A list published Tuesday reveals which news organizations on Google+ instigate the most reactions from their followers. Since Google+
Based on +1s, comments and shares, The New York Times, Mashable and The Next Web appear to be finding the most success at roping in heavy engagement (see the top 10 and statistics in the gallery above).
Adam Sherk, vice president of SEO and social media at Define Media Group, ranked the top 45 media outlets by using All My +, a tool that analyzes public Google+ data of individual users or pages to spit out engagement statistics, charts and most-popular posts.
Google's social network has naturally attracted news organizations that want to interact with readers or gain more eyeballs on their stories, photos and videos. However, not all brands are getting the visitors they seek. Recent data shows that of the 61 companies on the Interbrand Top 100 Brands list that are on Google+, only 13 had followings of 5,000 or more.
Quick Q&A: How The New York Times Manages Its Google+ Page
Never one to be complacent or ignore changes in the social media landscape, The New York Times posted the rankings on its Google+ page to thank its community and ask for suggestions on how to improve its strategy.
We asked the folks handling NYT's Google+ page a few questions to discover what's working for them and what's up their sleeves for the future. The publication's social media editors Liz Heron and Lexi Mainland sent Mashable these responses Wednesday.
Mashable: What do these rankings mean to you and your Google+ audience?"Our Google+ strategy is to focus on a few key features that make the platform and the community unique: Deep conversation and smart debate, and video hangouts."
NYT: "Topping the list means our emphasis on selectively choosing Times pieces that are likely to spark interesting conversation, and asking the right questions to kick it off -- as opposed to focusing on something like breaking news -- may be working. It doesn’t really change how we feel about the community there. Since we started, we’ve been checking in with them and trying to incorporate their feedback into our strategy, and we’ll continue to do so."
Mashable: If you had to describe your Google+ strategy in a sentence or two, what would you say?
NYT: "Our Google+ strategy is to focus on a few key features that make the platform and the community unique: Deep conversation and smart debate, and video hangouts (we’ve been experimenting with these behind the scenes and will be doing more publicly soon)."
Mashable: How has that Google+ strategy evolved since launching your page?