Message Board
Google Plus or Minus
Robert Virkus7/11/2011 2:17 PM EDT
I've been using Google+ since it was first released and have been playing with it since. Overall, I beginning to like it. First-off, its a chance to start a social network from scratch and maybe avoid some of the errors I made with Facebook. With + you have finer control over your Circles of family and friends. Easier to set-up, control and manage.
One definite advantage is with Picasa, Google's photo editing, managing, and sharing application. If you have +, there no longer is a space limit on how many photos you can upload.
Let's not discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of social networking. As the father of four boys between 16 and 26, scattered across the globe, they work for me.
How big of a gamble is Google taking with this new enterprise? Is there room for one more social network? Or just another flash in the pan like Buzz (if you ever remember it)?
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hm
7/11/2011 7:09 PM EDT
If Google takes over linkedin, they will be successful sooner.
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Bob Virkus
7/11/2011 7:54 PM EDT
According to Bloomberg News Google is preparing a business version of + to compete with Linkedln. (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-09/google-readying-business-version-of-google-stepping-up-facebook-rivalry.html)
They probably would have done better just buying it before it went public.
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eewiz
7/12/2011 10:08 AM EDT
The privacy control settings in Facebook is just ridiculous. If you comment on one of your friend's wall/post , All your other friends(who are not friends with the 1st guy) can see the comments. And there is no way you can disable this :)
Yes there is room for +. I hope Google give a tough time for FB and force FB to take user privacy seriously.
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KB3001
7/14/2011 12:08 PM EDT
I could not agree more!
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Bob Virkus
7/12/2011 12:20 PM EDT
Another difference is that anything you upload to Facebook, even photos, becomes the property of Facebook. Google makes it clear, in simple language, that you retain of your rights to your stuff.
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KB3001
7/14/2011 12:10 PM EDT
Quite. I hope Google+ becomes a sucess.
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Brian Fuller2
7/14/2011 1:39 PM EDT
Bob, nice board and post and thanks for taking the time to do it. I've just begun to pay attention to Plus 1 so to have your take on it makes me realize i should pay attention a little bit more. EE Wiz's take on FB is spot on. Facebook is the company you love to hate. Google, which arguably has access to far more personal data, hasn't yet engendered that feeling among the public. Let's hope it stays that way. I like Google.
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Bob Virkus
7/15/2011 6:38 PM EDT
Overall I agree that Google has tried to be a good citizen. To some degree the Internet can be self-policing; lose the trust of your customers (viewers, whatever) and they can move on to the next big thing rather fast. I'm still taking my time with + and treading lightly. Thanks, for the kind comment.
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t.alex
7/15/2011 10:11 PM EDT
This time it seems to be more hopeful that Buzz.
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Bob Virkus
7/16/2011 11:36 AM EDT
The best online comment I saw about + concerned the process of dividing your friends into Circles: "Remember that Dante divided people into circles."
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Jeff.Petro
7/18/2011 10:18 AM EDT
Facebook is a security nightmare, but the majority of the users overlook this because of the convenience of keeping in touch with the hundreds of friends that they barely know in the first place.
Facebook lost all credibility when it allowed corporations to be your friend. In my lifetime, the only time a business wanted to be my friend was when they were trying to sell me something. They don't care that my dog pee'd on the carpet or that I'm in a relationship or of the photos of my last vacation. The next time you see a commercial on tv, I can guarantee it'll have a link to their corporate facebook webpage. It's a sad commentary of today's society.
Hopefully Google + has addressed this and will become a true social media and not some marketting goldmine.
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Brian Fuller2
9/8/2011 12:49 AM EDT
Bob, two months on from your original post, what do you think now? I ask because I jumped on to Google Plus just after reading yours but haven't had a chance to nurture it much with driving a Volt around the country for Drive for Innovation. My gut tells me that Google + is alluring to our audience for various reasons, but I'm curious to see how you're making out with it.
Cheers,
Brian
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