Google Feature – Google+ Project
Internet search giant, Google, introduced a new project called Google+ Project in an attempt to make online sharing even better. Google+ (pronounced Google Plus) is an extension of the existing Google Buzz and Profiles, with many new features that make sharing more useful.
Vic Gundotra, the senior vice president who oversees Google’s social products said:
It’s ‘Plus’ because it takes products from Google and makes them better and ‘project’ because it’s an ongoing set of products.
Google announced the introduction of the Google+ Project on their offical blog on June 28, 2011:
Among the most basic of human needs is the need to connect with others. With a smile, a laugh, a whisper or a cheer, we connect with others every single day.
We’d like to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software. We want to make Google better by including you, your relationships, and your interests. And so begins the Google+ project.
Read more on Official Google Blog
Google+ Project is launched with what they call a field trial period, and is currently available on an invitation-only basis. But it won’t be long before the Google+ project is ready for everyone.
Users can post status updates, and these appear on the Google+ under a new tab called “Posts”. The +1’s and Buzz tabs remain separate as in Google Profiles.
Google+ Features
Google+ Project comes with numerous unique features. There are four main components: Circles, Sparks, Hangouts, and Mobile to start with.
Google+ Logo and Icons
Google has introduced new logo and icons for its Google+ Project.
Icons starting from left: Circles, Hangouts, Home, Photos, Profile and Sparks
One Google Bar
You can use the “One Google” bar that appears at the top of various Google products as your connection to the social network. With Google+ a “+You” link is added at far left to the recently redesigned black navigation bar dubbed as One Google Bar. If you sign up for Google+, it will be your first name instead of +You, and you will see your full name displayed with your avatar next to it along with a “Share” area to the right side of the bar.
Google+ Circles
Google+ is a social network of your family, friends, classmates, colleagues and other contacts. Circles are groups of people that allow you to share different things with different people. Users can easily click and drag friends in and out of different circles like family, friends, colleagues, and the entire world. Only members of a circle see what you share with them.
Google+ Sparks
What if you started a social network and no one knew what to share? That’s a problem that Google+ Sparks is intended to solve.
Sparks is a discovery and content recommendation engine where you can get the information about current trending content on various topics. It is a collection of articles, videos, photos and other content grouped by interest. You can also subscribe to the categories you are interested as well as create a custom category and share with your friends.
Sparks lets you follow topics of interest. You can browse suggestions or set up your own keyword-based searches. Then when you select a “Sparks” link, and you will get a feed of search results that you might wish to share.
Google+ Hangouts
Hangouts is basically a group video chat feature where you can start a hangout instead of directly asking a friend to join a group chat.
Google describes it as “the unplanned meet-up.” Users click “start a hangout” and they are instantly in a video chatroom alone. A message goes out to their social circles at the same time and let them know that their friend is “hanging out.” With hangouts, up to 10 people at a time can all initiate chats through Google Talk or video chat.
Google+ Mobile
Mobile phone is the perfect content sharing accessory these days. Google will also be launching mobile apps for Google+.
Google+ is currently available on Android Market and the mobile web, and it’s coming soon to the App Store. When you download the app, it splits off the “Huddle” feature as a separate app. The Apple version of Google+ doesn’t give users access to the full range of features of the product. Google intends to launch apps for Google+ on other platforms in the future.
Google+ Instant Upload
Instant Upload is a mobile specific feature with Android phones. You can upload pictures as you take them, and are stored in a centralized and private photo album area.
Google+ Huddle
Huddle is essentially a group text chat feature for mobile that allows everyone in a circle to know what’s going on, right this second.
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The +1 button will appear on Google search pages globally
Videos take a quick look at the core features and settings of Google+ project
