Google+ haters: initial dismissal, or inevitable disapproval?

A College Humour animation titled ‘Not Google Plus’ was broadcast on YouTube yesterday, conveying a humerous notion that we should all join Not Google+, or in other words, take part in none of the activities or interactions associated with setting up a Google+ account. The video makes a clear point, indicating by joining Not Google+,  ‘we can all get on with our lives’, giving little credit to social networks as a medium in general:

“The biggest revolution in social networking, would be for there to be no more revolutions in social networking.”

After investigating this viewpoint further, I found a surprising amount of blogs, articles and similar funny videos that dismissed Google+ (often quite aggressively) and subsequently social networks themselves. It will be interesting to keep an eye on attitudes to Google+ in the near future, and whether these are just initial reactions to a network that is foreign and new, or if the development of Google+ is amplifying a general condemnation of social networks in the public arena.

Will there be a Gen+?

http://www.news.com.au/technology/live-tech-showdown-facebook-v-google/story-e6frfro0-1226142501245

This story came onto News.com.au a few days ago. It’s accounts the features introduced by Google+, and Facebook’s response, as well as quotes from social network commentators, rumours, updates from the F8 conference, and media reports on the unfolding events. I find this interesting – it’s a show on how big an impact social networking has on how people use the internet, and these two fresh competitors – Facebook and Google+ – will be central to social impact and culture for generations to come.

 

Google+ reads like a Book.

The war between Google+ and Facebook is now truly on.

Ever since Google unveiled its new toy, Google+, back in July, Facebook has periodically added new features, altered existing ones and has generally been matching each of Google+’s features that Facebook didn’t.

Google+ has Hangout – Facebook introduces Skype into its chat.

Google+ has Circles – Facebook introduces friend management through Friendlists.

Everything else about Google+ looks suspiciously like Facebook.

It’s a cyber arms-race, each “state” vying for your love and attention.

However, Facebook users have always had a love/hate relationship with Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg – whenever Facebook goes through a new change, aesthetically or functionally or otherwise, it comes with much of the ire of Facebookers. Facebook’s latest change – an altering to the news stream entirely – has caused much uproar with its community. Google+’s official launch to everyone is well timed and could prove to be very beneficial. However, I personally don’t think that Facebook’s solid membership usage can be easily shaken, and Google+’s significance will have to be harder earned with innovative and better service than its competitors.

Let it all Hangout, with Extra.

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2011/09/google-hangouts-adds-screen-sharing-google-docs-collaboration/

Google+ Hangout is a feature of Google+ and is surely going to be a large selling point to consumers of the Google+ product. The Hangout feature is essentially Skype, where people can interact and communicate with each other through their webcams. Hangout also allows for people to invite their “circles” of friends, to have up to 9 people chatting all at once in one Hangout.

On the surface, it’s pretty much Skype, or Tinychat, or MSN, or Stickam. Just a nifty feature of social networking on a social network site, Google+. However, dig a little, and not all is what it seems.

According to the article, Google Hangout also comes with a whole range of features that are not commonly seen in the mainstream webcam communication programs. These “Extras” include Screen Sharing.

which will be a very useful application for people doing projects together, etc.

There is also Google Documents integration:

which is helpful with live sharing of documents and the such. I would like to see Google have a Dropbox kind of feature, which would enhance Docs intergration infinitely. There is also a Sketchup extra which allows for people to draw on a digital whiteboard. An interesting and fun feature that isn’t commonly seen.

Google Hangouts also has Youtube integration, with live streaming and video viewing and sharing.

I definitely see Google Hangout has Google+’s pride and joy over the next few months since its launch.

 

 

Copy Cat – Facebook vs. Google+, which is better?

Booming social networking site Google+ is introducing the user control power of social networking future. So much so, Facebook retaliated by mimicking the functions available on Google+, scared much?

Global.christianpost in August blogged that Facebook announced via post (they do that?) that users have been granted more control of privacy settings including posts, tags, photos and information shared.

Facebook conveniently made this function available merely two months after the release of Google+.

I think the most interesting part of this coincidence is that when posting a comment or updating a status, a drop down box (pictured above), will allow the user to share the message with specific groups, compared to before when the message was viewed to whomever on the user’s friend list. This function is exactly the same as Google+ circles, a feature which allows users to create multiple groups of people. So which feature is better? It is my personal opinion that Google+ takes the cake this time, being able to create groups is a much more suitable way, mainly because with Google+, a discussion board in a new web page is created. Personally It is much more involving to share information in a ‘circle’ then in a post or in a group ‘event’. Even the name sounds better, don’t you think?