First thoughts on Google +
I’m genuinely excited by Google+, not for the fact that Google “is getting in the game” by creating a “new Facebook” but for 4 reasons:
1) It appears at first glance to be the clean, easy and uncluttered sharing environment that Facebook seemed to be years ago before apps and ads became prevalent.
Life should be easier to do what you actually want to do.
2) Mobile is built in. With the phenomenal growth of android, creating and sharing content is a no-brainer. Disruptive technology in the form of photo-sharing apps for example, are a thing of the past. They are part of the OS.
3) Seamless integration with the digital footprint I leave behind. Everything I do that involves leaving an indexable “footprint” google has the potential to make my sharing and friending experience more relevant to me and therefore valuable.
4) It provides, perhaps for the first time, the genuine integration of search and social media. Far from using sporadic social interactions as mere signals to human popularity or relevance of content, our real-time social (and crucially now, mobile) interactions through google+ are providing google with the live, real-time, evolving content that ensures it is constantly delivering the most timely relevant content to us rather than simply contextually relevant content.
My only downer on it so far relates to point three, where is the serendipity if my future discoveries are only based on my past activity?
Either way, I look forward to playing with it very soon!
There’s a great review of the features on HYPERLINK “http://thenextweb.com/google/2011/06/28/a-complete-video-tour-of-google-featuring-mobile-sparks-and-circles/” TNW and Charlene makes some very valid points HYPERLINK “http://www.charleneli.com/2011/06/google-leverages-googles-strength-as-a-communications-platform/” here.