GooglePlus/Google+ Social Network Site

Google entered the social networking marketplace with their new Google+ (Google Plus) social network site in 2011.

Like Facebook, Google+ is gave their users the ability to Add Friends and "Like" websites - but they were doing it better than Facebook as you were allowed to add people to Groups of friends that you have.

With the Google+ social networking site, if you "Like" a site, you can decide who gets to hear about it. With Facebook, if you "Like" a website you're never sure who in your contacts list gets to know - and this could turn out to be embarrassing if you got it wrong and your boss suddenly found that you "Liked" the "Sack your boss" website. :)

At the moment you have to wait to be invited to join Google+, you cannot just create an account, you have to have an invite.

Some people who have invites to give away are actually selling Google+ invites on ebay for sums of $75 or more - although it is possible to also buy a Google+ invite for under $1. Google+ has closed its door to new members a lot of times in these early days as they are inundated, with over 100,000 people rushing to create a Google+ account.

Google are now requesting that businesses and non-profit organisations don't try to create a Google+ account right now. Google+ is HUGEly popular!

Across the Internet you'll start to notice a new Google+ Like Button - or PlusOne as it's called. Alongside the usual Facebook and other social networking and bookmarking buttons you'll see a new small blue +1 button - and if you're logged into your Google account you can click on that and let your friends know (on a groups basis) that you liked it.

Google's new Google+ social networking site works based on your circles of friends. When you like a site, or add somebody, you're asked which circle of friends to add people and sites to. You can have as many circles of friends as you want and name them how you want - and it's all private and you know what's going on.

Perhaps you'll start with just three groups: Family, real friends, workmates. But over time you might add in circles of friends related to your clubs or interests. Now when you "Like" or "PlusOne" the Sack your Boss website, only your chosen friends will know - not your boss or work colleagues!

For many, me included, the whole problem with Facebook is not understanding what's going on when you add somebody or like a website. You're not 100% sure who just saw that. The privacy was a joke most of the time.

People have been sacked over what they put on Facebook as their boss and work colleagues saw and read it - and other people have not been selected for jobs as bosses searched the Internet for their Facebook pages and similar.

Google's new social networking system will give you more control and more understanding of what you're doing when you add people and sites to your profile. Finally YOU will be making decisions and choices and not blindly hoping you're sharing the right information.

Google+ Privacy

Google's privacy - and allowing YOU to choose who sees what and how you share websites you vote for and like will be key to their success in my opinion. Facebook privacy was a big failure, losing them marketshare and confidence.

But is there room for another social network site? Facebook is now losing members, the tide has turned - and those people might just be excited by the new Google+ social network site instead. I know I am!

Would You Vote for Google Plus?

What do you think? Is a Google social network site a good or a bad thing? I've never been a fan of Facebook because I couldn't group my friends into separate areas - so for me it's perfect and I'm joining it. What about you?

Why not vote in my simple poll - and let me know how you feel about the new Google+ social network site by leaving a comment below.

Google+ and Search Engine Results

It's inevitable that Google will start to use people's "likes" as an indicator of good sites to return in their search engine algorithm. The sites you might see in the future are the most liked - so therefore the most popular. Although this in isolation would, in my opinion, give the wrong search results as the most popular sites aren't always the right sites when we're searching for information. What we "like" tends to be a different bunch of websites to what we need when we are doing a serious search to solve real problems. But a site's popularity will probably get pulled into the overall mix over the coming years.

Google+ and Online Marketing

This great new way of social networking can really turn up the heat if you're an internet marketer - if you've always wished you could separate your Make Money Online efforts from your serious dayjob and disbelieving family, then Google+ social network site enables you to do this easily. Finally you can work seamlessly online, beavering away at your Internet empire without "bothering" your family and friends! Brilliant.