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The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

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Re: The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

#41

Post by nextparadigms »

drivebyacct2 wrote: post #4

Duh. Click around Google after being in Google+. Your full account loads into the interface, it's very apparent that Google+ is the "next version of Google". I assume that eventually the "+" moniker will be dropped and it will simply be "Share with your Google Circle", etc. They say they're integrating it into their products... I think it's the other way around. Look at how Gmail contacts are treated in Google+, they…

The context with Gmail is exactly what got them in trouble with Buzz. People think of e-mail as a very private tool, as opposed to a social network where things are not exactly private.

Re: The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

#42

Post by joebadmo »

michaelchisari wrote: post #32
joebadmo wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's still potentially confusing, though. Bob has no idea who is part of Group A apart from himself. He could probably check, but there's a cognitive load/uncertainty there that equals friction to every secondary action (like a comment). So there's two problems: 1. Bob might comment on Alice's post thinking he's in his own social context, which is reinforced by the fact that on Google+, he's in his own UI and Alice…

In Appleseed, you can set a Circle to be viewable by it's members, so it's similar in function to how you describe "Places".

It's the same in Google+, but you still have to consciously check. My point being that it's not really the functionality that matters per se, it's the metaphor. Having the explicit metaphor gives you an immediate understanding of how the information flows. Having an optional setting checked does not.

Re: The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

#43

Post by dolinsky »

nostromo wrote: post #37
farlington wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a brilliant strategy, and I'd be very surprised if it doesn't lead to some antitrust litigation.

I think it's difficult to make the anti-trust case against Google. Unlike Microsoft's control of the desktop, people choose to use Google everyday. It would be so very very easy to switch to Bing tomorrow (even easier than choosing not to use Facebook!) but people have chosen not to switch. Just because you have a lot of marketshare doesn't mean you are a monopoly. It's also quite easy to say that consumers will bene…

To add to this...just because you have a monopoly does not make what you've done or what you do illegal.

Re: The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

#44

Post by wikyd »

joebadmo wrote: post #16
DrHankPym wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm actually very excited about this feature. I feel like George Costanza faced with "worlds colliding" when my family, friends, and coworkers were all meeting each other on my wall. I had to give up the site because I have to keep those lives separate for my own sanity.

I was also excited about this feature (and the way it's properly exposed and integrated) until I started thinking about how sharing to a list can get complicated in deceptive ways very quickly. For example: when someone comments on something I shared, how does she know who will see that comment? I have a more thorough explanation here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2714333

G+ posts have a link in the top right corner that says: "Limited" or "Public." If you click on limited, you can see everyone who can see that post.

Re: The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

#45

Post by malbiniak »

antihero wrote: post #24
matwood wrote: post #7

This article is dead on. I already have many google apps open all day and g+ will integrate with those nicely. A friend already exclaimed this morning that the google apps integration is what will kill FB (if that's even possible - myspace still has users). He then set out to move over those he actually cared about on FB to g+. I especially like default use of groups and how it forces users to think about privacy fro…

Damn. How are these people getting invites?

If your profile included some contact information, you might find an invitation appearing in your inbox.

Re: The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

#46

Post by wikyd »

dekz wrote: post #23
jnhnum1 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think invites are tied to specific email addresses?

They are. I attempted to use the signup invite link given on a different account, it failed.

Interesting, I was definitely able to use a different account for my invite link. My original email was also tied to a Google Apps account with a custom domain. I can't seem to find the option to enable profiles in Google Apps, so I ended up registering with an old gmail account.

Re: The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

#47

Post by joebadmo »

wikyd wrote: post #44
joebadmo wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was also excited about this feature (and the way it's properly exposed and integrated) until I started thinking about how sharing to a list can get complicated in deceptive ways very quickly. For example: when someone comments on something I shared, how does she know who will see that comment? I have a more thorough explanation here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2714333

G+ posts have a link in the top right corner that says: "Limited" or "Public." If you click on limited, you can see everyone who can see that post.

Yes, but that's still a significant amount of friction for something as important as understanding what your social context is. And how many people are really going to understand that that distinction even exists?

I think the real problem is that there's no easy mental model for the way information flows through the system. That's what metaphors are for. A "Circle" is not a metaphor. It's just a brand.

Re: The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

#48

Post by drivebyacct2 »

nextparadigms wrote: post #41
drivebyacct2 wrote: post #4

Duh. Click around Google after being in Google+. Your full account loads into the interface, it's very apparent that Google+ is the "next version of Google". I assume that eventually the "+" moniker will be dropped and it will simply be "Share with your Google Circle", etc. They say they're integrating it into their products... I think it's the other way around. Look at how Gmail contacts are treated in Google+, they…

The context with Gmail is exactly what got them in trouble with Buzz. People think of e-mail as a very private tool, as opposed to a social network where things are not exactly private.

I'm pretty sure the opt-in for all Gmail users is what got them in trouble. I don't think anyone cares (despite it being awkward or weird) that the Buzz interface happens to live in Gmail. It's not like Buzz is at all related to your email. Besides, + is pretty darn privacy focused. Everything I type or enter in, even on the mobile apps, I have immediate control over its visibility.

Re: The One Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

#49

Post by drivebyacct2 »

joebadmo wrote: post #47
wikyd wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

G+ posts have a link in the top right corner that says: "Limited" or "Public." If you click on limited, you can see everyone who can see that post.

Yes, but that's still a significant amount of friction for something as important as understanding what your social context is. And how many people are really going to understand that that distinction even exists? I think the real problem is that there's no easy mental model for the way information flows through the system. That's what metaphors are for. A "Circle" is not a metaphor. It's just a brand.

The people that don't notice are the same ones spamming their friends with FarmVille invites and there's limited controls for blocking them without disavowing them entirely within Facebook. They're the people that post drunk pics to Facebook in "Everyone" albums without any consideration.

So what if they use + the same way. Ignore them, move them to a quieter circle. And for their benefit, it defaults to a more protective privacy setting than Facebook, especially for pictures.

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