Let’s Have a Proper Wake for Google+. Let’s Celebrate.

This article is part of an EmbraceLife.tech series celebrating the contributions of Google+. For more articles, see “Google+ . . . The Big Idea Before Its Time,” “On the Shoulders of Google+,” “Google+ Made Us Better,” or “Google+ Helped Us Grow.” You may also be interested in our podcast episode, “Thank You, Google+,” or our three-video series, “Video: An Open Letter to Google+,” “Video: Hey Google+,” and “Video: Google+ for All of Us.”

A month from today, Google+ goes away. Much has been said about its impending death, but have we said enough about the good it did and the blessings it brought?

Here’s the picture Mike Elgan painted of the platform’s glory days:

“Imagine a social network where geeks have higher follower counts than celebrities. Where there’s no advertising. Where trolls get crushed and ordinary people have a voice. Where smart people gather for long, detailed and interesting conversations. Where most streams aren’t algorithmically filtered. Where photographs appear at full quality. Where social networking engagement leads to actual, real-life friendships.”

In so many ways, Google+ was ahead of its time. With the hardships (and horrors) of social media regularly in our newsfeeds, we can see more clearly the benefits of Circles, and the value of deleting, reporting, and blocking disruptive commenters with a single click.

Recently, an early adopter told us several stories about people whose lives were saved—quite literally—because Google+ community members cared as much about each other as their shared passion.

And think what Google+ introduced with Hangouts and Hangouts on Air. The DNA strands of those innovations are still in the social media gene pool.

Everywhere you look, the fundamental pillars of Google+, like the stone columns of The Acropolis of Athens, stand as powerful reminders that progress in the digital age is iterative. We owe much to those pioneers who’ve gone before.

During the next month at EmbraceLife.tech, we’re celebrating the glory days of Google+ with some of the folks who were there from the beginning. Don’t miss fascinating interviews with early adopters, perspectives from some of the platform’s most prolific users, and other content designed to help us remember and honor everything great about Google+.

Join the conversation by following us on Twitter or Facebook. And, if you’d like to share what Google+ has done for you—what you remember and what you’d like the world to never forget—write your experience in 500-1000 words and send it to hello@embracelife.tech. We’d love to consider publishing your memoir on our site.

Before Google+ is laid to rest, let’s have a proper wake. Let’s celebrate.