Facebook, Here Comes Google+

June 28, 2011, exactly three days ago has been the historical launch date of yet another promising social networking site on the world wide web – Google+. The latest talk in town is that Google+ is another attempt by Google to rival Facebook as the current number one social networking site with over 750 million users worldwide. With statistics like that, it only takes the bold to even think about competing. But Google is bold. With Google's previous fail attempts, it seemed that this time they created something that Facebook could actually be scared of. Bold really. Will Google+ be the next social media leader? Hmm, we have watch out for that. This is history in the making. If it is big, then it will only be a matter of time.

Google+ has applications of the right blend that Facebook didn't quite come up with really well. Google is in hopes of making connections among people on the web more like connecting in the real world. Now that is big. Google+ will bring back the real meaning of “friends” - that is people you really know and could trust. That is one of Google+'s applications that is getting a lot of raves.

Google+ has this slogan: Real-life sharing rethought for the web.

As of now Google+ is still in development. Registration has been limited during it's launch date and was suspended the day after because of “insane demand”. Very promising, really.

To get a head start with Google+, here are some of it's features:

• Circles – this enables the user to group contacts into different circles, say, your friends in one group, your family in another group and your boss all by himself, just like in real life. Google+ has really made that a point.
• Sparks – looks for videos and articles it thinks you’ll like, so when you’re free, there’s always something to watch, read, and share. Cool. And new.
• Hangouts – used to facilitate group video chat within a circle. Let your buddies know you’re hanging out and see who drops by for a face-to-face-to-face chat. I am trying hard not to get excited. =)
• Instant Upload – saves you of the hassle of uploading your photos to the web. It is specific to Android mobile devices; it stores photos or videos in a private album for sharing later.
• Huddle – is a feature available to Android, iPhone, and SMS devices for communicating with circles. Huddle turns conversations into one simple group chat, so that everyone could get to the same page without a sore thumb. It will save you from uninvited people getting in on your private group chat.
• Sparks – is a front-end to Google Search, enabling user to identify topics they might be interested in sharing with others; "featured interests" sparks are also available, based on topics others globally are finding interesting.
• Streams – users see updates from those in their circles," updates similar to Facebook's news feed. The input box allows users to enter a status update or use icons to upload and share photo and videos.

With those features above, Facebook is facing a potentially strong competitor. People who had a chance to use Google+, said that it was a joy to use and worth spending web time on. A plus for Google.

Sources:

http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google%2B