My Thoughts on Google + vs other Online Social Media (long read)

[GrenW]

Also, G+ needs to integrate Buzz and Latitude better. Right now, when I do a "check in" I have to do it on Foursquare, Latitude, and G+, and that's too much.

Or really, just absorb Buzz... Buzz should be killed and just resorbed into G+.

Agree on all of that

 

[BiggestManEver]

It's pretty obvious they want to roll Buzz into +. Look at both the Buzz and Google+ widgets. They are identical, except for the little icon on the left side.

 

[KENNECTED]

Also, G+ needs to integrate Buzz and Latitude better. Right now, when I do a "check in" I have to do it on Foursquare, Latitude, and G+, and that's too much.

Agreed.

In addition if you are in one of your associated google services, say youtube or blogger, there needs to be a "share" button from one of those services that lets you post right to your stream.

Id also like to be able to click on a contact and see all posts that person made in google+, gtalk, googlevoice, gmail, you tube or checkin's.

 

[OstrichSaK]

In addition if you are in one of your associated google services, say youtube or blogger, there needs to be a "share" button from one of those services that lets you post right to your stream.

Yeah, same with Picasa as well. I uploaded a few pics the other night and wanted to share with a circle and the only way to go about doing it was sharing the entire album and all I wanted to do was share one or two pictures I had just uploaded. I also found a YouTube video I wanted to share like I would on fb and when I clciked 'share' from YouTube I was amazed to find there was no option to share to Google+ yet.

 

[amlothi]

Not sure why you had a problem sharing images. I found it easy to share individual images on G+. The only thing I'd like it to have is some way to multi-select.

 

[OstrichSaK]

Not sure why you had a problem sharing images. I found it easy to share individual images on G+. The only thing I'd like it to have is some way to multi-select.

What is the process for this? I looked around my Picasa account as well as for an option to share individual picture within Google+ and was unable to find anything to allow me to do this. I had to share an entire album and then tell the other person to look at the last couple pictures. I wouldn't be surprised that there is an option to do this and I'm just unable to find it in my n00bness.

 

[Deleted User]

What is the process for this? I looked around my Picasa account as well as for an option to share individual picture within Google+ and was unable to find anything to allow me to do this. I had to share an entire album and then tell the other person to look at the last couple pictures. I wouldn't be surprised that there is an option to do this and I'm just unable to find it in my n00bness.

Create a new post right in G+ and there is an option there to share individual pictures.

Edit: hrm, well it seems the add photos from there doesn't allow you to browse all your picasa albums, just the ones in the 'from your phone' album. Interesting, there must (or should) be a way.

 

[BiggestManEver]

It's easy to multi-select pictures from the Uploaded from Phone section. Just click the ones you want, then hit share.

For some reason, the same option doesn't seem to be available when you're looking the "My Albums" section. A pity.

I'm sure it's something that will be rolled out soon. As well as some "Share with all Circles except X" type feature.

 

[OstrichSaK]

Create a new post right in G+ and there is an option there to share individual pictures.

When I click that the option is to share an entire folder or an image from a PC locally. What I'm talking about is sharing an image (imbedded) that has already been uploaded to Picasa w/o sharing the entire folder.

 

[Deleted User]

When I click that the option is to share an entire folder or an image from a PC locally. What I'm talking about is sharing an image (imbedded) that has already been uploaded to Picasa w/o sharing the entire folder.

Have you uploaded any pics from your phone using the google+ android app? You should then have an option when you post to post pics that were uploaded from your phone (a new picasa album would have been created). But it doesnt seem you can select individual photos from other albums this way.

 

[OstrichSaK]

It's easy to multi-select pictures from the Uploaded from Phone section. Just click the ones you want, then hit share.

For some reason, the same option doesn't seem to be available when you're looking the "My Albums" section. A pity.

I'm sure it's something that will be rolled out soon. As well as some "Share with all Circles except X" type feature.

Yeah, that's what I was saying. It's not there now but I'm sure it will be eventually. I just wish Google would include a few more features when they beta something so we can test the program and the features both a little more extensively. Just seems their stuff is always in beta and missing basic functionality. That being said I'm excited for this as well as Google Music and the future they both will bring.

 

[OstrichSaK]

Have you uploaded any pics from your phone using the google+ android app? You should then have an option when you post to post pics that were uploaded from your phone (a new picasa album would have been created). But it doesnt seem you can select individual photos from other albums this way.

I upload photos to Picasa all the time with my phone and PCs so I'm very aware of the process. I have also shared pictures directly from my phone to Google+ and yeah, it creates a separate folder by date which I dislike. I prefer organizing my photos by subject and then sharing from that organization. I'm sure it will be something that Google eventually implements but I just wish something so simple would have been included already.

 

[Deleted User]

I upload photos to Picasa all the time with my phone and PCs so I'm very aware of the process. I have also shared pictures directly from my phone to Google+ and yeah, it creates a separate folder by date which I dislike. I prefer organizing my photos by subject and then sharing from that organization. I'm sure it will be something that Google eventually implements but I just wish something so simple would have been included already.

Yeah, agreed. It appears for now, you can only post individual pics in a G+ posting that are in the 'Instant Upload' picasa album that is created when using the instant upload feature of the android app.

I'd post feedback to Google, would be nice to have the option to post individual pics from any picasa album, not just that one.

For now, as a workaround, you could copy any individual photos you want to share to the 'Instant Upload' album.

 

[OstrichSaK]

Yeah, agreed. It appears for now, you can only post individual pics in a G+ posting that are in the 'Instant Upload' picasa album that is created when using the instant upload feature of the android app.

