Google+ Is A Force To Be Reckoned With

We are close to a month since Google announced its revolutionary social networking site to the world. Millions of invites have been shared and Google+ has reached an astounding amount of users for a product that was released by invite only. At over 9 million users already, everyone seems to agree that the features integrated into the common social networking experience have changed our expectations altogether.

Without overtly stating it, Google is attempting to make aneasier, streamlined version of Facebook. Certain key features of its user interface show they are headed in the right direction.The most notable is the Circles feature. It allows you to create groups for your friends to share to specifically. Sometimes we share things that we don’t want everyone to see. I don’t want my co-workers knowing I called out of work to see the new Twilight movie. I don’t want my Mom seeing the picture I posted of me streaking down the street. With the Circles feature, you can choose which groups you are sharing that particular update with.

Hangouts is another notable thing about Google+. It basically gives you the ability to video chat with all of your friends at once.

Sparks is also worth mentioning. It allows you to add key subjects in the news to a feed you can check whenever you have free time. This makes it much easier to share that interesting article about Batman’s inner psyche with a friend. No more copying links and pasting it into a new Wall Post. By clicking ‘share,’ you can choose to send it to a friend, family member, or that circle you created for like-minded nerds. Who can then share it with their friends. Who then share it with their friends, and so on, creating a vicious circle of shared information we can all utilize.

So far, I have not seen anything regarding a character limit when you post something. Goodbye 140-character limit and hello to long-winded lectures on how Snake was the best military tactician in video game history. Okay, maybe no character limit can be a bad thing, but lets stay on track here. On top of the assumed lack of a character limit, you can also post things directly to the web. Which makes posts search-ablein Google’s search engine. Now I can rant about my hatred of chicken noodle soup for all of the interwebs to gaze upon. Having access to multiple streams, depending on the circle of friends you want to read about, makes it easier to focus. Sometimes, I want to know what plans my co-workers have made on a Sunday, but I don’t want to read all the cheers and shout-outs about the football game that’s going on. I can simply choose the Co-Workers Stream and read only those updates.

My favorite thing about Google+, other than the fact that it is not Facebook, would have to be its integration with other Google products (like Gmail and Reader). It creates the feel of a complete cloud-based lifestyle. Signing into your Google account grants you a black bar at the top of the browser window. This allows you to quickly switch over to Gmail to compose an email; Bounce over to your Docs account to create a spread sheet; add a calendar event, etc. With all of these products being free, it’s hard to see the bad side of switching everything over to Google. Including your Music collection, but that’s a whole other topic.

If I can give Nerds any advice, I would say to just take your time setting everything up. We have gone through the process of switching Social experiences before. Let’s learn from our mistakes. I, for one, have climbed aboard the train leaving Facebook. It just needs more passengers before the train can leave the station. If anyone needs an invite to Google+, Nerdlocker has plenty to spare. What do you think about Google+? Is it the eventual Facebook killer? Tell us in the comments.