06 Jul, 2011

Google+: the newest social network

Google has recently launched a new project, Google+, that despite being on a testing phase and limited to a group of people (on a first stage it is only possible to enter Google+ with an invitation). This is yet another response from Google to the social network fever, and might even be a serious contender to Facebook.

Plako is preparing the full arrival of Google+ by working on new modules which can be integrated with this social network. Soon it will be possible for your projects to take maximum advantage of this new Google product.

Google+ has innovative functions, some rather different from what we are used to see on a social network. Ultimately it is a network with a strong bet on convegence, adding, for instance, video to the concept.

"Introducing a few new thoughts on sharing" is the moto of Google+. And that's what social networks really are: sharing. Google+ presents four major areas: Circles, Sparks, Hangouts and Mobile.

Circles is basically a tool that allows you to group contacts in circles, controlling the information that is shared between each group. This means each group has access to a set of information that will not necessarily be the same set for other circles created by the same users. It allows you to "categorize" people according to relationships (eg. Work, School, City, etc.).

Sparks is all about sharing information - like videos, photos, news... - with a twist: this information may be divided by themes (for example, Black and White Photography) and the contacts that share that interest may join the theme. Therefore, there is a more passionate sharing of information, since it will reach someone who really cares about that info.

Hangouts is the novelty when comparing Google+ to Facebook, particularly. It is the possibility to use videoconference, with 10 users or even more. By betting on face-to-face communication, it allows inumerous casual encounters, as long as someone is available to chat (the message "John is hanging out" appears) and any contact can add him/herself to the conversation. Pretty useful for dealing with unforseen changes and communicate with the whole group at once.

As we've reffered, Google+ is still on an experimental phase, but its launch is expected to be soon. According to TechCrunch website, Facebook is also preparing the launch of videoconference chat, which can be a response to Google's "threat".

On the Mobile section are two different sides. On one hand, users can upload pictures and videos directly from their cellphones. On the other hand if has a very interesting function called Huddle, where a pre-set group of people can chat in real time, in order to solve questions and indecisions about the plans they have for a night out, or what movie they should see.