I didn't even remember I had these pages, but Google just informed me that if I didn't do something with them, they'd be unpublished. Since I think I want them to still be there, I posted at least one article on each page. The problem is, I don't know for sure that I do want them to be there. Here's why.

Even with the new content, I'm not really planning on using Google+. I'm not sure anyone else uses it. I'm not sure anyone ever clicks on links to Google+ pages. I'm not sure I want a profile sitting there that's not updated. What if too many profiles in too many places ends up being a saturation? Mostly, it's not seemingly relevant. But the reason I kept them alive, after neglecting them for two years, is the possibilty that they are somehow relevant.

What if Google really does prefer businesses that use Google+? The email said nothing much would change if I let the pages die, but if I get one customer because of the pages, that could mean $500 or $50,000, depending on the nature of the client. Of course, that's incentive enough to post something, just in case.

I'm not telling you to do the same. I'm not going to research whether or not I should have bothered posting something to the pages in order to avoid death to the pages. I kept them alive, just in case. But I can see why Google would want to clear some of the dead wood. Maybe the company will make a push to use Google+ after the whole Facebook privacy debacle--I assume my info on Google+ is private because no one uses it, so that's cool.

For anyone else deciding whether to post something to Google+ to keep a page alive, I'd say this: if one client can be worth a lot to you, then go for it. If you're getting plenty of business already, let it die so that those of us who need the extra clicks have a better shot at them. When I first set up my various business ventures, I was all over social media and whatnot. After realizing none of it seemed to work, and it's still mostly about word of mouth, I have to admit that I've abandoned posting to these other places. Of course, now that I'm more established, maybe it's time to give it another shot.