Google Plus

Google+ (pronounced and sometimes written as Google Plus, sometimes abbreviated as G+) is a social networking and identity service, operated by Google Inc.

The service was launched as an invitation-only “field test”. Early invites were soon suspended due to an “insane demand” for new accounts. On September 20, 2011, Google+ was opened to everyone 18 years of age or older without the need for an invitation. It was opened for a younger age group (13+ years old in US and most countries, 14+ in South Korea and Spain, 16+ in Netherlands) on January 26, 2012.

Google+ integrates social services such as Google Profiles, and introduces new services identified as Circles, Hangouts and Sparks.Google+ is available as a website and on mobile devices. Sources such as The New York Times have declared it Google’s biggest attempt to rival the social network Facebook,[which has over 800 million users. Google+ is considered the company's fourth foray into social networking, following Google Buzz (launched 2010, retired in 2011), Google Friend Connect (launched 2008, to be retired by March 2012) and orkut (launched in 2004, now operated entirely by subsidiary Google Brazil).

Google+ real life sharing, rethought for the web Google

In November 2011, Google+ was integrated into the account creation process for other Google services, such as Google Mail. According to independent analysis of its growth in December 2011, the site was adding an estimated number of 625,000 new users a day, which may total 400 million members by the end of 2012. The site’s popularity accelerated in December 2011, with almost a quarter of its total user base joining in December alone, said Paul B. Allen, the founder of Ancestry.com, who tracks the numbers as the “unofficial statistician” for Google+. However, on February 28, 2012 Todd Wasserman from Mashable reported Google+ users are only spending 3.3 minutes monthly on Google+ which is a downward trend from 4.8 minutes in December and 5.1 minutes in November compared to Facebook users currently spending 7.5 hours using Facebook monthly.

Google Plus One (+1): The Future of Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is nothing new, but many people have no idea what it is or how it works. Social bookmarking is a way for Internet users to bookmark their favorite sites and submit reviews about them. These bookmarks can be accessed from any Internet enabled computer and shared with friends. Google’s new plus one feature is a great blend of social bookmarking and social networking.

What is Plus One?

The Google plus one button is very similar to the Facebook like button. The button allows you to vote for a particular website, search result, or web page. The pages you have plus oned can be shared with your friends. The search results page is influenced by the results of your friends. If a result from your friend shows in the search results page, a note will appear below the result saying who plus oned it.

How do I use it?

To use Google Plus One, you need to have a Google account. Once you have an account, use Google search, and you will see a +1 button next to each result. If there is a result you like or found useful, click on the +1 button. In your account, you have the ability to manage and remove any results. In the near future, Google is planning to expand the plus one button to web pages to allow others to bookmark your site or pages. Beyond this, I’m sure Google has some good plans to further implement the plus one button with more social networking.

Google Plus One (+1): The Future of Social Bookmarking

http://www.webmastersessions.com/google-plus-one-1-the-future-of-social-bookmarking

Google+: There’s more to explore