Google +1

[Skola]

Why Google+ Might Succeed:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/why-google-might-succeed/2011/05/19/AG7Di9rH_blog.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost

I don’t want to annoy my acquaintances with the content I want to send my closer friends, nor do I want to annoy my closer friends with the content suitable for my acquaintances.

Facebook has tools for managing all this, but they’re hard and awkward to use. Will people notice that they suddenly can’t see your photographs anymore? If you defriend them, will they take it personally? ... What I need, and what I think a lot of other people need, is an opportunity to start over.

I liked myspace until my dad started asking me about it and nearly stumbled across my page with music that at the time would have been embarassing for him to hear

[Kurtis]

I was sold at group video chat tbh

I like web apps, hate having to download a whole thing, then get the others to do the same, setup accounts etc, I know theres that chat site Kiernan used to go on, think ths just builds on something like that

just click n its there, thats nice, esp as my fam are scattered all over the place, I know my mum would love this

[GoldCoast]

I was sold at group video chat tbh

I like web apps, hate having to download a whole thing, then get the others to do the same, setup accounts etc, I know theres that chat site Kiernan used to go on, think ths just builds on something like that

just click n its there, thats nice, esp as my fam are scattered all over the place, I know my mum would love this

this is the main advantage they have over facebook atm, especially to do with the group video chat.

also i hate how facebook does groups, the drag and drop for google+1 is easy and actually looks fun.

[SoCo KinG]

looks fun enough, especially with the video chat. i can see a lot of people using this over skype. and till facebook can do something cool with video chat +1 might actually have a chance.

Pretty sure after seeing this they'll be video chat by next month. You gotta have gmail to use this?

lol at facebook having video chat, they can't even manage having text chat.. the amount of times my chat f*cks up in a day is madness.

[Kurtis]

send a message

[Guest Swiftie]

All my thoughts about Google+ are summed up here by a great editorial from a Neowin user.-> All the ways Google+ isn't Facebook

While it’s rather obvious that Google is breaking into the social world to combat Facebook’s stranglehold on that domain, those using Google+ are starting to realize that while it may have a similar look and feel to some other popular social networks, it is ultimately a different beast altogether. It’s almost like Google was well aware that it wasn't going to beat Facebook at its own game, so they went a different route and made a network that is, if nothing else, very much Google.

It’s about Content – Facebook is a platform all to itself. While it is constantly expanding and growing, it is still Facebook, and all the third party applications and connections are still ultimately governed and controlled by it. This works very well for them because Facebook’s success depends on the Facebook platform being successful. If that sounds redundant, look at Google. Google+ does not need to succeed. Google+, like all other Google products, is purely a conduit by which Internet users are compelled to use Google Search. The most obvious example of this is Android. Google doesn’t make a cent in distributing the OS to any manufacturer that wants to use it. It is open source and many of the changes that companies like HTC and Motorola make to the OS are actually reviled by users. Google doesn’t mind that they are probably losing money on Android, because they now have a disproportionately large market share in the mobile search market. Google+ is the same thing in the end. It is not about the platform, but about the content that is contained within it. It is about the activities that people use Google+ to do, hopefully making them even more dependent on Google services like Picasa and Chat to do the things they usually do online. Video chatting in Hangout will fuel their newly minted desire to take over Skype (now MicroSkype), Circles will catapult Google Contacts into use in more Google products, and instant upload shoehorns mobile users into the world of Picasa. Whereas Facebook is a means unto itself, Google+ is a means to a more Google-themed online experience, and doesn’t hinge on the success of the platform itself.

Tearing down the wall – Circles may simply seem like Facebook groups at first, but a very clear and obvious difference becomes apparent pretty quickly. When I add a user into a Circle, that user isn’t asked to add me to his own circle. That person gets notified that I’ve added him, but he can ignore that notification and get on with his life. I still have him in my Circles, I can follow everything he shares publicly, and he doesn’t have to follow my content to make that connection. This is probably the biggest difference between the Facebook model of the Social Graph and the Google+ version. It’s much more reminiscent of Twitter, a follower model. If Facebook is the friend model of social networking, and Twitter is the follower model, Google+ falls squarely in the middle. It gives you the flexibility to create groups and selectively share content, but it also lets you build out a circle of celebrities and follow every juicy bit of celebrity gossip that comes out of their gold-encrusted keyboards. It’s a model that I’m falling for pretty quickly, and it quite deftly bridges both social models in a subtle and streamlined way.

Privacy – While Facebook has gotten incrementally better at this game, it still opts for an opt-in kind of system for a majority of privacy settings. Google+ is trying to not be that. When you turn on instant upload of your phone pictures (which is off by default), you still have to selectively decide who is getting access to those pictures. When you write a status, you have to choose which groups are going to see it. It adds another step to the sharing process if you have to change these settings on the fly, but Google hopes that the choice will pay off when users realize that they have more control over the flow of their content through the web this way. This ethos applies to most areas of Google+, including Hangouts. You can open up a hangout to the whole world, but you have to actively make that decision; it’s never on by default. Also, while it isn’t “privacy” per se, everything in Google+ is SSL encrypted, as shown by the https:// protocol appearing in your address bar while browsing. That one is the default setting.

