Technology Review: Google+, the score so far

One month and more than 10 million users later, Google+ continues to ride a wave of hype as the newest and coolest kid on the block when it comes to online social networking.

A friend sent me an invite to use Google’s new social network shortly after it launched at the end of last month, and it was good timing. I was sick of Facebook, having grown tired of sorting through all the “noise” in my account. Keeping up with people seemed like a chore, having to sift through a mess of rants, mundane musings and posts from random “friends” I barely knew.

And that’s why Google+ felt like a breath of fresh air. From the start, I liked “Circles,” Google+’s way of organizing your contacts. This approach tries to mirror real life — not everyone is your “Friend,” as they are on Facebook. You create Circles according to the way you want to view other people’s posts or share information. By default, Google+ starts you off with the categories “Friends,” “Acquaintances,” “Family,” and people you’re “Following,” but you can make as many Circles as you want, and give them any name you want.

In practice, it’s great. On your Google+ page, your Circles are listed in the left hand column. Click on Friends, you see only what your friends post. Click on Family, just posts from your family. (I liked not experiencing the sensory overload I tend to get on Facebook, where random circles of friends and family seem to collide together in one long, never-ending column.)

Every time you post, you can decide who sees what with a simple click. Don’t want to bother your friends who don’t share your obsession with creme brulee? Make a creme brulee Circle and share your posts and photos only with them. Don’t want your Mom or boss to know about your wild antics last Saturday night? Address your post to your “Party People Only” Circle.

Right off the bat, I felt more in control of my privacy with Google+. And surely, I thought, the rest of my Facebook friends would feel the same way.

But one month later, here I am, using Facebook more than ever.

It turns out that the rest of my friends on Facebook aren’t as jazzed as I am with Google+’s design and layout, cool video chat feature (more on that below) and that shiny new social network smell.

Comments like “I spend enough time on Facebook,” and “Everyone’s already on Facebook,” seem to sum up their responses. And what about Google+’s super-cool Circles? “It’s like you can add Circles but everyone I know on here so far is a friend … ” wrote one Facebook friend on his Google+ page.

Sure, Google+ has made being “social” fun again for me — I’ve been spending more time these days posting updates, sharing links to videos I like and engaging in banter with friends — but it feels a bit lonely. My friends and contacts here so far are a relatively small circle of tech enthusiasts and early adopters.

So friends, I’ll see you on Facebook. But I’ll still be waiting for you on Google+.

GOOGLE+ FACTS AND TIPS

There’s a lot to discover on Google+. Here are some basic facts, tips and miscellany on Google’s new online social network.

(1) On Facebook, you share with everyone who is your “friend.” On Google, you choose who to share with, whether it’s one person or the entire Internet.

That’s why Google+ is all about Circles, a function that requires you to categorize your contacts before you do anything else. Every time you write a post, you have the option to choose which Circle to share it with (look in the box below where you write your post). You can also share your post with just one person (essentially making it a personal message), or mark it “Public,” which means even people who are not in your Circles can see it. Beware: your Public posts can turn up in a Google search.

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