After scrounging about the web on websites like Gizmodo and Twitter, I was able to get my hands on a Google Plus invite. At first glance it seems very much like Facebook.
Same old tabs for home, photos, profile. (Plus, circles)
But it isn’t. Well sort of.
Let me explain:
One of the main concepts the Google’s chosen to focus on has been the concept of “circles”. That you really aren’t “friends” with everyone. Some people are acquaintances, some are colleagues you deal with on a day-to-day, some are family members and a small group are your friends, homies and home skillets. This concept isn’t new. Facebook already has lists. However, less than 10% of users use the feature.
(Friend, Family, Acquaintances and Following are basic, you can build your own circles and tribes like Photographers and Brothers.)
A very cool feature of Google Plus is the “hangout” feature, here is what Lifehacker thinks about the video chat feature. The restriction is 10 people which my friend, Wesam pointed out is more than enough for the average user.
I love this as much as this, this and this.
What also appeals to me is the speed at which photos load, the high resolution (compared to Facebook) and the Lightbox is in my opinion even better than Flickr’s. For more on the photography side of things, check out my acquaintance Thomas Hawk’s post here.
It’s a little odd to get a hold of some things. All your private and public messages go on the same stream. But you can choose which circle (and which people) they are visible to. No longer do I have the excuse that, “I check my inbox once a week.”, so far there is nothing similar to the Facebook Poke but the Like button has been replaced by a +1 button.
It’s not Facebook, but it’s designed like it.
It’s not twitter, but you still have the “Following” circle.
Will it work?
Google’s failed before in the realm of “social media”.
There was Google Buzz, Google Wave.
(Pat yourself on the back if you knew about these. No really do it, like this baby.)
I don’t know if it’ll work. But I’m hoping it does.
Fact of the matter is, Google is (by some estimates) more popular than Facebook.
Facebook has approximately 750 million users now, Google has around 1 billion users annually.
How can you escape Google Plus when every time you log into Google.com you see this:
People may just spend more time on Google, rather than going to Facebook or Twitter.
Overall, it’s a little less than Facebook and a little more than twitter.
But I love what I’ve seen so far and now look forward to customizing it.
ps. Thanks to Waterloo University students that sent me the invite.
pps. Google opened up the service to send invites but due to high demand closed it down sometime yesterday, but hold on to your butts, I’m sure they’ll open up soon.
Asad Chishti is a part-time student and full-time dreamer, you can follow him on twitter.
In his spare time, he also takes pictures which can be seen here and here.
