RSS
Twitter
Previously Google has released its Google Friend Connect, Google Reader, Google Cloud Connect, Google Buzz and Google Wave. Now, it just launched something bigger, its social media network called Google +. It is currently on field trial and by invites only. It's available for both android and mobile too.
So what to look forward in Google +?
- Design
- Clean and neat but maybe too clean?
- The toolbar on top is pretty handy
- The search bar is pretty cool search through Google profiles, Web pages and Images
- User-Interface
- I find it difficult to adapt. I even had to find out how to invite friends.
- Features:
- Stream -similar to Facebook status/comment
- Limited - According to the description: "If you initiated a post in the stream, clicking Limited at the top of that post will show you the profile pictures of everyone you shared with. Only the person who started the post can see this information. If you chose to share with your extended circles in addition to other people, clicking Limited will only show that you shared with your extended circles--specific people won't be identified."
- Edit Post - you can edit post and it will displayed (edited x:xx PM)
- Photos -sorted accordingly for easy viewing:
- Photos from your circles
- Photos from your phone
- Photos of you
- Your album - my blogger photos showed up here
- Profile
- Posts
- About
- Google Maps integrated in places lived
- Photos
- Tagging
- See Photo details - flips your photo so you can see the photo details
- Video's
- +1 - Your +1's appear here. +1 the things around the web you like, agree with, or want to recommend to others (similar to Facebook's Like)
- Circles - you can create groups called "Circles" and Drag-and-Drop your friends inside it. Through this we can control and limit our privacy.
- Friends
- Family
- Acquaintances
- Following
- Sparks - be updated regarding contents of your interest (Like an automatic Google Reader filtered by interest)
- Hangouts - Virtual Voice and Video Chat Room (Requires Google Voice and Video Chat Plugin)
- You're webcam and mic will automatically be activated
- You can select the friends to invite for your hang out
- Clicking the green "Hang Out" button transport you to the hang out page
- Once you go into Hangout:
- You're stream will show "your name is hanging out" below it is a button that says "Join this Hangout"
- You can chat with friends
- You can watch You Tube videos
- Notification - updates you on who invited you and who commented something related to your post or comment. I find this too complicated and confusing. It extends into mini windows on the upper right of the screen until you get lost where you are. It would be better if it just directs you where the updates are instead of opening a new one through that small window.
- Post Functions:
- Mute this post -hide
- Report Abuse - same with Facebook's
- Block this person - same with Facebook's
- Chat - similar to Facebook's Chat
- Suggestions - same as Facebook's Suggestions
Overall, I'd say its pretty neat start. But could use an improvement on the user-interface or they could provide more instructions, description and guides. It's success also depends on the how well it will integrated with other mediums like Web Pages, Twitter and more because its greatest competitor Facebook has already surpassed that. It would also be cool if it would have notifications from other Google apps like Google mail and Blogger. I hope they will also offer apps like games,groups,docs,events, poll, discussion, notes and more? It pretty bare right now so we'll just have to wait and see what they can offer next.
How about you? What do you think?
UPDATE: Google + is now open for sign ups
How about you? What do you think?
UPDATE: Google + is now open for sign ups