I used Google+ for a month. It was a wasteland compared to Facebook. I cancelled my account.

I don't use Google+. I have a hard time keeping up with it all. I don't know how some people do it and continue to write! In terms of following the site, you could throw up an RSS feed. Since you're already running WP, that should be easy.

About your first question: Lifehacker, lanacion.com, Cracked and other sites have a system where the commenters themselves rate the comments, so the good ones pop up to the top and the crap gets sunk in the bottom. You cuold try this so you don't really need to filter anonymous users. (Of those three, only Lifehacker lets you comment without registering, though.) Wow, I had to join via Google Friend Connect just to put this comment! Ironic, isn't it?

Hi Scott, I do use Google+. There's quite a little community of writers and filmmakers there. There was even a "First Unofficial Google+ Film Festival" a few weeks back where shorts were presented followed by Q&A via the Hangout feature (video chats). It helps me keep up to date with new trailers, news articles. People share their own work, support one another. It allows longer/deeper comments than twitter and more blog-like posts. I'm not the only one of your followers on there either. Links to your posts do appear every once in a while! ;)

I use Google+, for several reasons: -- I have friends active there but not on Facebook. -- Like Anne said, I've found a lot of writers active there. -- The biggest reason is, the Circles approach allows for freer interaction between people than Facebook's Friends approach -- I feel comfortable adding and being added by people on Google+ who I'd never do that with on Facebook. For that reason alone, I think it's worth your time to look into.

I'm okay with Google+ so far. Not many people I know use it, but that's fine. Not much riff-raff yet. Pre-hooligans. Seems like the things people post are more like mini-blogs, or just links to other content, pictures or videos. I'm not sure if/how they intend Google+ to replace GFC regarding comments. RSS and pushing updates to a G+ page are fine, but having to use G+ as a place to store post comments doesn't seem ideal. I think posting a comment here carries more weight than a social network. If you handle your own comments through WP you will need countermeasures in place for spam member registration. Google+ hangouts would be interesting as a possible collaboration tool. You can set up spontaneous multi-user video conferences (indicate which circle(s) are invited and they can join in if they see it). I use the iPhone app to keep an ongoing text-based hangout with a few friends. It just lets you know when someone says something. RSS is already in place: http://www.gointothestory.com/feeds/posts/default Nobody asked, but I recommend Reeder for your iPhone and iPad RSS needs.

I use Google+. I don't use it as much as FB simply because most people are there, but the things I have learned on FB help me use Google+ in a different way. Circles are a great way to send things to targeted groups (which fb now has). There are hangouts where you can share and watch videos and interact in real time with others. For commenting there are fb comments which is a plugin for wordpress and Disqus which I think is a far superior commenting system that is also available as a plugin for wordpress. One key thing is to keep anonymous crap comments out without a lot of work. It is possible to add on fb or google login capabilities to allow interaction with the blog. I am a web developer and work with wordpress quite often so I can answer questions if you like.

I'm so annoyed that Google is dropping GFC. I use blogger, so I'm good there, but my favorite thing about the mornings is catching up on blogs in Google Reader. If I wanted to read blogs in G+ I would be doing that, but I don't. But I guess the inevitable next step is to discontinue google reader. This probably isn't very helpful to you, but however you decide to fix the GFC problem will probably influence how I read blogs from now on.

Thanks for all this feedback!

As a web developer who works with wordpress let me give a couple other options for you to consider. For managing comments I have used Disqus or Intense Debate before. They help you manage how people can add comments, plus they have their own built in network. Another option is using the buit in Wordpress user log in feature, which would keep all your registered commenters within you Wordpress installation, You could also use a plugin like Buddypress http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/buddypress/ to create a whole network of your own centered just around your site with all the features of a networking platform. You wouldn't be able to tap into existing connections like if you used google+ or Facebook, but you would control the whole network however you like. Hope that helps!

Thanks, Jeff. I'll pass these along to the Black List web guru Dino.