Social Psychology in the Information Age: With Google Plus On The Way Out, Is Blogger Next?

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

With Google Plus On The Way Out, Is Blogger Next?

I recently saw an article on the apparent demise of Google Plus (a product that never really impressed me) and its potential implications for users of some of Google's other products. One of those products is Blogger, the host of this particular blog. The article is a bit short on details regarding what Google might have in store for Blogger, and so for the time being I am not planning on shopping around for a new host. If I did, WordPress would be near the top of my list in part because of what the authors state regarding the increased flexibility and lack of strict terms of service that come with Blogger. Obviously, my main challenge in making a move would be what to do with the data on this blog. If transferring my earlier posts to a new blogging platform ends up relatively seamless, I might be considerably more tempted. Until then, I think that it is wise not to rely strictly on the Google Plus share button to spread the word about particular posts, and to make links available on other platforms, such as Twitter.

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About

Hi! I am A. James Benjamin, Jr., PhD. Most folks call me James or JB eventually.

I am an educator trained as a social psychologist. I work as an Associate Professor at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. I earned my PhD from University of Missouri-Columbia in 2000. Much of my research has touched on cognitive and behavioral effects of aggression-related cues (e.g., video games and weapon images), increasingly from a critical and skeptical perspective. I have also examined person variables such as authoritarianism and short-term media exposure in relation to attitudes toward violence and toward torture. My more recent interests involve the psychometric properties of various measures of aggressive cognition that are commonly used by aggression researchers. My work intersects with that of related researchers in areas such as Media Communication.

As an educator, I primarily teach methodology courses and the undergraduate survey course in social psychology. I also regularly teach the introductory psychology course. I make a point of introducing students at all levels to the replication crisis. Increasingly, I am trying interactive activities to engage students to become more critical readers of the research literature in my field.

I use this blog to express my own professional and personal perspectives. This blog is completely independent of any organizations with which I am affiliated. Assume that the views I express here are exclusively mine and do not reflect the views of any employer.