peter G McDermott back in beta and was getting to know him, I thought he was cool (maybe not but he is caring, I keed, he's kinda cool!) and so I put him out there and said "This McDermott guy is cool, circle him". I did this and have done this for tons of people. I shared hundreds of people and pages directly with G+ CMs and G+ Marketing people that have met with me in Hangout Meetings over the last 2 years, way back with Schemer people too including sending them shared circles. Googlers have contacted me and met with me to find out about the community, pick my brain and more.. through 1 on 1 hangout meetings, email and the product formerly known as gtalk.
A large portion of those people and pages have been on the SUL since then and I know a few were based on my recommendations but again I was not sitting in front of the list as they were added, just based on the positive feedback. I found that very cool and continue to think constantly pushing fresh faces with fresh content out there is best. 

Starting On Airs with people including inviting almost everyone I could for the first month or more when it was pre-launched was fun and that ability came from doing a show about people on G+. It's no easy task to do a weekly show and it's no easy task to organize a +H.I.R.L. (Hangout in real life). I can't tell you how amazing it finally all is when you are in a room with people you have been hanging out with for so long, that's the cool part and makes the hard work worth it.

There is the truth, there is perception and somewhere in between. I have always been me and I do not use people. I believed and still do believe in being friends with people. Interacting, sharing and posting without ever developing real, true relationships seems a little empty and unsatisfying (and a little pointless, unless you are doing it all for one big agenda, but even then I'd think it'd feel not worth it).

If you have something you want to post or something you want to say, do it and don't be afraid how it might effect your status here. No one person is more important than us as a community. There is no real ranking and nobody can ever be "above" anyone else. We enjoy Google+ but we do not work for Google and nobody should fear being "black balled".  

We could all write a book about the good, the bad and the ugly from our experiences here. I bet we could all write entire chapters on individuals alone. There is a lot of story out there about many things that got us all from Point A (Beta) to Point B (The Present) that is either mostly unknown, known in pieces, known incorrectly or other. I bet we'd all buy each others' books and they'd be eye opening. 

Social, Friendship, and Respect are a 2 way street. You can have your preferences and do G+ however you want, I'm the last person to tell you how to use it or what is right or better (there is no right or better, only opinions, never forget that). It is my belief that being as genuine as possible and as interactive as possible is what brings an #awesomesauce  experience. It is clear that not everyone whether they are "popular" or not feels the same way (and if they are Britney Spears, they aren't interested in that kind of relationship, maybe other people not yet at Britney's level have that same attitude ultimately?!) about a back & forth, a give & take. 

My advice would be to treat everyone equally, to question things you are curious about, to not be afraid to be yourself & post what you want to post/share what you want to share, not to judge someone favorably or unfavorably based on their follower count (base it on your actual experience with them.. try sending them a personal message or tagging them into a relevant post to see what kind of person they might be on some level), and a number of other things especially having fun because it should be fun. All of that is just my opinion, it's not gospel or an absolute and nobody has the right to force you to do anything you don't want to do. Whether you know me, feel you know me or not, I am not someone that B.S.es you, hell I'm a New Yawker and tell it like it is.   

There are so many people that are amazing on this platform that might swing under the radar and they are great as people before any talent they might possess in art, writing, tech or other. 

+Wil Wheaton's catchphrase rings true and I'll also add more Shakespeare : "To thine own self be true!" 

Have a great #whateverwednesday  and go with your GUT!