Tag Archives: Google

Google+ is NOT Facebook

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Ok, with all these new and great (still debatable) changes to Facebook, it seems like it’s going to overcome Google+. Well, whatever the original intent of Google+, at this point, unless they make a drastic change, they will be beaten down.

But it’s like comparing Apples and Oranges. They’re both fruits, but are distinctly different. Let’s just get that straight. I personally cannot understand what people are thinking. Of course, it’s because your friends are saying “oh em gee, the new facebook blows! I’m going to G+”.

Well, here’s my interpretation of what Google+ is:

Google+ is not about friends. It’s about interests. You don’t have friends in G+. You circle people and put them into a circle called friends. You share the same interests. In this case it would namely be you. With circles, you can share the same interest, such as Photography. You can put all your photographer friends in there, as well as the photographers you admire. You can post photography topics within your photography circle. Are you getting it yet? It’s not about friends. It’s about interests. Seriously.

So please stop comparing the two. Can’t they co-exist? Like Twitter and Facebook? Why can’t G+ be the Twitter killer? Or the new Facebook be the Twitter killer? Did this make sense?

Google+ and all it’s glory

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So lately I’ve been using Google+ more and more. Perhaps you’re a follower, or perhaps you’re not and haven’t been tempted by it. Regardless come take a visit and see what I’m all about. You can find my personal profile here.

So what’s the big deal about Google+? Lots of things I’d say. First of all, it’s a new thing, and everyone on the Internet likes new and cool things right? I mean everyone likes to be “first” or part of the beginnings of something that has potential. I remember when Twitter came out, no one thought it was cool. They said, “but it’s only 140 characters. What could you possibly say in that number of characters?” Look at it now. I’d say 95% of the people in America know what twitter is and are either members or have no need of it (or so they say).

Google+ is very similar I think. It’s like a hybrid if you will. I think the way they designed it is not exactly what people are using it for, but it’s working. People are sharing, and reading, and finding out new things with it. It’s more than a social network IMHO. It’s kinda like a central place where you can find out news, the latest gossip, what’s going on in your friend’s life, and so much more.

If you’re a sharer, (if that’s even a word – I’m sure spell check says no) then Google+ is also a great thing. The method of sharing is great. If you want to share something that’s tech related and don’t want to fill up your friend’s stream that doesn’t care about that stuff, you can. With circles, you can share with people who share the same interests explicitly.

Also, you can use circles to see in your stream only the news you want to see. So maybe your cooking club is sharing recipes, and you only want to see that and not all the Chris Pirillo updates. You can do that.

So I’ve been hanging out there for this bit and honestly, it won’t replace a blog, but it’s coming pretty damn close. Are you on Google+? If you’re not, I’ve got 150 invites to throw out there. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send you an invite.

What’s your social network?

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So with the advent of Google+, should Facebook be worried? I Really doubt it. I mainly say this because Google+ is not Really the same thing. It’s more like Twitter on steroids and more. It’s very similar to Pownce (remember that?) where you can share something with certain circles only. It’s not a new concept, but no one has successfully implemented it. It’s also similar to Foursquare. You can check into Google+ and share your location. It’s like an all in one tool.

With all these changes, it’s tough to determine which social network you’d like to stick with. If you ask me, it’s probably best to use both. I only say this because not everyone is going to use both like you. Maybe they’re not as tech savvy as you are. Maybe they just don’t have the time to utilize both social networks. Regardless of the reason, I know you want to use both of them.

There are some issues you probably should be aware of. Google+ is still growing. It’s still in development. So don’t panic. Grab your towel. Google+ will get better.

However, there have already been issues. Remember people getting suspended from using Google+ because of their names? Yeah that Really happened. I’m not sure if they intend to have a “verified” logo like Twitter does, but, that was Really annoying.

Facebook isn’t without its faults either. Have you seen the new chat? Seriously? It takes up a quarter of the screen! I don’t want to know who is offline. Why would I want to know that? It just mixes the online and offline people in one window. Then there’s an issue that Danalyn had. She uploaded a karaoke video of herself singing Sweet Child O’ Mine. Yeah, they just deleted it immediately.  WTF? Seriously? It’s HER. So now, is it bad to upload videos of people singing copyrighted songs? OK, I can accept that. But say that it’s a copyrighted song and it’s not allowed on Facebook. Don’t just delete it right away and don’t say anything. Especially if the video is karaoke. Last I checked, there are tons of karaoke videos up on there. This is only one of many reasons I don’t like Facebook. I don’t mean I don’t like Facebook for the karaoke videos. These issues are why I don’t like Facebook.

So what’s your social network? For myself, I’ll continue to use both, but lean towards Google+ more unless something changes the favor to Facebook. Somehow I doubt it.

iGoogle

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Screen shot 2009-10-05 at 7.01.13 PMWhat theme do you use for your iGoogle Page? I’m just curious what other folks are using. Right now, I’m simply using the Halloween theme only because it’s Halloween. But normally I use the Edward Monkton theme. You know, the one with the “Madness Hamsters”? I simply love them!

What's new Yoshi?

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Ok, here’s a boring post where I talk about things I’ve added to the site recently. I know you’re cheering right now right?

You’ll notice I added a contact form to the site, this is for anyone who would like to get a hold of me, but for some reason do not have my email or forgot my email address. (or more likely, have not kept up with all my email address changes.)

You’ll also notice that I’ved added a new “Now Reading” widget on the sidebar that let’s you know what book I’m now reading, and any past books I’ve read and reviewed. It also shows you what books I’ve got stored up in my queue to read, which are a lot, but I only listed a few of them (for now).

I also started adding google ads. Although this might change. I’m just not sure yet. I’m also putting in Text Link Ads. I’m not sure my site is even popular enough to worry about it, but we’ll see in the upcoming months. I know a few people who are using it and if I got what they got, then my hosting would pay for itself. (which is a good thing folks)

Here’s the interactive portion. What plugins do you have installed? I think I might have too many of them, but I’m curious to see what everyone has installed. (again, I know.)

Microsoft puts in a bid for Yahoo

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So today, the news is Microsoft putting in a $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo. “Software giant offers $31 a share – a 62% premium – in deal that could reorder online ad market. Microsoft’s Ballmer: ‘Major milestone.’”

The biggest concern that I’ve been seeing after talking to some folks is how Flickr will be affected. I mean if this deal goes through, will Microsoft Totally ruin it? We all know the crazy things that Microsoft has done, but they are still popular and they are still widely used. Like Hotmail. But only time can tell.

This will also make them the second to Google in search engine shares. From the article: “Google reigns over 58.4% of the U.S. market, while Yahoo has 22.9% and Microsoft’s share is just 9.8%, according to comScore, a research firm that tracks Internet traffic.”