With another week in the books for Google+ and a couple minor changes, now is as good a time as ever to put together the innagural top 25 list as well as highlight trends and changes that are already popping up.

Trend: Hiding Follower Count
Google+ is unique in the fact that you don’t have to show your follower count if you don’t want to. When viewing your page as a page admin, at the bottom of the left-hand column is a link that says, “Change who is visible here.” Click that link and you can completely hide the total number and names of your followers. Already, four resorts have hidden that count: Squaw Valley, Homewood, Grand Targhee, and Alpine Meadows.

Not sure the reasons for it, but a bit strange.

Change: Are They Followers? Or not?
Google+ started out by calling those who had added your resort to their circle a “follower.” Now, they’ve removed that title and simply list your followers as people that “Have [page name] in circles.” Maybe they don’t want to look like Twitter, or maybe they’re still trying to figure out what to call your fans.

Update: Sugarloaf Becomes First on Direct Connect

Pages that are listed through Direct Connect are chosen based on an algorithm, but unless you have both your URL listed on your page AND the Google+ badge or code snipped in the HTML of your site, you can’t even be considered. Wouldn’t be surprised to see more resorts show up in Direct Connect soon. Though, I must admit that I’m a little surprised to see a resort show up so quickly as well.

Update: Google+ and Android Integration
With the release of Android 4.0, a small feature has been added that could have a major impact on Google+ users. When you sign into a Google account on your phone, you’ll be prompted to create a Google+ account. Simple but clever and another sign that Google is committed to making this site a success.

Trend: Circle Sharing is Key
I’ve done my best to keep my circle of “Ski Resort Pages” as updated as possible so resorts, marketers, and skiers alike can share it with their friends/followers. Follower counts had leveled off almost completely until this circle started making it’s way around Google+. Since then, total followers have tripled.

Top 25 Resorts

1. Keystone Resort – 222
2. Whistler Blackcomb – 197
3. Aspen/Snowmass – 163
4. Sugarloaf – 149
5. Stevens Pass Ski Area – 131
6. Copper Mountain Resort – 128
7. Sun Valley – 126
8. Mont Tremblant Resort – 112
9. Mammoth – 108
10. Liberty Mountain Resort – 102
11. Park City Mountain Resort – 90
12. Vail Ski Resort – 78
13. Crystal Mountain – 78
14. Sunshine Village – 75
15. Shawnee Mountain Ski Area – 74
16. Wildcat Mountain – 71
17. Hunter Mountain – 68
18. Attitash Mountain Resort – 68
19. Brundage Mountain – 67
20. Loveland Ski Area – 66
21. Buck Hill – 62
22. Mount Bachelor – 61
23. Boreal – 61
24. Waterville Valley Resort – 60
25. Bretton Woods – 60

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.