Slashdot Mirror
Google Launches Google+ Social Network
Randyll writes "Today, Google announced its decisive entry into the world of social networks by introducing Google+, a social network tied around Google services. Its aim is to be different from other networks with emphasis on privacy and a different kind of social networking. Instead of connecting with your friends, Google+ aims to center connections around specific groups—colleagues, projects, or groups of friends—with the ability to use high-quality video chats and a unique and rich web-based user experience. It is currently in beta with opt-in invites."
Several other readers submitted speculation about another mysterious new Google service as well.
It is currently in beta
Am I to understand that this is notable information?
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
It couldn't possibly be worse than Facebook. With Google's transparency with privacy, and already working business model (has facebook ever posted a profit?), I'd trust them over Facebook in a heartbeat.
Facebook screws me over daily. No, I don't want any facebook credits. No, I don't want to play farmville. Disgusting...
If our elected representatives no longer represent us, do we still live in a Democracy?
This is going to be just like Google Wave. Only Bigger!
how did this name ever make it through marketing? are they that dense?
being nerds, maybe call it ++ or plus plus at least? i get that they're trying to knock off the "like" feature, but really....
moox. for a new generation.
Except for the part where Google hosts all the data, a lot of the features sound a lot like Diaspora. That project sounded quite interesting. Too bad it seems to have not moved anywhere in a very long time.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
It's the polar opposite of Buzz. You have to add friends manually, and manually assign them to one of four "circles" (Family, Friends, Acquaintances, Following.)
Then with EVERY damn thing you post, you have to assign to one or more groups.
So you get very fine-grained control, but at the cost of usability. It really is the opposite of Buzz in that way.
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
They are not your fucking friend.
Looks like you could use a fucking friend.
Don't over look the Instant Upload feature, it allows you to store photos and video directly to your Google account from your phone.
Handy in situations when the cops see you recording them and try and destroy your phone
Facebook has been making too many mistakes. This is the perfect opportunity to bring back wave in a context that fits. Like Facebook though, I don't think I'll participate. I've never understood the desire to make personal information about yourself public. I had a near miss with an employer that wanted everyone constantly available through skype, twitter, and facebook. If I wanted to share my personal life, phone conversations, and listen to someone's pointless babble I'd get back together with an old girlfriend.
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
Facebook specifically benefits from the lack of privacy of its users to generate attention grabbing content to as many users as possible. The endless time people spend on Facebook is not spent creating content or communicating - it's spent stalking other people. Facebook is like a super-tabloid or like gossip on crack.
Businesses everywhere promote Facebook by requesting users to Like them. Most users are blissfully unaware that by Liking they aren't just anonymously adding 1 to the Like count, but they are also endorsing the business and giving permission to the business to spam them. The friend counter is like an addictive game with the aim to accumulate as many points as possible with shame built-in if you don't have as many points as others have.
Facebook is a useful communication tool, but it's also evil. It takes advantage of its users in order to promote itself and its interests. If Google isn't ready to go full evil, they have no chance to compete in that arena. Sure, people will use the new awesome services Plus will offer, but it's not enough to get the attention Google wants for its advertising needs. People who can't kill will always be subject to those who can. Same thing applies to businesses who won't turn evil.
Google needs to focus on improving search. Blekko is doing a better job in some areas, especially health.
Ads which appear in search results appear when the user is actually looking for something. This makes those ads valuable. On "social" systems, ads are annoying interference while talking to your friends. Facebook has a fraction of the ad revenue of Google.
Facebook's period of growth is over. Facebook, like all its predecessors from AOL to Myspace, has peaked on user count and is now shrinking. They should have gone public before that happened. Now their value is far less.
They are starting to rack up a nice stack a corpses made from discontinued Google services. Google Wave, Google Translation API, Google Health, and Google PowerMeter to name a few.
I would hate to get too invested in a Google service only to have it disappear on me. As far as I am concerned, Google Search and Gmail are their only sure bets.
This does look promising.
If they truly allow group video conferencing using a browser, I will certainly use it.
