Pop Culture Update: Google+ Goes Public/Live!

Ult_Sm86 · Post by **Ult_Sm86** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 5:33 am

Glad Myspace is dead, but starting to get really bogged down with Facebook?

Are you feeling like everyone can see every little thing you do, and you have to see everything everyone else does, and it is definitely getting a tad overkill with the updates?

Do you find yourself making "status updates" on Facebook about why the social network keeps itself a 'FaceLift'? (pun horribly intended?)

Well have no more doubts, the next big thing is here! (FINALLY!)

On the very eve of Facebook making the biggest lay-out error they have made thus far (and there's been some doozies),

GOOGLE+ FINALLY WENT PUBLIC!

You can find me on it here and should you add me to one of YOUR circles, I assure you, I will add you to mine!

A special circle I'm making right after this post called NIGHTSCRAWLERS BUDDIES!!

WHOOO!!

The great thing about Circles is you can choose to share things with certain people and not others, or share things everyone, or specifically just one or two people. It's a great concept that has a lot of possibilities. Their lay-out is still in Beta mode unfortunately, but it's making progress with each day.

Hooray progress!!

I can't wait to see you all there!

I'll be canceling my Facebook account after my 25th Birthday. (I'm giving myself a month to get all my pictures moved over.)

[Edited on 21/9/11 by Ult_Sm86]

NachtcGleiskette · Post by **NachtcGleiskette** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:37 pm

Eh, after the Google Buzz debacle, Google has a bit to do to gain my trust. Besides, everything you've described can be done on Facebook too.

I'm not so keen on moving to a new social media site. I migrated from Friendster to MySpace to Facebook, and I just don't see the want right now for this. We'll see.

Ult_Sm86 · Post by **Ult_Sm86** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 3:56 pm

Facebook just recently gained the concept that is similar to "Circles" when they discovered Google+ was going live this week.

Another interesting feature is "Sparking". When you use the internet, you're essentially logged into your Google+/G-Mail account while you surf the entire time. So if something tickles your fancy, you can "spark" it and from then on there's a little side-bar to the left of your screen when you return to your Google+ home. That side-bar will be fille with the latest news on whatever it was that "sparked your interest". For me it's a lot of comic book stuff, so needless to say, I don't type "Ultimate Spider-man" into Google anymore to find the updates. They're right there in my Google+ account.

My brother has his sports and teams in his "sparks" and my friend Kyle has things like politics, yoga, and music.

It's a very unique internet experience.

Post by **fourpawsonthefloor** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 5:24 pm

God, when i read shit like this I feel old.

I have to say I do keep up facebook because it: a - allows me to keep in touch with people I do a shit job of keeping in touch with other wise and b - because i can share pictures and therefore do not need to zip and send them 200 times.

But the rest of it? I'm too damn lazy for it atm. Maybe later, who knows?

NachtcGleiskette · Post by **NachtcGleiskette** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:00 pm

Honestly, I have to say, I really don't mind Facebook's latest redesign. As someone who makes (part) of her living in in social media on Facebook, it certainly makes my life easier. And Facebook has had groups for a while now, and you've been able to post specific stuff to your specific groups for at least the past 7-8 months.

I'm not sure how much I like the idea of complete integration and being logged in to a single account on a website while I surf. I don't know how much of my surfing is being documented and who is getting that information. This is just my own opinion, but I like to keep some things separate.

That all said, I echo that I almost feel too old for this. I remember the excitement of the social media boom in my college days, and the want and need to connect with everyone and everything I loved and to make my mark online, as if to memorialize myself. But now, I don't know. I'm cool with Facebook, and I just don't have the time to commit to gaining what I have there on a new platform. In the future could this change? Sure. But for now? My business and life is better where it is

.

Ult_Sm86 · Post by **Ult_Sm86** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:06 pm

I agree with a lot of the separation of what you surf and how it shows up in your Google, but there's two awesome points I have for that.

1) You're really the only one viewing your sparks, so it's the same as surfing anyways. Plus it strengthens Google's ability to suggest different groups/circles to you. As the popularity rises, I'm sure Marvel or DC will get a Google+ account of their own, and it would be cool to be in that "circle". Y'feel special, y'know?

