Google+ the new kid on the social network scene

Being a fan, I was excited by the announcement Google were introducing a new service, Google+, extending their suite into social networking territory. I had been equally excited by Buzz and Wave when they were introduced but that excitement didn't last very long. I didn't get much of a buzz from Buzz, and Wave was such an unusual hybrid of email, instant messaging and document editing that I couldn't figure out exactly how you were supposed to use it. And, apparently, I wasn't alone.

But after two days of tinkering with Google+ the excitement continues to build. I find the new construct of circles of friends and the ability to effortlessly share postings with them nothing short of brilliant. Easy to comprehend, simple and yet very powerful. It is like you can have multiple Facebook accounts but all in one place. This may be the first on-line service where one can socialize with friends and business acquaintances. Make a mistake in a post you can go back and correct it. Don't like it any more, you can delete it. Want to share it with more or less people, you can change this. Don't want to see a particular post from someone else you can mute (hide) it from site.

The security model is pretty extensive, yet simple to tune. The integration to other Google features is seamless. And I suspect, before long, we will see integration with the other social nets and a collection of APIs to allow for independent development of interfaces to other products.

I plan to keep experimenting with Google+ and will add more findings as I discover them. There are already millions of users (making this the fastest growing new service) and an enormous about of on-line documentation, opinions and other information.

Give it a try and put me in one of your circles!

Captain Joe

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