David Pogue reviews Google's latest entry into social networking:
And now there’s Google+. It’s the latest Google “we wanna be Facebook” project. The difference is, this one’s got a real shot.
Instead of throwing open its doors with a big splash, as it did with the hopelessly confusing Wave and the privacy-challenged Buzz, Google is letting Google+ seep into the world virally. You can’t yet just go sign up; you have to be invited by someone who’s already a member.
Even so, Google+ already has millions of members. That’s not quite 750 million (Facebook’s current tally), but watch out for the network effect.
At first, Google+ looks like a shameless Facebook duplicate. There’s a place for you to make Posts (your thoughts and news, like Facebook’s Wall); there’s a Stream (an endless scrolling page of your friends’ posts, like Facebook’s News Feed); and even a little +1 button (a clone of Facebook’s Like button), which may be where Google+ gets its peculiar name.
But there’s one towering, brilliant difference: Circles.
The Advocate adds:
Google+ will be helpful in keeping things gender-neutral.
A setting on Google+ allows users to disclose their gender to as few or as many people as they want. Product manager Frances Haugen explains that the request came from early users.
“Gender can be a sensitive topic, especially on the Internet,” she said in a video announcing the new option.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment