I'm really interested in seeing how it works, even if I suspect they're several years too late.
If you have a spare invite, I'd be most appreciative
neildymondgreen (at) gmail
Google+
I'm not sure another social networking site is the solution to take share away from Facebook. Google have a captive audience of people landing on their site several times a day incidentally while they do searches. Expanding on their embryonic 'social search' stuff by embedding any social guff in their core search offering would be, I suspect, the only way they can achieve critical mass in that space.
Secondly, invite-only might work where the relationship is only between user and service (Spotify) or between user and established protocol (GMail) but for a social product to go invite only and (correct me if I'm wrong) not offer a way of migrating your FB identity over seems short-sighted, because as others have alluded to, one is likely to get their invite, look over a few interfaces, and leave. This makes me wonder if Google+ as a destination is really just a quick means of combining a few tech demos which will later have a deeper integration with the core Google search, and not to exist as a separate entity in itself.
I haven't had a chance to play with it myself yet so my thoughts are just based on what I've heard and seen. Some of the underlying ideas look cool (their implementation of social circles is interesting and its success will probably lie in good UX), so should be fun to watch
Secondly, invite-only might work where the relationship is only between user and service (Spotify) or between user and established protocol (GMail) but for a social product to go invite only and (correct me if I'm wrong) not offer a way of migrating your FB identity over seems short-sighted, because as others have alluded to, one is likely to get their invite, look over a few interfaces, and leave. This makes me wonder if Google+ as a destination is really just a quick means of combining a few tech demos which will later have a deeper integration with the core Google search, and not to exist as a separate entity in itself.
I haven't had a chance to play with it myself yet so my thoughts are just based on what I've heard and seen. Some of the underlying ideas look cool (their implementation of social circles is interesting and its success will probably lie in good UX), so should be fun to watch

Its going to be very hard for anyone to take the crown away from Facebook for a long time.
Facebook is now so integrated with so many things its going to be nearly imposable for anyone else to reach a critical mass and steal the crown.
How many adverts do you see that no longer have their own URL's they use facebook?
How many websites use facebook connect?
How many pieces of technology have facebook ingratiation?
The best thing facebook ever did was create the API's and allow people to connect into their system. I just wish they would fix the problems they have instead of changing things.
Facebook is now so integrated with so many things its going to be nearly imposable for anyone else to reach a critical mass and steal the crown.
How many adverts do you see that no longer have their own URL's they use facebook?
How many websites use facebook connect?
How many pieces of technology have facebook ingratiation?
The best thing facebook ever did was create the API's and allow people to connect into their system. I just wish they would fix the problems they have instead of changing things.
Although Facebook may have weaved itself into the web, it still hasn't done so to anything like the extent of, say, YouTube or Twitter.nidave wrote:Its going to be very hard for anyone to take the crown away from Facebook for a long time.
Facebook is now so integrated with so many things its going to be nearly imposable for anyone else to reach a critical mass and steal the crown.
How many adverts do you see that no longer have their own URL's they use facebook?
How many websites use facebook connect?
How many pieces of technology have facebook ingratiation?
The best thing facebook ever did was create the API's and allow people to connect into their system. I just wish they would fix the problems they have instead of changing things.
And anyway, the number of companies using Facebook for advertising and the number of websites using Facebook Connect doesn't really have much of a bearing on what real people use Facebook for: wall posts, photos, statuses etc (ie bog standard social networking).
I haven't had a chance to use Google+ yet but everyone seems pretty impressed with the interface and this Circles thing. That tipping point where everyone decides that a new social networking site is so much better than whatever they were using before is difficult to define but it has happened before. Just look at bebo/Myspace/Friendster.
I'm not saying it's definite or even likely that Google+ will slaughter Facebook, but it's certainly not inconceivable.
- tillyoshea
- Posts: 371
- Joined: Sun 23 Nov, 2003 14.34
- Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
- Contact:
Me too, me too, me too!TG wrote:If by any chance any invites remain, I'd be interested to have a nose too! t.gmefan at gmail if so
sjhoward at gmail.com
[/Bandwagon Jumping]