Column: A quiet time with friends: Thank you, Google+
July 31, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
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Is Google+ the new Facebook?
It’s tough to say today, with the shiny new social network only a month old and running on a trial basis. Until further notice it’s an invite-only setup, with a limited number of users toeing the waters, figuring out sparks, streams and hangouts. My first impression is that Google+ offers a tidier, more streamlined Facebook-like destination with better video and chatting capabilities.
But whether or not it’s going to snuff out Facebook like the Mark Zuckerberg creation did to MySpace and instant messaging programs remains to be seen. Even if it isn’t Google+, I just hope the next generation of social networking is on its way.
I may sound like a grumpy Gen-Y veteran on a diner stool telling “I was there!” tales, but I’ve been with Facebook since the beginning. As a new college student in 2004, I was turned onto the website — then called The Facebook — where other students at my school had begun to sign up and communicate. At the time, a university email address was required to register. We were an elite bunch.
Back in those days, there were no photo galleries or tags, no silly groups, celebs or businesses. It was just us college students, together at a digital frat party, cracking jokes and poking each other.
Then the high schoolers were let in and things started to get uncomfortable. The place us coeds used to enjoy was now infiltrated by “little kids” — and it wasn’t even The Facebook anymore, thanks to that marketing turning point we all learned about in “The Social Network.”
Then the flood gates opened.
Everybody was soon able to sign up, no holds barred. Much like the trashy world of MySpace, an email address was the only ticket needed to get onto Facebook. Mom and Dad were soon there, peeping around at risqué party photos. Later, Grandma and Grandpa were logged on, leaving awkward wall posts and oversharing about the activity of their housepets. Heck, that smelly, annoying dude from work is there, too. Little cousins? They’re all at the party, and they’re watching your every move.
