Google+ (pronounced and sometimes written as Google Plus, sometimes abbreviated as G+) is a social networking and identity service,[1][2] operated by Google Inc.
Features
- "Circles" enables users to organize contacts into groups for sharing[28] across various Google products and services. Although other users can view a list of people in a user's collection of circles, they cannot view the names of those circles. The privacy settings also allow users to hide the users in their circles as well as who have them in their circle. Organization is done through a drag-and-drop interface. This system replaces the typical friends list function used by sites such as Facebook. Since September 26, 2011 users can share circles; it's a one-time share, so if the creator of the circle updates the members, people's shared copies won't be updated.[29][30]
- "Hangouts"
are places used to facilitate group video chat (with a maximum of 10
people participating in a single Hangout at any point in time). However,
anyone on the web could potentially join the "Hangout" if they happen
to possess the unique URL of the Hangout.[28]
On August 18, 2011 Google added a new addition to "Hangouts" - clicking
on the Share button under any YouTube video reveals an icon that
suggests watching the video with friends in a Google+ hangout.[31]
- Mobile Hangouts currently supports Android 2.3+ devices with front-facing cameras (and iOS support is coming soon) are available since September 20, 2011.
- Hangouts On-Air gives users the ability to create instant webcasts over Google+. The broadcasts can also be recorded for later retrieval. This feature, announced on September 20, 2011, is at the moment limited to some videocast personalities, but the announcement indicates that it will be opened up. The first publicly broadcasted Hangout was with The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am on the night of September 21, 2011.[32]
- Hangouts with Extras, currently in a preview state, will allow users to share documents, share a scratchpad and share their screens with other users.[33]
- "Messenger" (formerly: Huddle) is a feature available to Android, iPhone, and SMS devices for communicating through instant messaging within circles. Additionally, you can now share photos in Messenger between your circles.[28]
- "Instant Upload" is specific to Android mobile devices; it stores photos or videos in a private album for sharing later.[28]
- "Sparks" is a front-end to Google Search, enabling users to identify topics they might be interested in sharing with others. "Featured interests" sparks are also available, based on topics others globally are finding interesting.[28] Sparks helps to keep users informed of the latest updates on the topics of their interest.
- In the "Stream," users see updates from those in their circles. The input box allows users to enter a status update or use icons to upload and share photos and videos. The Stream can be filtered to show only posts from specific Circles.
- "Games" (Social Gaming) had 16 games when launched on August 11, 2011.[34] Unlike Facebook games, Google+ games are located under a games tab which gives games less visibility,[35] with notifications that are separate from the rest of a user's notifications.[35]
- Google+ has a "+1 button" to allow people to recommend sites and parts of sites similar in use to Facebook's Like button.[36]
- Google recently announced that since introducing this +1 button, it is now being served more than 5 billion times per day.[37]
- Similar to other Google applications, Google+ provides integration with other Google applications like Gmail, Calendar, Documents, etc.[citation needed]
- A "Data Liberation" option provides the ability to download one's content from Google+.[38]
- "Search in Google+" allows users to search for content within Google+. Users type what they're looking for into the Google+ search box, and Google will return relevant people and posts, as well as popular content from around the web.[39]
- Hashtags, which involve the appending a number sign to the beginning of a word or CamelCase, are hyperlinked to the most recent or highest-trending search results within Google+ containing the word, CamelCase term or the sequential normal-case lettering of the multiple words. This, a feature which gained notoriety as a microblogging practice on Twitter, was implemented as a Google+ feature on October 12, 2011.
- "New Features for Google+ Mobile"
Since the launch of Google+, Google has been adding and improving many
features. On September 30, 2011, the company released a list of changes
and additions to Google+ mobile which include:[40]
- Improved SMS support so that users in the US and India can now post to Google+, receive notifications, and respond to group messages via SMS. They have also made it easier to +mention someone from a mobile device. Now, to +mention another user, simply +[their name] inside a post or comment. In order to +1 comments more easily, users are now able to +1 it directly from your iOS device. They will introduce this features to Android soon.
- Users are now able to edit their profile photos from a mobile device.
- Google has now made it simple to organize Google+ notifications from a mobile device. This feature allows users to select which notifications are important to them and which are not so that their mobile devices are not inundated with superfluous notifications.
