Google+ might not be dead but it definitely doesn't bring in as much traffic as the other social networks
The value of a social network is based on the number of active users ... A social network can be super ergonomic / complete / beautiful / etc, have all the technical qualities of the world ... If there is nobody (or almost) on it, it is not worth much.
The worst part is (for Google) that although Google+ has many users, they don't spend time on it. The estimated time people spend on G+ is 3 minutes and 46 seconds per visit - for Facebook, it's around 20. G+ has a small user base (compared to its competitors) that don't spend time using it, so it's more or less irrelevant in today's social media landscape - this is probably the reason Google decided to pull the plug on it.
Google+ is good for SEO, to increase you PR, but it's dead for promotion, news and communication with your customers or audience. My all friends not to used to Google+ for the last couple of years in spite their marketing activity.
I read today they have pushed the closing date up 4 months to April. So guess it is going to be dead soon.
Yes. DEAD. And the only reason I began using it is because my second youtube channel pushed me into it. I still click G+ buttons on website articles. ha!
Yes, let's hope there is a new and improved version of Google+ in the future, one that is not vulnerable to hacking https://venturebeat.com/2018/12/10/google-moves-up-google-consumer-shutdown-to-april-2019/
Yes, Google is currently closing their G+ network since there are big giant Social Network right now such as fb, Twitter, Instagram. So, its really very tough to compete now.
One of the major downsides of being active on Google+ is that it is very similar to Facebook in the way a user interacts with the platform to share content. A recent Forrester report highlighted how a few brands simply replicate content from their Facebook on to Google+ and it performs well. Unlike other social media networks, the Google+ contests and promotions policy prohibit businesses from hosting contests or promotions on Google+ pages. This policy is obviously limiting since one of the many beneficial ways to increase engagement is by hosting contests, giveaways, and promotions. To maneuver around this policy, your company can post links to a contest or promotion occurring on one of your other channels. These promotions simply can’t be hosted on Google+ or involve any Google features as a means of entry.