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Google+. Right now it's a limited field trial and it's invitation only. Naturally, the folks who got invited early are excited to let the world know what they think. Ah, the thrill of being first. Pretty effective buzz building technique, is it not? (People who didn't get invited to the first round are actually paying $20 for an invitation on eBay.)
Most bloggers are thinking positive on Google+.
Jessica Wallin asks, Is Google+ the New Facebook?.
The thing I like about Google+ best, though, is that it’s a little bit more private than Facebook…and I’m not just saying that because I only have one contact right now. What I mean is, you group your contacts into “circles”…friends, family, work, etc. You can choose to whom you share what. Honestly, I’m tired of having to watch what I say on Facebook, worried that some person I went to church with 25 years ago might get offended. Not to say that I’m some huge potty-mouth or anything, but do you really want your parents and coworkers knowing all of the details of your personal life? With Google+, you can post those drunken Saturday night pictures without worrying your boss or your mom will see them. And I really like that, even though I never post drunken Saturday night pictures.
At Technology for Moms, it's Checking Out Google+ (Review). Sarah mentions both the good and the bad. A good point:
So the things I like about Google+ so far is definitely the circles. Very easy to add people and compartmentalize them. I really like how in my profile I can add all of the places I’ve lived, which is quite a few, and see it on a map. If someone is looking for me, and they knew me from when I lived in Florida, they can see on my map, yep, this is the same Sarah that lived in Florida.
I also like how I can easily view updates from just specific people in those circles. On the main page you can click on “Friends” and only view updates and links from those people who you have included in your Friends circle.
GeekMom Jules wrote Google+: My First Impressions.
The thing that has me most excited about Google+ is that I have complete control over how my content is shared. If I want only one person to see a status update, then I can specify that. If I only want one circle to see it, then I can specify that. I can also specify multiple circles, all circles or the entire world by having the update posted to my public profile. For me, this is the best feature! This means that I can open up my Google+ to the entire world and still maintain my privacy; something I can’t do on Facebook.
There are other nifty features such as chat, group collaborations i.e. “hangouts,” and “Sparks,” which are like Google alerts based on interests that you specify. You can +1 individual updates, you can share them and comment on them, you can even edit your updates and comments after you post them. This last feature also greatly excites me.
Another feature that WordPress users will probably grok the most is the toolbar at the top of Google+. It is very much like the admin bar in WordPress. It is automatically integrated into any Google page, including search, allowing you easy access to all your Google tools.
At But You're a Girl, Adria walks us through her explorations of the interface in a video that records her instant reactions in Google+ First Look Video. Here's just one of the videos from her review – go to But You're a Girl for more.
Amy Gahran from contentious.com posted Google+, Facebook & mobile. She talked about the review of Google+ she wrote for CNN, and added,
Clearly Google+ is going head-to-head against Facebook, and I think it has a decent chance of winning in the long run, especially if it includes good mobile integration of core Google services like calendar, Gmail, and docs.
CIO.com lists 9 Reasons to Switch from Facebook to Google+. The number one reason? Integration with Google Services.
Have you been able to give it a try? What did you think?
Virginia DeBolt, BlogHer Section Editor for Tech
virginia.debolt@blogher.com
Virginia blogs at Web Teacher and First 50 Words.
