Google+ is a new experiment from Google that's designed to be a competitor to Facebook. This isn't Google's first attempt, with Google Wave and Google Buzz being the two that didn't fare so well.At this point, Google+ is in "field test" mode (early beta testing?), meaning it's not available to everyone; you must have an invite. Luckily, I was able to snag one - thanks to my friend Jessica! I've been interested in giving this bad boy a shot since it's taken up a lot of traffic on technology websites and blogs.
Before receiving my invite, the feedback seemed mostly positive. The same basic concept from existing social networking sites seemed to remain, but many new features differentiated it from Facebook (which is the only social networking site that really matters).
After playing around with the site, I'm not so sure I'm immediately in love, however, if things fall into place, it could offer some great advantages over Facebook.
While the design is very similar to Facebook, it's central point of focus seems to be Circles. While Facebook lets you believe all friends are created equal, Google+ requires you to separate your friends into Circles, and when you communicate, you do so to a specific group of people, or everyone, should you so choose.
It'll be helpful to people like my mother who doesn't want everyone to see every thing she posts. However, as you read along, you'll understand why I do not believe people like my mother are jumping on board this quickly.
Personally, I see potential in creating a circle specifically for my restaurant staff and being able to communicate to them important information related to my business. And while I imagine some circles will remain static, I'm sure people will find use in creating circles for small groups or projects that are only necessary for a short time.
You begin by seeing your list of Google contacts, and are directed to separate them into the appropriate Circles. Friends, Family, Acquaintances, and Following are the default circles; you can add as many as you'd like. There is, however, a bit of confusion about what exactly I'm doing with my contacts... I'm separating them into circles, and as they sign up for Google+, they'll be in place? What if they choose not to sign up? Do they remain in a circle taking up unnecessary space, and a visual reminder of who has chosen not to play along?
Also, it made me realize how many of my friends I have in my contact list without email addresses (which, at this point, is how their contacted). With nearly every friend I communicate with on Facebook, who needs email addresses? I only use them for business or bills.
At this point, I like what I see, but I'm not sold... yet. While there are features I like, I will first need a few things:
Facebook & Twitter integration. When I open my browser, Facebook is the first site I visit. I have too many friends and family members solidified within Facebook, that I want to know what's going on in their lives, and I doubt they'll make the jump to Plus as an early adopter. As an added bonus, it would be fantastic if I could organize my Facebook contacts into Circles, as well.
Blogger integration. I understand Blogger will be repackaged soon, and I have no specific suggestions, but if there was a way I could 'not' neglect this blog, I would welcome it.
Integration with Google Calendar. I use the calendar regularly. It would be interesting to see shared calendars from friends, that way I can know what's coming up that week, or even where they are now.
At the end of the day, I'm not buying Google+ taking over the world in the immediate future for a number of reasons, and while Circles may be one of the coolest features, I also believe it'll push people away. Geeks love lists and find them valuable, but I do not believe users looking for an easy social networking experience do.
I do not see my wife spending 15 minutes organizing her contact list into sets, mainly because she doesn't have the need or desire, but also because I'm not sure she's ever organized her personal address book!
I've been wrong before... but it's still early. We'll see.
