Don't get me wrong I think Google Plus is a brilliant concept. 'Circles', the very core of the concept, is an excellent idea. I like the way you can target photos and 'tweets' to certain 'circles'. The associated Android app is cool too. Photos instantly uploadable - if you choose. No hassle, they just appear in your 'plus' ready to be shared to your circles. I like the 'clean-ness'. No fuss. No clutter. Just easy to access, easy to share, social interactions.
I can't see my folks ever getting on Facebook and to be honest, I'm not sure I'd want them there. Some of the stuff I post is.... only postable beyond the watershed. Now, I know there are ways - at least I think there are - of limiting the publishing of stuff to certain groups of friends and family but - and this is quite a big butt (which I do indeed like, and I cannot lie), coming from someone who is decidedly on the geeky side of life - I'm not really sure how and as it's not straightforward and in your face, I can't be arsed to find out how. So I avoid friend requests from the inner sanctum of family as I don't think they can't take what I post. Only the cool members of the family are allowed in.
Google Plus and its circles is, on the other hand, simple and I could see my family coping with it. Sharing photos of special occasions. Arranging get togethers. I can see that working and the ability to simply post certain things to certain circles is fantastic. I hope it works, I really do, but do I think it will? Sadly, no - but I really really do hope I'm wrong. What it needs. What it really really needs is API access. The ability for developers to hook into allowing posts from there software is absolutely crucial. I want to post once - write many. When I post, I want it to disperse to all my social streams in one shot. At the moment I have to make a special effort to post to Google Plus by itself, having already posted (possibly) to Twitter and Facebook. That inevitably means not all my posts go to Google because, well, I can't be arsed - which is a shame for Google. I want this thing to work, so come on the big G. Pull your finger out...
I can't see my folks ever getting on Facebook and to be honest, I'm not sure I'd want them there. Some of the stuff I post is.... only postable beyond the watershed. Now, I know there are ways - at least I think there are - of limiting the publishing of stuff to certain groups of friends and family but - and this is quite a big butt (which I do indeed like, and I cannot lie), coming from someone who is decidedly on the geeky side of life - I'm not really sure how and as it's not straightforward and in your face, I can't be arsed to find out how. So I avoid friend requests from the inner sanctum of family as I don't think they can't take what I post. Only the cool members of the family are allowed in.
Google Plus and its circles is, on the other hand, simple and I could see my family coping with it. Sharing photos of special occasions. Arranging get togethers. I can see that working and the ability to simply post certain things to certain circles is fantastic. I hope it works, I really do, but do I think it will? Sadly, no - but I really really do hope I'm wrong. What it needs. What it really really needs is API access. The ability for developers to hook into allowing posts from there software is absolutely crucial. I want to post once - write many. When I post, I want it to disperse to all my social streams in one shot. At the moment I have to make a special effort to post to Google Plus by itself, having already posted (possibly) to Twitter and Facebook. That inevitably means not all my posts go to Google because, well, I can't be arsed - which is a shame for Google. I want this thing to work, so come on the big G. Pull your finger out...
