Early thoughts on Google+

So after I was a smart-alecky contrarian about the whole idea, Saintseester sent me a Google+ invitation for a sociological yuk, and I’m sure she’s enjoying that I’m enjoying it.

You know, choosing which faceless, soulless mega-corporation with which to share the most intimate details of your life is an important decision.

I like my Facebook account, but it’s very buggy, and there are definitely some unwieldy aspects to its flat friend system.  Google+ has a great spin on contact categorization that it calls circles.  Basically, when you add someone, all that person knows is that s/he went in one of your circles.  That person never knows the name of the circle to which s/he belongs.  So you might have stuck her in Frenemies, or Homeowner’s Association Jerks, or People I Have to Pretend to Like for Practical Reasons, or even Bitches, and she’s never the wiser.  Plus, you adding someone and that someone adding you are two different transactions.  They don’t have to happen together.  In fact, they don’t both have to happen at all.

When you have circles, you choose what to share with whom.  The obvious benefit is people from work don’t see photos of your tequila-drenched weekend, if you have such weekends and publish such.  Something else you can do, though, is have hobby or other interest circles.  You want to say something to only folks you geocache with?  Make a circle for such.  You want to throw some red meat to your knuckle-dragging right-winger friends?  Make a circle for such.  Commonality between them for a contact of yours?  No problem; stick him in both circles.  It’s simple, effective, and nearly endlessly customizable.

If anything about this endeavor is going to sink Facebook, it’s going to be that.

Let me know if you want an invitation.

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5 thoughts on “Early thoughts on Google+”

  1. I want more friends to join to make it as handy as facebook is for me. And by handy, I mean so I can know that L’s literature teacher is deciding whether or not to bungee jump in Canada today. I need to know.

    I love the video huddle chat. If I could just get my husband on there, I can chat with him when I go on my trip!

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  2. PS – the android Google+ app is unwieldy and doesn’t support enough basic features. I am sure they will work it out eventually, but it sucks right now. AND, ha ha ha, there’s no google+ app available on apple iPhones. Apple hates teh google but for different reasons than normal people.

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  3. Oh, see? I have iPhone. No Google+ app. Sorry – 🙁
    Honestly, I’m too simple-minded and blonde to handle another social networking thingamajiggy whatsit. I like facebook because it is simple for people like me. No video thingies. either Don’t want you to see me with no makeup and all that bad bed hair stuff goin’ on, or in my jammies. I’m afraid I’m stuck on stupid/facebook. If I offend “friends” with something I post, they can just unfriend. 🙂

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  4. Something I didn’t make clear is that it’ll eventually be either Facebook or Google+ for me. I’ll keep Twitter regardless, but I’m not doing two full-blown ones.

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  5. This from you on 11 JUL:

    “BamaDan, it’s difficult for me to see myself on Google Plus.”

    Now, you promise to pick just one? IMDB Sean Connery and Kim Basinger for me, will ya?

    I’ll try it out sometime, but echo the iPhone app lack issue. I never sniff facebook outside of the phone. Some kid named Cesium Burn develops an app that uses both services simultaneously in 3…2…1…

    Reply

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