Google Plus is Already a Solid Hit

Monkey God said:
How can it be a success when its still a beta and the only real draw is the hype and the newness? Until people quit facebook en masse to use Google+ in a live fully deployed environment, its not a success.
Click to expand...

Seems like a mass exodus from where I am standing. Even my non-tech friends are asking for invites, because a lot of their non-tech friends already got in. Usually when Google releases a new product, barely anyone I know has even heard about it. Looks like Google actually has some momentum behind this project.
 
Disco_Stu_04 said:
My FB page has evolved from a simple/clean/pretty quick interface to a junky page with useless bantering/links/quizzes/photos loading out of frame/a chat bar that eats up 1/4 of my browser...etc

I'm out and giving my "friends" list all invites, whether they asked for one or not.
Click to expand...

it got there because you allowed it to get there......
 
I got an invite from my friend while ago (who coincedentally has very little technical knowledge and actually got a CR-48 when they were beta testing those), and have been using it for a while now. I like it, but in no more certain terms than I liked facebook, which wasnt that much. It looks the same (with the exception of the colors), feels the same, and works the same. Same three column layout, same update "stream" comment, same group functionality (circles), although FB didnt add that until later.

I am a huge fan of googles application stack; I use a android phone, gmail, voice, etc. But honestly I dont believe there is really any innovation with Google+. They are just copying an already working business model and attempting to use their corporate clout to persuade customers away from their only competitor. Personally I think they should be focusing more in innovating the interface; change the way users interact, and create something unique! Much the way the MS has done with the Windows phone 7 interface, which is a joy to use and looks amazing on decent hardware IMO.
 
What need is there to innovate, the major innovation in social media is the need for it to be seemless with your current services. Facebook has never had nor wanted that end goal. Simply by doing exactly this google can do that. They will quickly link it in with android phones and we wont need to log in to useless face book accounts any more.

The best innovation would be if google, microsoft and yahoo just all got together and made a standard social media, chat, voice, video, email communication standard to replace email. I realize this is unlikely but it is the thing we really need. Basically all them have these various capabilities that are all separate and do not intercommunicate with other companies. They need to get together and make that work. Pipedream I know.
 
wizdum said:
Seems like a mass exodus from where I am standing. Even my non-tech friends are asking for invites, because a lot of their non-tech friends already got in. Usually when Google releases a new product, barely anyone I know has even heard about it. Looks like Google actually has some momentum behind this project.
Click to expand...

i would say that is because everyone has a gmail account or something already in google and google has been pushing this like mad, vs their other products in the public.
 
the android app for this is emmediate better except for the whole not being able to invite friends on it.
 
rudy said:
Facebook copy google circles in 5..4...3...2...
Click to expand...

No need for them to copy. FB has had the ability to put people into groups and only post to certain groups of your choosing ;).
 
I got an invite from the forum and really appreciate it, but did not realize that Google will delete your account if you try to register under an online alias or use an avatar rather than personal picture.

I wouldn't mind so much, except that it then ties to all of your google account profiles.

That means if you used google to make comments on Autoblog and Engadget, your real name shows up in place of an alias.

Google definitely isn't big on privacy, thats for sure.
 
Ducman69 said:
I got an invite from the forum and really appreciate it, but did not realize that Google will delete your account if you try to register under an online alias or use an avatar rather than personal picture.
Click to expand...

You need to use a real name, yes, but your profile picture can totally be an avatar. Only has to be your real name, everything else can be as fake or made up as you want.

Google definitely isn't big on privacy, thats for sure.
Click to expand...

Yes, they are. Google+ is hugely privacy focused.
 
been on G+ for a few weeks and i must say i agree with the simplicity (which i hope stays). there are a few privacy tweaks i'd like more of than the limited privacy settings it has now but thats to be expected from beta. i hope more come. also, for those of you who are already in G+, check this out>

http://crossrider.com/install/519-google-facebook

it allows your facebook wall to be a tab on the G+ page. i no longer need to check fb as i can check both (for now) via G+.
 
kllrnohj said:
Yes, they are. Google+ is hugely privacy focused.
Click to expand...
Google drives around with cameras photographing and mapping the world.

Absolutely everything on Google+ is default to share with the world.

When you put your name into Google+, it updates the profile of all google related older services, such as your previously anonymous posting on any orkut community.
 
When will we have open search of members?
Only being able to contact people you know kinda defeats the purpose.
 
And there are risks to consolidating so many different services under one umbrella.

For example, since your comments on any orkut community are no longer anonymous and have your unique real name, an employer need only google search you to find out what you are saying in your free time. And if you say something that rubs someone the wrong way, you better hope your account isn't hacked.

That google account may be attached to your email with all your friends and contacts with unlimited search history since no one really deletes gmail anymore, your calendar to track where you are and when and with whom, your google checkout with credit card information and billing/shipping address, your photos of yourself and friends and family private or not, your documents, your youtube videos and access to all of your subscribers, your social networking circle, and more.

Heck, just inadvertently have remember password stored, and the girlfriend may learn a whooole lot about you and wreck havoc on your whole online life.

So too much consolidation and lack of anonymity isn't good IMO.
 
snoozininsomniac said:
been on G+ for a few weeks and i must say i agree with the simplicity (which i hope stays). there are a few privacy tweaks i'd like more of than the limited privacy settings it has now but thats to be expected from beta. i hope more come. also, for those of you who are already in G+, check this out>

http://crossrider.com/install/519-google-facebook

it allows your facebook wall to be a tab on the G+ page. i no longer need to check fb as i can check both (for now) via G+.
Click to expand...
rofl
 
Ducman69 said:
And there are risks to consolidating so many different services under one umbrella.

