Google + the new Social Network
on Jul 22 in Blog, Review by Phoenix_ws
Image by Bruce Clay, Inc via Flickr
Google released from Beta testing their social network website, Plus Google or Google + depending on where you look. At first glance Google + looks like a cut down version of Facebook but with a simple and very usable interface. Your friends list is constructed in what Google call Circles you can create in essence lists of friends, business friends, family and what ever you like to group your contacts. To add people to your circles you can search for them by name or email and even if they are not members you can still have them updated via email of your status’s that you release on the network.
Huddle
Huddle is one feature that up until soon seemed a distant feature with Facebook it is a group video conversation and when video isn’t available a group chat room is created and everyone in your circle can be notified.
Integration
The feature that can seem scary as well as very interesting is how Google collects all in one place your Buzz as it calls it which is live feeds from tweet and also has the plus button added to peoples websites and within google search which is to rate links and the quality of the website.
Wall or Posts
Google + comes the normal social network features a place to add a status which can also be Geo tagged to your position, photos, information.
Interface Design
The design is very simple and is amazingly easy to navigate, i especially like the tabs above the wall on the profile not only does it keep all the section close and in one easy to find place you can view About, Photos, Video and Buzz. I nice like feature which will help to test the privacy settings is an option to allow you to see your profile from the point of a general user or through a restricted view set to a particular circle you have created.
Iphone & Android App’s
Google + have released both Android and Iphone versions of their app, the app is very basic it allows you to add and update your status and view notifications. One feature that is particularly good is the feature that the app uploads all images and videos from your phone and keeps them in a private folder to allow you to apply them to the social network at will. I haven’t tested this feature on the Iphone version of the app so I am not sure if this feature has been added. The apps that Google have created unfortunate do not work on Ipads nor do they work on the Ipad.
Plus Google & Business
Google have asked that business refrain from adding consumer profiles as a business as it is working hard to create a separate part of Google + which will be the hub for business, I have place the video below for more information.
Will Google + Succeed ?
I believe if one company can take on the technology giants like Apple and Facebook it would be Google, they have a history of creating very simple, easy to use interfaces. On the first 3 days of opening Google managed to gain over 300,000 visits and each day on average 948,000 users sign up for a new account.
The main issue that i think will hinder the growth of Google + is that they only allow people to join that have been invited by another user. This will restrict the growth greatly as apart from computer testers or programmers they do not understand the concept.
Conclusion
I believe we are on the birth of a social network that is created the way it was supposed to be, about sharing and not so much about marketing companies. Hopefully Google will keep the platform free from all marketing and endless flash games that circle Facebook endlessly.
Related articles
- Google+ iPhone app hands-on (tuaw.com)
- No Brands Allowed (jacobsmedia.typepad.com)
- Google+ (shanehalbach.com)
- Facebook does not like the ad for Google + (telecomcanadaen.wordpress.com)
- Some feedback on the Google+ Experience (fiberevolution.com)
- Google+’s Circles: Popular! (technologizer.com)
- Official Google+ client comes to iOS (macworld.com)
- Google+ – Google (itunes.apple.com)
