Google+

[action]

This sort of topic is one thats iffy about being placed anywhere, so I put it in General to be safe

(yes that's the actual logo)

Times Wire Service[/url]; 8 July, 2011":1zx7ed49]Its invite is in huge demand. And everyone seems to be talking about it. Facebook is facing a huge threat these days. And it is planning to fight off the assault from none other than the biggest search engine, Google for the dominance of the social networking space on the internet.

World’s biggest and most widely used social networking site has got its competitor as Google has launched its own social networking site Google Plus for the users.

WHAT IS IT?
It's Google's newest social network. Google+ is almost all that Facebook, except it includes these new features:

Earlier I mentioned Google Circles (which was the earliest feature of Google's social network.) The rumors have been floating around for a while. Circles are basically groups. The advantage of Circles is that it's built into Google+'s very networking. Everything you do on Google+ will have to do with Circles.
For each group of friends you make a circle by simply dragging them into a circle. Google starts you off with the basics: Friends, Family, Acquaintances, and Following. You can choose what parts of your profile you want to share with each Circle. You can also see the streams of each Circle on your home page (status updates, new pics, etc.). This adds a simpler way to keep your internet privacy in tact than living under a rock or pretending to be someone else.

You know stumble upon? How about google reader? Imagine combining the two and putting them in your social network.

As a completely different dimension of your Google+ experience, Sparks offer something to do or read or look at all the time. You simply add something you like (toy cars, miniskirts, Bruce Springsteen), and Google finds the latest and coolest blog posts pertaining to that theme. You can keep these individual interests on the side of your home page and check them any time for something interesting.

Another important aspect of online networking Facebook kinda-sorta forgot about. Google+ includes a featurs called... hangouts. It's webcam chatting. Pretty much what skype does, only it allows free group video calls.
Part of the idea of Hangouts was it's unplanned-ness. "Let buddies know you’re hanging out and see who drops by for a face-to-face-to-face chat."
Huddle
"Texting is great, but not when you’re trying get six different people to decide on a movie. Huddle takes care of it by turning all those different conversations into one simple group chat, so everyone gets on the same page long before thumbs get sore." -google
Instant Uploads
"Taking photos is fun. Sharing photos is fun. Getting photos off your phone and on to the web is pretty much the opposite of fun. That’s why we created Instant Upload: so that from now on, your photos upload themselves. You don’t even have to say ‘cheese’." -google


CLOSED BETA? BUT I WANT IT NOW
Yes, it's currently invite only. Google+ is not quite at the stage for it to be publicly released. And invites are in high demand right now. For now you'll just have to run around begging people for invites (please don't)

THOUGHTS?
Submit your opinions below.
Is it too much like facebook?
Will this be another Myspace-Facebook migration?
What's this mean for Facebook?
What features are still missing?
If you have any questions about some more specific stuff, ask, I have an account.

 

[Fusty]

Hmm, is some kind of new version of that Google Wave program they were developing?
I remember one of my teachers talking about that and he even wanted us to set up accounts because according to him it was going to be the next hype. :P
Anyway, I'll probably never use this as I don't use Facebook either (A waste of time if you ask me), but I see how this might compete with Facebook.
I doubt the Facebook users will switch but I can see newcomers giving this a try.

 

[Venetia]

I'm not touching it until they allow privacy. Until then? Suck my privates.

 

[moog]

yeah ill stick with fb thanks

 

[bacon]

I think that it has some cool ideas but I dont think it will take off the same ways FB is or did

Google is really trying to get in on all of these different things but so far a lot of what they have done seems to be incomplete
I mean they have had some great ideas they have just been executed not the best
I dont know how this is and am curious but I dont think I would make an account

 

[Pokémaniac]

I got into the beta. There's not a lot of point going on when so few people are there, though. I've seen enough pictures on facebook of kids drinking with comments from disgruntled parents underneath to know the idea of circles is good. Really, I think whether it's a good service or not will depend on if it takes off.

 

[Venetia]

They tried offering to buy FB a while back & this is their being disgruntled with their not being able to buy it.

 

[Twirly]

no privacy for my profile? fuck outta here

also a random thought: google: "we've got your gmail, google searches and social network data"
just saying

 

[moog]

i just got an invite, ill post a review

 

[action]

I dont know why everyone thinks google+ doesnt have privacy. It does.

 

[Drago del Fato]

You know I have a google+ account. Sure it's much like facebook but it does have privacy. First of all when you post something in circles that post is ONLY for that Circle's eyes. No one else can see your post except the people you have in that circle.

The only thing which is public is your name, profile photo and you can't change those, but guess what, that's the same thing that Facebook has too. Other profile information like personal info about yourself (school, work, relationship status you can choose to make private or choose to share that piece of information with a SPECIFIC circle. So you can do stuff like set that only one circle can see your relationship status while you can set other to see a different type of information.

IMO Google+ is way more faster and stable than Facebook, like all other google product. You've gotta give them that.

 

[Venetia]

I dont know why everyone thinks google+ doesnt have privacy. It does.

ohhhHHhh. Ha, looks like this was just something that was posted somewhere falsely and it got around and I fell for it.

In a couple of places (one of them being this forum, I think), I read something about how Google+ will be making all current accounts fully open/nonprivate by launch.

They had taken one of the CEO's statements about how anything you put on the internet is subject to being searchable that he made in 2009:

"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. If you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines—including Google—do retain this information for some time and it's important, for example, that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act and it is possible that all that information could be made available to the authorities."

Edited it, and then it was reposted a bunch of times.

I figured that would be a REALLY bad idea.


Oh well! I'll probably look into it a few years after it becomes popular, like with anything else. Then I'll be interested in it for about 10 minutes, lose interest, and go back to not caring about maintaining much of a social life.

 

[Perihelion]

I'm not interested in Facebook and I'm not interested in this either. I'm really leery of Google monopolizing my entire Internet experience.

 

[Yeyinde]

I have a Google+, and I have to say I'm quite pleased with it so far. I've always been on the wary side when it comes to joining social networking things, even refusing to register for Facebook because of the "privacy" rules. But with G+, I pretty much have granular control over who sees what things other folks can see.
Yep, I like this experience so far.