Beside the point: I think this google plus problem is a symptom of a larger problem. Google still acts as if it's a start-up, but it isn't. It's a company with a userbase that has come to rely on their products. Building integrated platforms - by hijacking existing ones in this case - requires planning, not multiple public iterations of crap. How many times has my Youtube GUI become more cluttered because of some integration they're in the process of rolling out? People have really come to rely on these tools, they're not the new trendy video-sharing website anymore.

Back on point: It's just a description of reality that Google's attempts at integration through Google Plus is causing a lot of annoyance and friction with its user base, even if the end-goal is more beneficial to both. For a lot of people their plus-accounts were made for them without their consent. There's an option in youtube to also publish your comment on google plus, which is opt-out initialy; It remembers the setting of your last post. So you can raise question marks as to how accurate the numbers Google publishes about their Plus-network really are. I'm pretty sure there aren't 500 million+ active users on the plus network in any meaningful way.

The real danger exposed in the article is that a lot of unknowing users are having their search results directly influenced by brands and companies that they've added to their circles. It's also frustrating that there's no option at the moment to turn off this bias. I think this going to come back to bite Google in the ass at some point in the future (I'm already using duck2go).

You add to the above the recent copy-wrong-slip-up and you could even say that there's a video-sharing website up for grabs. Because the google plus integration is antagonizing a large share of youtubers and the copy-wrong issue has antagonized the most important part of their user base: Users that upload original quality content, 90% of all uploads is crap, right? I believe the best way to handle managing a platform of this scope is the Apple way. Because when Apple releases something it's an event and everybody expects having to relearn some things. But when Google releases something it's a YAIP - yet another initiative/project. So it's really a succession of stupid moves on Google's behalf causing the negative comments, I don't think Google bashing comes into play in any way. (^-^)-