2) It's the same as stumbleupon. You don't have to "record it" as a site you visited, the option is just there.

Also, don't feel as if I'm trying to shove this on you, it's just this discussion is really great and it gives me opportunities to flesh out some of the details of Google+. By no means am I saying "ABANDON YOUR FACEBOOKS YE SCALLYWAGS!" 'cause I know that for a lot of people, their entire social-networking-life is on that site.

Mine is now, which is why I'm taking a month to transition over to Google+.

NachtcGleiskette · Post by **NachtcGleiskette** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:18 pm

Ult_Sm86 wrote:I agree with a lot of the separation of what you surf and how it shows up in your Google, but there's two awesome points I have for that.

1) You're really the only one viewing your sparks, so it's the same as surfing anyways. Plus it strengthens Google's ability to suggest different groups/circles to you. As the popularity rises, I'm sure Marvel or DC will get a Google+ account of their own, and it would be cool to be in that "circle". Y'feel special, y'know?

2) It's the same as stumbleupon. You don't have to "record it" as a site you visited, the option is just there.

Also, don't feel as if I'm trying to shove this on you, it's just this discussion is really great and it gives me opportunities to flesh out some of the details of Google+. By no means am I saying "ABANDON YOUR FACEBOOKS YE SCALLYWAGS!" 'cause I know that for a lot of people, their entire social-networking-life is on that site.

Mine is now, which is why I'm taking a month to transition over to Google+.

No worries, I in no way feel pushed upon. I didn't take this thread as that in the least, I'm just expressing my concerns. And really, my concern isn't what you spark, it's what is done with the information gained from you surfing while logged in. Is it sold to advertisers? Is it recorded or deleted? What's going on behind the scenes, is what I'm saying. And with what happened with Google Buzz, I intend to tread very very carefully.

Ult_Sm86 · Post by **Ult_Sm86** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 6:31 pm

I was considering all those points before too, but after reading the [url=http:/-_-/www.google.com/intl/en/privacy/privacy-policy.html]Google Privacy Policy[/url] I felt a little better.

With all Social Networks, there's going to be a point you raise your eyebrow.

Mine was this:

Information sharing

Google only shares personal information with other companies or individuals outside of Google in the following limited circumstances:

We have your consent. We require opt-in consent for the sharing of any sensitive personal information.
We provide such information to our subsidiaries, affiliated companies or other trusted businesses or persons for the purpose of processing personal information on our behalf. We require that these parties agree to process such information based on our instructions and in compliance with this Privacy Policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
We have a good faith belief that access, use, preservation or disclosure of such information is reasonably necessary to (a) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request, (b) enforce applicable Terms of Service, including investigation of potential violations thereof, (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, or (d) protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of Google, its users or the public as required or permitted by law.
If Google becomes involved in a merger, acquisition, or any form of sale of some or all of its assets, we will ensure the confidentiality of any personal information involved in such transactions and provide notice before personal information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Also, check out this great article from NPR on the latest major developments to the "Facebook Experience"...

[Edited on 22/9/11 by Ult_Sm86]

No.Na. · Post by **No.Na.** » Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:03 am

I joined facebook pretty late due to social pressure, and the fact I don't think social netwoking should be done online (call me old fashioned, and a bit ironic for discussing not using the internet to socialize on an online forum); I'm also a stubborn troglodyte when it comes to change sometimes.

That being said I am not entirely comfortable with the amount of openness Zuckerberg has for his mission statements. I'm also wary every new Facebook update about re changing my settings for maximum internet hiding. I am not a huge fan of having to do that and there seems to be a new site update coming again soon that will completely change Facebook http://gizmodo.com/5843030/what-is-face ... whole-life

I've also since changed from my old ways of maximum hiding (though I still don't trust FB), and realized as soon as I log online I am leaving a very real impression and trail since a non savvy user like myself can't stop something like that. This is something i have come to accept so i have taken to trying to craft my online place slowly I did that with google+ since i already get my RSS feeds from there. I agree google+ isn't perfect though. What occors to me is that google+ is facebook minus facebook and that's all i really wanted.

[Edited on 23/9/11 by No.Na.]