I'd post feedback to Google, would be nice to have the option to post individual pics from any picasa album, not just that one.

For now, as a workaround, you could copy any individual photos you want to share to the 'Instant Upload' album.

Yeah, I could do that. May be bumping up against my limit if I start doubling up on stored images unless Google actually just shares the same image to several folders. I'm assuming it actually copies the image to all locations though. Either way, I'm not going to lose sleep over it just yet and will wait patiently until they add that function.

 

[sookster54]

Can you explain what you mean that it has "gtalk integrated?" I don't see what you mean in there.

On the bottom left of your page there's "Chat" and names of those who are on your gtalk list or in circles, so your friend you attempt to talk to can be on gtalk on his/her phone while you're on your google+ page.

 

[Deleted User]

Yeah, I could do that. May be bumping up against my limit if I start doubling up on stored images unless Google actually just shares the same image to several folders. I'm assuming it actually copies the image to all locations though. Either way, I'm not going to lose sleep over it just yet and will wait patiently until they add that function.

For some photos, it looks like google is offering 'unlimited' storage:

Picasa Now Offering Virtually Unlimited Photo Storage, Brings Google+ Tagging

 

[OstrichSaK]

For some photos, it looks like google is offering 'unlimited' storage:

Picasa Now Offering Virtually Unlimited Photo Storage, Brings Google+ Tagging

Cool. As soon as I saw they we're using Picasa to host Google+ files I knew it was a matter of time before they raised drastically or eliminated storage restrictions at least for those who had a Google+ account as well.

 

[KENNECTED]

I As well as some "Share with all Circles except X" type feature.

I'm unclear as to what you mean by this. This functionality is already there. When you post your post can be public (which shares with everyone) or you can share with "all your circles", one circle or a selected number of circles.

 

[mikedt]

The problem I see Google + running into is the same as Wave and Buzz. Its not user friendly to the casual users. It has all the option and integration, but its too "dug in", too complex, too many clicks.

Maybe that's a deliberate design decision on the part of Google. Try and keep all the morons and idiots out, and where they belong....Facebook. Although making things complex didn't keep the idiots away, Myspace was a shining example of that.

Wouldn't use Google+ myself. Have no desire to tell the whole world about everything I'm doing, or being 'social' with a load of people(and cretins) I've never met in my life....see also Facebook. AF and couple of other select forums is about as 'social' as I want to be on the interwebs.

BTW Facebook used to be far better and free from idiots when the joining requirement was an academic email address.

 

[BiggestManEver]

I'm unclear as to what you mean by this. This functionality is already there. When you post your post can be public (which shares with everyone) or you can share with "all your circles", one circle or a selected number of circles.

Sure, I can go through and check all the Circles I want to send it to. But more frequently, I'll want to post to all my circles except "family" or whatnot.

Something that would help with that, would be useful.

 

[KENNECTED]

Sure, I can go through and check all the Circles I want to send it to. But more frequently, I'll want to post to all my circles except "family" or whatnot.

Something that would help with that, would be useful.

Without starting a "semantics" discussion, to me thats exactly what we currently have. Either way you're going to have to click or choose to include or exclude a circle(s).

 

[BiggestManEver]

without starting a "semantics" discussion, to me thats exactly what we currently have. Either way you're going to have to click or choose to include or exclude a circle(s).

semantics!!

 

[BiggestManEver]

Also, G+ needs to integrate Buzz and Latitude better. Right now, when I do a "check in" I have to do it on Foursquare, Latitude, and G+, and that's too much.

Aaaand, with the new update to Google Maps (5.7), they've rolled Latitude into Google+. When I checked in to Burger King today, it gave me the option to share with my Circles in addition to my Latitude contacts.

They're moving faster than I imagined they would!

 

[mikedt]

Gmail is rarely someone's "personal" email.

Huh? Many people I know use Gmail for personal use.

So far g+ is great for privacy and separating groups of people into each circle, there's a handful of CyanogenMod devs and supporters already in a large g+ group right now- it's a potential tight knit social network. When you create a g+ account, your info are set to private to default, the opposite of FB that sets everything wide open to everyone (and do you think that many people actually look at their privacy settings?).

As far as I know if you have friend1 in circle1 and friend2 in circle2, friend2 will not be able to see your friend1 from cricle1.

Facebook pretty much leaks your info even if you set them all to private, there are plenty of celebrity posers on Facebook and plenty of abusers (see the Vancouver riot with lots of FB users outing their FB friends for just being in a picture even when they did not doing anything illegal).

How do we know Google+ wont leak personal and private information? Either through future changes of policy, changes to the ToS, what a fellow Google+ user might do, user mistakes or mistakes by Google. Just like what happened with Facebook from time to time. BTW Google hasn't exactly got a clean record when it comes to personal and private info and social networks: WARNING: Google Buzz Has A Huge Privacy Flaw ...a similar breach of privacy could happen with Google+.

My thinking is, NEVER put anything on the internet unless I intend it to be public for everyone to read, see or hear. The only exceptions being e-mail and instant messaging.

 

[amlothi]

Sure, I can go through and check all the Circles I want to send it to. But more frequently, I'll want to post to all my circles except "family" or whatnot.

Something that would help with that, would be useful.

[removed by mod]
This is exactly how it SHOULD work, in my opinion. Privacy should be ON, ON, and ON by default. Who you share information with should be OPT IN, and not OPT OUT.

When I want to share something, I'd much rather choose who to send it to then to have to remember to specify I want something to be private.