Google+: One Month On

Following last month’s blog article, Can New Social Network Google- Challenge Social Giant Facebook?, which introduced Google’s latest Social Network launched on 28th June, Google- has generated more than 10 million users who share more than 1 billion pieces of content daily!

The social network is a collection of different social products including Stream (a newsfeed), Sparks (a recommendation engine), Hangouts (a video chat service), Huddle (a group texting service), Circles (a friend management service) and Photos. Additional features such as Games and Questions are expected to launch in the near future.

Reasons to Use Google-

Research by leading digital culture, social media and technology news source, Mashable, among its members explains why these Google- users are excited about this new development:

1. Its functionality enables users to stream data from the internet and selectively share with others

2. It enables members to form groups based on mutual interests and get exposure to like-minded, interesting people and ideas.

3. Google- seems to create higher level of engagement in terms of commenting and re-sharing.

4. This new tool has been described as “something more grown up that gives [users] more control and has a more organic user experience.”

5. Its clean interface combined with the lack of distracting elements (such as all of the add-on games and apps on Facebook that clutter up your stream), that many of us never use makes Google- attractive. 

At the moment, you need to be sent an invite by a friend to join Google- although this restriction will eventually be lifted. You must use a Gmail account to sign up for Google- so the first step is to set one up, if you don’t already have one. Google Apps accounts are currently not supported, though support for Google Apps email accounts will be available in the near future.

Stay tuned to The Web Bureau blog for more tips on how to get started on Google- once you receive your invite.