If they truly implement voice chat, I would gladly replace Skype, possibly even Vent. (Depends on how it gets implemented)
If they implement group chat that works across cell platforms, I will certainly use it. I would love to use something like this to organize weekly spontaneous events instead of massive text messages. (Email is too slow and unreliable for the last-minute changes, phone calls takes too long.)
However...
This must be painfully easy to use, no special invites and 10 day waiting lists. If this thing gets rolled out using small groups, it will die.
and a picture of my hat (my hat is custom made and very distinguishable)
I LOL as I remember an oldie, but a goodie...
"I put on my robe and wizard hat"
http://bash.org/?104383
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
My favourite one was when it suggested I make a photo album about muffdiving, which is frankly the best suggestion I've ever received.
I write bullshit
Who loves boobies? (now that's pretty funny)
Great Tip!
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Isn't Google already guilty of all the issues people complain about in Facebook?
War as we knew it was obsolete
Nothing could beat complete denial
- Emily Haines
Hi, I just found this website "Slashdot" using "Google Time Machine" app. I'm posting from here in the year 2078. Google says I'm 234 bitcoins away from getting my children back, and I can earn credit by doing this research, polling Geeks of the Past about what efforts they may be hatching to keep this Google Universe from occurring (or slowing it). By the way, I see many references to something called "facebook", what is it? And what's a farmville?
Gently reply
Is it really an entry if this is their third attempt or did everyone just forget Wave? How about Buzz?
Google's transparency with privacy
In what possible universe is Google transparent about privacy?? Can you go somewhere to see what data they have collected about you? I think not.
You have literally no idea what data they have in the no doubt comprehensive profile they have built about you based on search and gmail. If you read their privacy terms there are an alarming number of "outs" for them to basically use that information however the hell they want. Add to that their creepy wifi data collection, creepy streetview cars, etc etc. Hell, a Google search is a pretty good record of your thoughts.
I consider Google one of the biggest threats to privacy going around. By comparison Facebook is child's play.
Read Pynchon.
It couldn't possibly be worse than Facebook. With Google's transparency with privacy, and already working business model (has facebook ever posted a profit?), I'd trust them over Facebook in a heartbeat.
Facebook screws me over daily. No, I don't want any facebook credits. No, I don't want to play farmville. Disgusting...
And yet you still use Facebook, daily?
Do I have a choice? Co-workers/Friends (use the term "friend" losely) get insulted if I don't "like" or comment on their inane ramblings at least 3-4 times a week.
How old are you, 15? Grow the hell up. If they get insulted, that's their problem, not yours. Or better, yet, just accept and ignore forever thereafter. If you can't do this online, chances are you cannot do the same in real life... and that's a behavioral problem right there.
First. You can always delete your account. It's not like you are using it with gun in your head. I use facebook to stay connected with family and friends across the states and overseas. For twitter, I use it to follow up colleagues and very specific peoples and topics. Linkedin, as a good Rolodex for job-related contacts. Inevitably I get invites from people I deal with everyday that are not friends or colleagues. I typically accept them and ignore what I don't want to see/deal with it (or simply ignore the request... which surprisingly doesn't affect my sleeping patterns one bit!!! Hahaha!)
When it comes to facebook, it's not like a "farmville" invite is something that is right there between my door and my car, and I can't fucking turn the ignition and go to work or go to the toilet and take a dump until I finally click the accept button. Just fucking ignore it. That's what I do, even if it is from my beloved cousins.
Seriously, this is such irrelevant minutia, that the only annoying power it has over you it's the one you give it to it. It's not rocket science man. These are just little, irrelevant stupid things of no consequence at all.
Similarly, I have friends of mine who simply don't do facebook, and guess what?? They live well, and guess what else, their friends that have a facebook account actually interact with them (and viceversa) by other means. Mind boggling, ain't it.
Facebook is just a tool, and you get what you put (or do not put) in it. You can delete it at any time. You can exclude or include people to see your info as you wish, and you can subscribe and ignore shit you like or don't like.
To claim that you use it daily while at the same time annoy is just retarded. Either delete it, or grow up a little and don't let irrelevant e-shit annoy you. You can delete Again, it's not like