Google has tried to beat Facebook before with Buzz and Google Wave. I remember they got slammed by netizens. Google Buzz in particular was so bad I didn’t want to use it at all. Google Wave, on the other hand, I thought had real potential, but its weakness was that it had too few users, and it couldn’t connect with MSN or other instant messengers. The most important thing for an instant messenger is having lots of users. But this post isn’t about those two. It’s about Google+.

Google+ is Google’s newest social networking feature, and it’s currently the site most people think could topple Facebook. Its features are actually pretty similar to Facebook’s, except that adding someone as a friend doesn’t require their permission. It feels a lot like Twitter, using a “follow” approach. Its message-sharing controls are also great: you can limit a post to “a specific person,” “a specific group of Circles,” or “everyone.” Facebook only lets you split things into “friends” and “non-friends.” It also offers video hangouts. You could say Google+ isn’t really a new service. Rather, it brings together Google’s existing services. For example, video hangouts are actually GTalk, and photos are actually Picasa. What I like most about Google+ is that its interface design is really great, clean and intuitive, and it looks cool~

▼▼The video call screen. You can use it to replace Skype now~

Google+ is still in closed beta for now. You can apply to join on its website. It also seems to have an age limit, supposedly 18, but some people who are 19 couldn’t join, while some who are 16 could. So I’m not sure exactly what age you need. Also, Google Apps accounts can’t apply for Google+. You have to use a regular Google account to apply.

Advantages of Google+

  1. Video hangouts
  2. Privacy controls (you can set certain posts so only specific people can see them)
  3. A unique friending system that doesn't require the other person's permission
  4. No ads, no spam
Many people online love that Google+ has no ads, games, or spam. I think that might just be the situation right now. Once Google+ really takes off, ads will probably show up, and games will likely follow. But it's certain that it will have much less spam than Facebook, and that's all thanks to Google+'s unique friending system~

If you want to try Google+, apply at: http://www.google.com/intl/zh-TW/+/learnmore/

There’s also a free Google+ app for Android phones, so you can easily share posts

Google+ Video

Trying Google+ Out for Real

I was lucky enough to get a Google+ invitation from osk2, and lucky enough to pass the age check XD. So let me give you a quick intro to Google+. I've had it open all day long now~

▲▲Google+’s main interface

▲▲Google+ has Google Picasa built in

▼▼This is really just Google Profile integrated in

▼▼Google+ uses Circles instead of traditional categories

▼▼▲▲The album effects look pretty nice~ When you move your mouse over a photo, it gets bigger

▲▲You can set your posts so only certain people can see them

▲▲You can edit your comments, and Facebook’s “Like” is “+1” here

▼▼You can edit and delete the posts you’ve published, unlike FB, where you can’t edit them…

▼▼The Sparks feature, which helps you keep track of things you’re interested in

 

Review

Looking at it now, Google+ really does have the potential to beat Facebook. But note that it's only potential, because Google+ still has a lot of flaws. After all, it's still in closed beta. I think it should integrate Google Calendar and Gmail, open up its API as soon as possible so people can write apps for it, and ideally let you view "Top Posts" and "Most Recent" like Facebook does. Right now you can only see top posts. When someone replies to a post, that post floats up, which is actually pretty inconvenient.