Google +, some say, will replace Facebook, or at least, be a big competitor. While Google + is in its field trial period and participation is invitation-only, they do share some of their features at
www.google.com/intl/en-US/+/demo
Circles: put friends in one circle, parents/children in another circle, and co-workers/boss in another and share just what you want with each group
Hangouts: unplanned meet-ups can happen when you post where you are to who you want to know so they can meet you
Instant Uploads: photos & videos upload themselves automatically to a private album on Google +
Sparks: tell Sparks what you are into and it will send you stuff it thinks you'll like.
Huddles: instead of six conversations trying to decide on a movie, Huddle turns those conversations into on simple chat group
I am interested in knowing more about Google + as soon as it comes out to the masses
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I am on Google+ and so far I haven't found it very useful. The thing I was most interested in was Sparks, but when I tried it, it seemed like it was just doing a regular Google search. I only have one friend on it, so maybe it will become more useful to me when other people join.
ReplyDeleteGoogle+, like any other service which relies on social networking and social activities, does require a community to produce and maintain dialogue. The more people the better, to a certain sweet spot.
ReplyDeleteWhat Google+ offers that FaceBook does not is more flexibility with social management and less of the cloying commercialization and accessorizing that FaceBook has pushed. Google+ may open itself up to the same opportunities FaceBook has, but at the very least you won't find Zynga on there.
Another touted benefit to Google+, and this will change depending on the user, is that it remains somewhat smaller, and limited to especially tech savvy users. Facebook is saturated with users, and everybody from every demographic has a Facebook account. Many from my generation wax nostalgic for the days when Facebook was limited to your university student body. Google+ resembles that early version of Facebook, and has some fans for that very reason.
Also, Google+'s interface is quite efficient and powerful. Facebook's interface is also quite good (many disagree) but has progressively become mired with newer features.