On June 28, 2011, Google announced the launch of their new social network called Google+. My first thought was do we really need another social network?
Well, after spending a few weeks on Google+, I’d have to say why yes, yes we do! And, here’s why.
As Google pointed out, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And Google aims to fix it.
Whether they do or not is to be debated. However, I’m more optimistic this go around than I was with Google Buzz or Google Wave.
Matter of fact, after spending a few hours within Google+, I was immediately hooked. The whole concept of Circles just makes sense, Sparks makes it easier to share things you’re interested in, Hangouts are just more intuitive than Facebook Video Calling, and Huddle is, well, a complete steal from Apple’s iMessage technology which was announced at the last WWDC.
Google+ is still in beta so if you haven’t received an invite yet, then unfortunately you can’t play with their goods. But as Paul Allen, founder of Ancestry.com and an independent Google+ statist, points out, Google+ has already gained a jaw-breaking 18 million users since its launch.
Why are they being so aggressive with adding beta users?
As mentioned earlier, I believe it’s because they’ve learned from their failures!
Matter of fact, inside Google+ they even provide a Send feedback tab at the bottom right-hand corner of every beta tester’s dashboard. That alone shows me that they’re serious about getting it right this go around.
If you’re just getting started with Google+, I recommend that you first watch the following videos from my post titled 11 Google+ Videos for the Beginner.
Next, read A Collaborative Document on Google+. It’s the most definitive guide I’ve been able to track down on the net that was written by over 120 Google+ innovators.
If you’ve already received and activated your invite, then make sure you grab your Google+ nick name from Google Plus Nick. Mine is http://gplus.to/macnamara just in case you’d like to add me to your Circle. 
If you need help searching Google+, check out Google+ Search created by Rich Knight.
To get up-to-speed with Google+’s privacy settings, read 21 Google+ Privacy Tips: The Ultimate Guide by the Huffington Post.
Lastly, check out the What is Google+ and do I need it? video below:
Question: Are you on Google+? If so, what are your initial thoughts?
Let us know by leaving a comment in the {comments} section below.
About Dr. Patrick MacNamara
Not on Google+ yet but I have been getthing this nagging feeling that I NEED to be lol!
It truly is an amazing platform so far, Dr. Spinato. Once you make it inside, make sure you linkup with me via Circles.
hmmm. I must be slow b/c I just don’t get it. I just kind of stare at it and wonder what to do with it. But, the videos are great and once I watch them I think this is the next greatest gadget. Maybe it’s like the little snowball, I need a nudge.
It’ll all be made clear once Google opens the door for businesses to create profiles linked to their Google Places page, etc…, much like what we can do on Facebook. I wouldn’t worry about what to do with it right now until it comes out of beta.