Did I miss something?
Yes.
You need to use your own namespace:
<menu
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:yourapp="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto" >
<item
android:id="@+id/connect_plus"
android:icon="@drawable/ic_google_plus"
android:title="Connect to Google+"
yourapp:showAsAction="always"
android:titleCondensed="Connect to Google+">
</item>
</menu>
as is shown in the documentation.