For example, since your comments on any orkut community are no longer anonymous and have your unique real name, an employer need only google search you to find out what you are saying in your free time. And if you say something that rubs someone the wrong way, you better hope your account isn't hacked.

That google account may be attached to your email with all your friends and contacts with unlimited search history since no one really deletes gmail anymore, your calendar to track where you are and when and with whom, your google checkout with credit card information and billing/shipping address, your photos of yourself and friends and family private or not, your documents, your youtube videos and access to all of your subscribers, your social networking circle, and more.

Heck, just inadvertently have remember password stored, and the girlfriend may learn a whooole lot about you and wreck havoc on your whole online life.

So too much consolidation and lack of anonymity isn't good IMO.
Click to expand...

Sure, but that isn't Google's fault or problem - they can't "fix" that unless they start making crappier products.

Also, if you don't want your account "hacked", don't use a common password.

Ducman69 said:
Google drives around with cameras photographing and mapping the world.
Click to expand...

Yes, and how is that a privacy issue? People have been trying to accurately map the world for centuries now. As for photographs, you can blur out your house if you really want to, and they automatically blur faces.

Absolutely everything on Google+ is default to share with the world.
Click to expand...

Uh, no it doesn't. In fact, it defaults to sharing with no one - you *must* make an initial selection, and from then on it defaults to whatever you did last. If your last post was public, it'll default to public. If your last post was to one person, it'll default to that person.

When you put your name into Google+, it updates the profile of all google related older services, such as your previously anonymous posting on any orkut community.
Click to expand...

Perhaps an issue specific to orkut, not a widespread issue.
 
kllrnohj said:
Sure, but that isn't Google's fault or problem - they can't "fix" that unless they start making crappier products.
Click to expand...
The consumer can fix that by not putting five hundred eggs in one basket. Google's goal is clearly to know everything and anything about you, and that is the reason they want your real name and address and shopping habits and friends and you name it, so that this information can be monetized and sold.
kllrnohj said:
Uh, no it doesn't. In fact, it defaults to sharing with no one - you *must* make an initial selection, and from then on it defaults to whatever you did last. If your last post was public, it'll default to public. If your last post was to one person, it'll default to that person.
Click to expand...
Someone hasn't used Google+ yet. Log back into your account. Go to your profile. Everything in there is set to view by the world by default.
 
Ducman69 said:
The consumer can fix that by not putting five hundred eggs in one basket. Google's goal is clearly to know everything and anything about you, and that is the reason they want your real name and address and shopping habits and friends and you name it, so that this information can be monetized and sold.
Click to expand...

Your real name and address doesn't help them target ads to you. So there goes that idea.

Likewise, Google never sells your information - that oft repeated statement is completely false. They never have, and they almost certainly never will.

Someone hasn't used Google+ yet. Log back into your account. Go to your profile. Everything in there is set to view by the world by default.
Click to expand...

I have used Google+, I've been using it since the initial field trial. When editing your profile (which, of course, is empty be default), the privacy setting for each item is right next to the item you are editing AND there is an icon indicating what the share level is AND there is a simple way to view your profile as someone else.

To say that they don't care about privacy is completely ridiculous, G+ is all about managing your privacy, that's the big feature of it.

Oh, and if you actually have a G+ account, log in and notice that your profile has a "nickname" field - which will be used instead of your real name on many Google sites.
 
Ducman69 said:
Someone hasn't used Google+ yet. Log back into your account. Go to your profile. Everything in there is set to view by the world by default.
Click to expand...

I have been using G+ for a few weeks.

When I created my G+ profile, the contact fields were automatically set to "Only You" and I had to change them to "my circles." Some things were set to "everyone" but were very easy to change as I was typing in the information.
 
Hm, I just noticed that I've been on this forum longer than everyone in the thread, including MajorDomo...

o_O
 
nowie said:
:rolleyes:

Riiiiight.
Click to expand...

How would your real name and address help them? They want to know what your interests are, what you're searching, and what you talk about. location tells them nothing. Google isn't plastering my profile with lobster ads because I live in Maine.
 
wizdum said:
How would your real name and address help them? They want to know what your interests are, what you're searching, and what you talk about. location tells them nothing. Google isn't plastering my profile with lobster ads because I live in Maine.
Click to expand...

I would like to know what ads sites throw up for Maine. The state doesn't have any professional sports teams, what else is Maine known for besides lobster?
 
wizdum said:
How would your real name and address help them? They want to know what your interests are, what you're searching, and what you talk about. location tells them nothing. Google isn't plastering my profile with lobster ads because I live in Maine.
Click to expand...

There are companies that specialize in profiling people and areas, they divide people into up to up to 60 person types. Knowing where you live helps them narrow that down. Knowing your real name combined with where you live gives them a high likely hood of perfectly matching you in a database of information. They eventually are able to build a profile on you that can include nearly everything a person could know about you. What you like, when you were born what places you have lived in, how many kids you have, marital status, race, sexuality. Really nothing is off limits. Then they can package you into a personality type. This is why selling personal information is such a heated topic. Sometimed they get things wrong like think your dad is you if they have the same name but if they have an address or general location they can correct that issue when the data mining.

I do not know if google does it yet but they will do it soon. There are lots of ads that target your location already based on IP. Personally I think it is OK so far I would rather have ads that are relevant. I also see that at a local community level in the USA it is getting very hard for people to get the word out about an event. Years ago you knew if you put it in the news paper almost everyone would get it. Now days you have no clue what the best way to do it is. If advertisers could tarket people in an area for a reasonable price it would probably help.
 
I'd love to try Google+ but I have no invite and it's already banned in China. Was never interested in FB but this thing I wanna try out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top