Google Plus: Search Giant's New Social Network

The social networking fad has engulfed the majority of the computer-literate population in the world, making the existence of a virtual identity is as essential as a real one. One of the newest contenders in the social networking battleground is multi-billion Google Inc.’s ‘Google Plus’ (G+ or Google +).

Launched on 28th June 2011, G+ was Google’s answer to Mark Zuckerberg’s 750 million users strong “Facebook”; after just four weeks in operation, G+ already had 25 million users to its name. Like all other social networking websites, G+ allows you to share pictures, videos, instant messages, etc., but along with these typical features, there are some exclusive features that set Google plus ahead of its time.

EXCLUSIVE FEATURES:

• CIRCLES: This lets the user classify people into different groups; the privacy settings allow users to share certain information with a particular circle only. This classification can be done with the help of a drag-drop technique. This feature is more evolved than the typical friend list feature in Facebook and other social networking websites.

• HANGOUTS: This is similar to an online conference; Hangouts allow group video chat with a maximum of ten people at a time. The uniqueness lies in that anyone on the web can join a hangout if they possess the URL.

• SPARKS: Enables users to select and share topics that they find interesting, this keeps a user updated on their respective topics of interest.

• STREAMS: Users can see people’s updates in their circles; the stream can be set only to get updated for a certain circle.

• +1 Button: This button helps people to recommend links, sites and media, similar to the ‘Like’ button in Facebook.

• INSTANT UPLOADS: This allows instant upload/download of media.

The user interface of Google Plus is quite raw and basic. Its clean and edgy look makes a first-time user comfortable with the website’s basic elements very soon. It has rounded buttons, and the insets are semi-transparent drop-out shadow boxes. The text and pictures are widely separated and easy to read. On the downside, for some unexplainable reason, G+ does not offer its users the option of private messaging, which is a standard feature of all notable social networking websites.

Google Plus’ prime rival, Facebook is, is a fully developed social network portal, whereas G+ has just been launched about four months ago; hence, drawing a comparison between the two seems pretty irrational right now. Google Plus is only a child taking its first steps in the WebSphere, whereas Facebook is a steadily marching social networking heavyweight; however, on the upside, G+ is still under development, and Google is surely going to live up to its reputation and improve G+ further very soon.

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