Photo Sharing – Google+ has managed to incorporate the best of both worlds in photo sharing. As easy social photos become the de facto social medium (see: incredible success of Instagr.am and sites like yFrog), the integration of Picasa is a huge win on Google’s part. Facebook is the king of social photos mainly because of sheer critical mass. People will share on Facebook because it’s easy, and more people will see it on there. Google+ adds the enthusiast options of seeing EXIF data for pictures as well as some basic touch-up and editing features. Picasa accepts large files for upload and doesn’t shrink them, so photos viewed in Google+ can be high resolution and don’t suffer from Facebook’s destruction by compression. Photos in general are done very well in Google+, and anyone looking for an alternative to Facebook with more photographer-friendly sharing options will feel at home at Google+ (no RAW uploads, though).

There are many ways to see Google+ as a Facebook clone. It’s laid out similarly, the basic ideas of sharing content socially are all there, and it’s coming from an overt competitor. However there are differences where it counts. Google+ is borrowing from a number of different ideas and technologies in the world of social networking, and forming what it believes is an ideal hybrid of them all. It is far and away the best social product Google has released to date. Google is taking this very seriously, going so far as to make changes across all major Google hubs to match the new Google+ look. Tectonic shifts are happening at Google HQ and the search company is slowly but surely transitioning to a more social model, something that’s been a long time coming but may actually come to fruition now.

[GoldCoast]

All my thoughts about Google+ are summed up here by a great editorial from a Neowin user.-> All the ways Google+ isn't Facebook

While it’s rather obvious that Google is breaking into the social world to combat Facebook’s stranglehold on that domain, those using Google+ are starting to realize that while it may have a similar look and feel to some other popular social networks, it is ultimately a different beast altogether. It’s almost like Google was well aware that it wasn't going to beat Facebook at its own game, so they went a different route and made a network that is, if nothing else, very much Google.

It’s about Content – Facebook is a platform all to itself. While it is constantly expanding and growing, it is still Facebook, and all the third party applications and connections are still ultimately governed and controlled by it. This works very well for them because Facebook’s success depends on the Facebook platform being successful. If that sounds redundant, look at Google. Google+ does not need to succeed. Google+, like all other Google products, is purely a conduit by which Internet users are compelled to use Google Search. The most obvious example of this is Android. Google doesn’t make a cent in distributing the OS to any manufacturer that wants to use it. It is open source and many of the changes that companies like HTC and Motorola make to the OS are actually reviled by users. Google doesn’t mind that they are probably losing money on Android, because they now have a disproportionately large market share in the mobile search market. Google+ is the same thing in the end. It is not about the platform, but about the content that is contained within it. It is about the activities that people use Google+ to do, hopefully making them even more dependent on Google services like Picasa and Chat to do the things they usually do online. Video chatting in Hangout will fuel their newly minted desire to take over Skype (now MicroSkype), Circles will catapult Google Contacts into use in more Google products, and instant upload shoehorns mobile users into the world of Picasa. Whereas Facebook is a means unto itself, Google+ is a means to a more Google-themed online experience, and doesn’t hinge on the success of the platform itself.

Tearing down the wall – Circles may simply seem like Facebook groups at first, but a very clear and obvious difference becomes apparent pretty quickly. When I add a user into a Circle, that user isn’t asked to add me to his own circle. That person gets notified that I’ve added him, but he can ignore that notification and get on with his life. I still have him in my Circles, I can follow everything he shares publicly, and he doesn’t have to follow my content to make that connection. This is probably the biggest difference between the Facebook model of the Social Graph and the Google+ version. It’s much more reminiscent of Twitter, a follower model. If Facebook is the friend model of social networking, and Twitter is the follower model, Google+ falls squarely in the middle. It gives you the flexibility to create groups and selectively share content, but it also lets you build out a circle of celebrities and follow every juicy bit of celebrity gossip that comes out of their gold-encrusted keyboards. It’s a model that I’m falling for pretty quickly, and it quite deftly bridges both social models in a subtle and streamlined way.

Privacy – While Facebook has gotten incrementally better at this game, it still opts for an opt-in kind of system for a majority of privacy settings. Google+ is trying to not be that. When you turn on instant upload of your phone pictures (which is off by default), you still have to selectively decide who is getting access to those pictures. When you write a status, you have to choose which groups are going to see it. It adds another step to the sharing process if you have to change these settings on the fly, but Google hopes that the choice will pay off when users realize that they have more control over the flow of their content through the web this way. This ethos applies to most areas of Google+, including Hangouts. You can open up a hangout to the whole world, but you have to actively make that decision; it’s never on by default. Also, while it isn’t “privacy” per se, everything in Google+ is SSL encrypted, as shown by the https:// protocol appearing in your address bar while browsing. That one is the default setting.

