The pluses and minuses of Google+ (from a non-techie)

So, I’ve read a lot of news articles/tech blogs about this social networking platform called Google+. Most of them are written by techies, and people familiar with the intricacies of Google, Facebook, Twitter, Stumblr, Flickr, Picasa, you name it, they know it. I’m going to write a simple review from the perspective of a normal person who happens to use Facebook for her personal life, and Twitter for her professional life. Will Google+ knock Facebook on its rear? So far, I’m not sure.

One part of Google+ I REALLY like so far is the concept of “Circles”. You can name Circles whatever you like, mine are along the lines of “Friends”, “Family”, “Acquaintances”, “News Peeps”, “Twitter Peeps.” I think this will allow people to interact on Google+ in an entirely new way. It’s more personal than Twitter, but more versatile than Facebook. When you type a status update or add a photograph, you select which “Circle” it goes in. For example, I may (or may not) choose to share a photo of myself drinking a beer with everyone. Instead, maybe I just want my “Friends” to see it, so I click that circle. So far, since not a lot of people have received invites to Google+, I find myself interacting with mostly people I don’t know, who I’ve conveniently placed in the “New Peeps” or “Twitter Peeps” circles. I really haven’t posted much, so have made all my posts “Public”, so far, but I love that there’s an option to pick who sees what, and the ability to see posts from people you may not know in person. For example, I could follow Mark Zuckerberg on Google+. Here’s an example of “Circles”:

Another neat thing I experienced for the first time on Google+ was a “Hangout.” Someone I follow on Twitter, who orchestrates the web journalist chats every Wednesday, started a “Hangout” on Google+ tonight. I joined in, even though I don’t have a webcam or microphone cabalities, and was able to participate using the sidebar to add notes and chat with other participants. At one point, there were four people in the video chatroom, and the camera someone knew to switch to the speaker’s face. It must be sensitive to the microphone, and jumps around depending on who is speaking. The only type of webchat I’ve seen so far is one-on-one, so found this to be particularly interesting. Imagine connecting with people with similar interests across the country, and chatting with 10 people at a time, or brainstorming ideas through colleagues you’ve met on Twitter? This could do wonders for traveling business-people, who could use “Hangouts” to join in on meetings. Or, it could be just a fun way to interact with friends who live across the country. I can see myself sitting at home, enjoying a cocktail, doing videochatting with all my best friends at once. You can even share YouTube videos with each other in this manner.

One of the main drawbacks so far of Google+ is the fact that nobody is on it, nobody’s playing in the sandbox. None of my friends or family members are there, and I doubt they’d be thrilled to try out yet another social networking platform. I’m guessing I’ll be interacting with colleages or Twitter friends for a while to come, but once my friends/family join, I could see this as a competitor to Facebook. It’s highly-organized, efficient, and even suggests articles you might like based on your interests (Sparks). Also, I like that I can “chat” with other Google+ users and my Gmail buddies, and when I log into Gmail, I can immediately see if I’ve had any action over on Google+.

The other drawback to Google+ is having to type out that darn + sign all the time. My left pinky is tired, just at the end of this post So, if you’re on Google_, please, come find me, come play in the sandbox!

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