Google+ gets a redesign

I reading the comments here it seems like a lot of people don't use a basic G+ technique: don't view All Circles at once unless you really want to spend a while (like 5 or 10 minutes) browsing everyone you follow.

For example, I have circles for Java, Clojure, AI, Ruby, Semantic Web, etc., etc., and near the top of the screen I'll switch from All Circles to just AI, for example.

Also: the red notification number in the upper right corner: I usually ignore this and look at them all just once a day.

I don't treat G+ as stuff that I have to read. If I read useful and/or fun information that is fine, but I don't get concerned about missing something.

I think you can click on a circle you're not interested in hearing from (they're listed on the right-hand side in the current/old UI) and there will be a slider at the top of the stream from that circle that will allow you to completely mute that circle.

Then I guess you can add your own "topic alerts" by simply doing a search for haskell, lisp, scheme or whatever at the top and then click "Save this Search" to permanently add it below the "What's hot" button on the right (I don't think there's a way to limit that search to one of your circled though... maybe there is I'm not sure).

EDIT: You can limit a search to all your circles, but not to individual circles. Then again it is unlikely that your "Gardening" circle will have much to say about #haskell.

To me, G+ is a good effort from Google. They've made a concerted attempt to add a social layer on top of the core Google products that have a unique take on social functionality and some manner of utility for users.

The problem comes down to engineering however - or more precisely, engineers.

I have always gotten the sense that G+ is a social network for "nerds". In this context, "nerds" refers to people that (like me) are:

1. More technically inclined than the average person 2. Willing to invest more time and effort into their social circles 3. Capable of grasping more abstract social concepts 4. Have an attention span longer than a gnat

While this is a very nice social network, G+ features are not designed for the instant grasp that Facebook has perfected. I think that FB's strategy of catering to the lowest common denominator - literally - in an elegant and usable way is what continues to cement their dominance over the space.

This latest redesign seems to be still very technically oriented, despite the pretty icons. The entire concept of reordering things is quite literally bunk when you get down to the average joe.

When are you going to reorder your icons on the left? What utility does it provide? As a regular user, you want something but the entire concept of moving stuff around on the screen isn't your priority. It is parsley on a dish, not the main course. Each G+ design feature I've seen so far continues to be just little bits of garnish, providing little in the way of truly useful functionality that makes the overall experience as a whole better in some way.

Of course, nothing is guaranteed in business and most certainly no one will be king of the hill forever. The world changes after all, and the generation that is being born now will utilize social media in a way we can barely imagine. However, that still doesn't change the fact that G+ as a whole seems to be an effort to make a social network for Googlers, not the world. We as HN readers should not gauge G+ by what we see through our own experience - we should gauge it by what our non-technical friends, family and random-acquaintances do, and that is how I'm gauging this design change right now (go FaceTime!).

> it is probably going to require some competitor finding a good way to help someone move their social life (i.e. photos and friends) trivially

I wouldn't be surprised if the EU would introduce laws for that at one point. Also, it would be cool if a social news site could parse the ZIP dump of your data you can request from FB.

Still, way too much screen real estate reserved for the "static" fixed header bar. And now G+ has added a "static" fixed vertical frame too.

I thought the web reading public already expressed their disfavor of frames.