All Things Cahill

Thoughts on Google + After Limited Use

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Okay, I’ve used Google + for a couple days now which makes me utterly qualified to render summary judgement on it.

I like it.  At least enough that I’ll keep using it for the short term.  I think it quite possibly will bridge the gaps between the public stream which I use Twitter for, meatspace friends who I keep on Facebook and the working world which I avoid on LinkedIn.  Here I can have them all and keep them segregated in circles, allowing me to keep the Tech Gurus from filling my steam with their daily flood of posts (looking at you, Om…) but still allowing me to essentially aggregate their stuff for casual reading later.

What I like:

  • Posts can be edited.  Wow, welcome to the 21st century…but this is one of those things Facebook sorely lacks.
  • Simple interface that given a little time anyone will be able to use.  Things are right where you would expect them to be.  Unlike on Facebook…
  • Sparks gives me an easy way to find content on topics I am interested in.  Totally lacking in Facebook, with it’s silos.
  • I can finally create a group for sports teams so I only send my stuff when I’m game tweeting to them.  That ought to please Matt B.
What I don’t like:
  • When G+ makes friend suggestions, it’s merely listing anyone I followed on Buzz or showing me anyone I ever emailed from my gmail account.  That’s lame.  I mean, suggesting I friend the complaint department at Sears?How about analyzing my circles and finding the commonality and making suggestions based on that?
  •  It’s yet another place to connect with the same people.  Time will tell if the real folks make it over.  I’m hoping they will.
  • I’d like to be able to change my default stream circle from all my friends to just my friends circle.  My tech circle will turn the stream into a cesspool if I let it…
Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Comments

4 responses to “Thoughts on Google + After Limited Use”

  1. Reto L Avatar
    Reto L

    In the end, however great an execution of the social app G+ is, I can’t help but think it’s a way for google to persuade us to keep around a tracking cookie that identifies us for each and every search and access that calls Analytics and other google javascript. GMail was an excellent first stab at this, now G+ will seal it.

    I’ll check my G+ account, but I can’t see myself staying logged in all the time.

    Reply
  2. Mark Cahill Avatar
    Mark Cahill

    Don’t forget the adsense ads…it’s about them, too!

    I’m also finding I can’t change my default stream. I don’t want the default to open the full stream of everyone, I want it to open just my friends. I can look at the other stuff later.

    Also, the only settings I find are for email and sms notification, which I have of course shut off.

    Reply
  3. Brian Carr Avatar
    Brian Carr

    Reto’s absolutely right. There’s always that sneaking suspicion that we’re just giving more data to Google on their apps.
    If there’s any solace, those of a certain age all remember when:
    Orkut was going to kill Friendster
    Google Talk was going to kill AIM
    Gmail was going to kill Yahoo Mail and Hotmail
    Froogle was going to kill Amazon
    Base was going to kill Craigslist
    Wave was going to kill GotoMeeting
    Chrome was going to kill IE
    Docs was going to kill MS Office

    So this is an ape of Facebook. Is it really that different that you want to port all your friends etc over? We shall see I guess.

    Reply
  4. Mark Cahill Avatar
    Mark Cahill

    The truth is that I have a hard time getting my friends together for something fun, like cocktails on the porch. To think that I’d actually get them all to move from one app to another is a stretch.

    I see this more as just another service. Time will tell if I continue to use it, but as we both know, Google can be rather persistent.

    Reply

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