Photo Sharing – Google+ has managed to incorporate the best of both worlds in photo sharing. As easy social photos become the de facto social medium (see: incredible success of Instagr.am and sites like yFrog), the integration of Picasa is a huge win on Google’s part. Facebook is the king of social photos mainly because of sheer critical mass. People will share on Facebook because it’s easy, and more people will see it on there. Google+ adds the enthusiast options of seeing EXIF data for pictures as well as some basic touch-up and editing features. Picasa accepts large files for upload and doesn’t shrink them, so photos viewed in Google+ can be high resolution and don’t suffer from Facebook’s destruction by compression. Photos in general are done very well in Google+, and anyone looking for an alternative to Facebook with more photographer-friendly sharing options will feel at home at Google+ (no RAW uploads, though).

There are many ways to see Google+ as a Facebook clone. It’s laid out similarly, the basic ideas of sharing content socially are all there, and it’s coming from an overt competitor. However there are differences where it counts. Google+ is borrowing from a number of different ideas and technologies in the world of social networking, and forming what it believes is an ideal hybrid of them all. It is far and away the best social product Google has released to date. Google is taking this very seriously, going so far as to make changes across all major Google hubs to match the new Google+ look. Tectonic shifts are happening at Google HQ and the search company is slowly but surely transitioning to a more social model, something that’s been a long time coming but may actually come to fruition now.

interesting read,

but it all comes down to the early adopters, if their friends and family follow them to google+ then it will have a future. however if it becomes an elitist club of just tech savvy people then facebook will still rule.

facebook is launching their in-browser videochat with skype next week so that should be interesting.

[Skola]

interesting

esp the thing about it being inbetween twitter and facebook

i like the idea but whether ppl will notice or care enough (probably not) is another story

[Vertigo]

interesting read,

but it all comes down to the early adopters, if their friends and family follow them to google+ then it will have a future. however if it becomes an elitist club of just tech savvy people then facebook will still rule.

facebook is launching their in-browser videochat with skype next week so that should be interesting.

That's probably whats going to happen. It's too much effort for a majority of people to switch over now. Tech savvy people will jump on anything new, we'll see once they open this beta up how many normal consumers jump onboard.

Then we have another problem for Google. Mobile phones are a big way that many access their social sites on. I can't see Apple or RIM allowing Google the access on their platforms that Facebook and Twitter enjoys.

[lanceW]

Absolutely not.

Maybe better for business people so they can have something totally separate to Facebook, but in no way is this the new Facebook.

Doesn't look nearly fun enough.

I remember back in the myspace days facebook appeared and people said the same thing about facebook.

'Its more business like'

Then every lil yute jumped onto the wave

WTF happened?

EDIT

Blackberrys

[MARVELL]

That article was good, but what we are not being informed of enough is the fact that Facebook and Google will eventually become almost similar, .................and whatever separates them will still be united when it comes to so called 'legal access'. Facebook is developing FACE RECOGNITION technology, Google will probably do the same, eventually these will become two massive databases with very little privacy, sharing all your details with the govt.

[JGGB]

saw a guy with this +1 thing on his mobile yesterday but I was drunk so didn't ask him what he was doing

[Kurtis]

That article was good, but what we are not being informed of enough is the fact that Facebook and Google will eventually become almost similar, .................and whatever separates them will still be united when it comes to so called 'legal access'. Facebook is developing FACE RECOGNITION technology, Google will probably do the same, eventually these will become two massive databases with very little privacy, sharing all your details with the govt.

facebook is a social network

google is a search engine

I dont really see how theyd become similar

facebook already has facial recognition

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-08/facebook-faces-eu-privacy-probe-over-facial-recognition-photo-tagging-.html

Google used facial recognition to blur human faces on street view

although these dont really work with black people

[Kurtis]

i get +1 on my google searches

[MARVELL]

Dave ur talking like a dumbass. This whole thread is about how much google is trying to overtake facebook by trying to do much of what facebook also does. both face recognition attempts are still at the early stages, they will be perfected. Google records every one's search patterns and will handover this date to bigbrother upon request. with the coming together of Google and facebook's abilities they will just become extended private arms of govt agencies.

[Kurtis]

[Guest Swiftie]

Skipping the propaganda, I should've said from my previous post if anyone is looking for invites then drop me an email on PM

[Black Ant]

From Nov 2009 to today ive made 8471 searches on google

just thought i'd share

[Kurtis]

Total Google searches: 30376

[Kurtis]

wait wtf, how the hell is that a jpeg?

[sinestro]

looks alrite especially with the video chat

but its way to late to beat facebook.

[Kurtis]

while we're on that lets just have a moment of silence for myspace.

damn, it was the sh*t, designing pages >>> chicks with f*cked up coded pages that freeze your pc <<<<<

you know uve failed when u let users log in with a competitors details

bought for $500m and sold for $35

at least it was Rupert Murdoch, cnt feel bad about him losing anything

[Skola]

justin timberlate just bought myspace

/

someone hit me with an invite plz *edited*

[GoldCoast]

facebook video chat finally rolled out, powered by skype

http://www.facebook.com/videocalling

[O.Man]

wait wtf, how the hell is that a jpeg?

yeh wth?