[tweetmeme]Have you seen a new black menu bar at the top of Google? It’s apparently part of a new social project the search engine is launching called Google+. The project is still in the testing phase and only a handful of people have been able to take it for a test-drive, but it’s clearly designed as a direct response to Facebook. Google+ will have sections for profile information, photos, videos and the equivalent of the Facebook wall, known as the “Stream.”
One feature of Google+ is known as Circles, where you can drag and drop your friends and family into different lists, like on Facebook or Twitter.
Another feature, called Hangouts, enables you to start a video chat with up to 10 people, as well as traditional instant messaging.
It will be interesting to see if this project is more successful than Google Buzz. If Google can handle the privacy issues better than Facebook, it could give the social networking giant a run for its money. I’ve put in a request to try it myself. If you’d like to do the same, click here to request an invitation, view a Google+ demo here or watch the video below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwnJ5Bl4kLI]
OK, now I am really confused.
I have never subscribed to Google+ but I can press buttons and “+1” vote having public Google (Gmail?) profile.
Has Google+ replaced Buzz?
Because just today I buzzed on some webpages,
for example,
http://community.joomla.org/blogs/community/1339-jed-enhanced-approval-process.html
And I’ve never subscribed to Buzz either.
And what is the difference between pressing “+1”, that I see with all google search results (and most blog posts) when I am signed in to my GMail account vs. pressing Buzz button (that I do not see with Google search results but still see in some blog posts, forum posts and web pages?)?
When I pressed Buzz button today, it had offered to post it to may Google/GMail account profile while “+1” does not offer me to do so.
Why and how is it split between GooglePlus and Google Buzz?