29 June, 2011
Google+ Project Launches
Posted by Ben Rowland in Web technology, Social Networking, Cool!,
Google has launched its
Google+ Project, its latest effort to attempt to compete with Facebook. Should you run out and start replacing your Facebook Like buttons with the new Google +1? Or just add another sharing button next to your already long list of social networking sharing crap: Like, Tweet, LinkedIn, Yahoo Pulse, etc?
- +Circles: a way to create different groups of people, and share different things with them. For example, I'd love to keep my co-workers, friends, family, and acquaintances separate -- yet there is no way to do that on Facebook.
- +Sparks: specify your interests and start conversations about them. Google will push you content it thinks you'll like when you have some free time.
- +Hangouts: hang out online, video chat rooms. Google says this feature brings the "unplanned meet-up" to the web.
- +Mobile: apps for smartphones (currently just Android, iPhone coming soon) that let you upload geotagged photos and videos.
- +Huddle: group chat messaging to coordinate things with one of your groups.
And, of course, you can click a lovely +1 button next to pretty much anything, which is the exact equivalent of the Facebook Like button. (
Here's how to add it to your site.)
Google+ is currently in "limited Field Trial," which means you'll need an invitation to actually try it out. It remains to be seen whether it will have the same level of success achieved by Google Buzz (none), or actually give Facebook a run for its money.
My take? A mixed reaction. I like the +Circles idea (Facebook should immediately duplicate this feature), and +Huddle might be useful. However, Google speaks to its potential users as if we are all a bunch of lazy slackers. Both +Hangouts and +Sparks are billed as tools for filling your free time. Perhaps this will appear to a younger demographic, but they've missed the mark with me.