The Google/Facebook rivalry continues!
Google+, their social networking tool, is now in invite-only beta testing. Apparently if you really want one you can buy an invite on eBay for $20. The reviews I’ve read so far are very favorable, especially when it comes to use for women.
There’s some great commentary by Virginia DeBolt on BlogHer, Bloggers react to Google Plus. Make sure you check out the video tour by Adria from But You’re a Girl.
The most interesting feature seems to be Circles, where you can group friends together, allowing you to decide exactly what you share with which friends. So no more blasting to work colleagues that your child successfully sat on the potty and was successful. The drag and drop features look really cool too.
Lisa Stone from BlogHer thinks they new way to compartmentalise your friends will be especially helpful to women with their varied roles. This is what she said:
“Yes, men are and will use the heck out of this thing, but just wait until more women get ahold of this virtual list-maker and roving-conversational-party-maker. This tool renders my life in the only way I’ve ever managed to survive working motherhood — to avoid longing for home when I’m at work, or to avoid longing for work when I’m at home — by helping me manage my conversational responsibilities in a way that makes me feel responsive, organized and good about it.” (Lisa Stone, BlogHer)
With this launch, Google has addressed my biggest pet peeve about Facebook: sharing audiences. I simply solved this by keeping my blog page and my personal page separate.
Not sure I have the time to start the whole building up friends thing again on Google. But maybe I have to?
So what do you think ladies, do you want to see what Google+ has to offer, or are you a die-hard Facebook fan?
At the moment, Google is just testing with a small group of people, but they say it won’t be long before they are ready to add more.
Sign up here with your email if you want to be notified when they are ready to add more.
-Susanna (A Modern Mother)
Deb at aspieinthefamily.com
Saturday 9th of July 2011
Never got to grips with FB so I think I will try Google plus when I get an invite.
Zoe
Saturday 9th of July 2011
I haven't got much of a presence on FB so am going to give Google+ a try as soon as I get an invite. Circles thing certainly appeals to me, and I got annoyed by FB's recent change of automatically identifying you in other people's photos.