What's The Fuss Over Google+ ? - Women Communicators of Austin

By Julie Hatfield

I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but in the last year and a half I was accused numerous times of behaving like a Facebook addict. I actually have friends who are concerned about me, because they just don’t feel the need to use social media 24-7 to view endless baby photos and post witty, intriguing, comment-worthy status updates like I do.

I will attribute much of my so-called obsession to my infant son, since I’m typically at home with him, I seek adult contact with the outside world. However, I’ll admit I love to feel connected to everyone from childhood friends, to former work colleagues, to long-lost cousins.

So when I heard that Google+ was on the horizon, I was intrigued. Could I get an invitation to the “field test”? Why would I want to join Google+? Ironically, my long-lost cousin (I reconnected with her on Facebook) asked if I’d like an invitation to G+. Who am I to say no to investigating new ways to explore the web? And the fact that Google+ has added (supposedly) 10 million new accounts in two weeks is certainly sexy.

So far, there aren’t enough of my friends and family on Google+ to give a definitive answer to the question “Is Google+ better than Facebook?” I personally love Facebook, but a little competition never hurt. As for privacy, we’ll put that topic aside since both Google and Facebook have had their privacy controversies. In my opinion, if you’re a heavy social media user, you’re aware of the implicit invasion of privacy that comes along with the bells and whistles of technology.

So I looked into the “selling points” of Google +, and here are the features that appeal to me the most, courtesy of PCWorld’s Online’s “Google+ vs. Facebook” article by Jared Newman.

Circles: You have the ability to group friends and family into custom “circles” in Google+, and then share photos, links, etc. with specific circles. Your work colleagues may not want to see the same reunion photos that would make your college sorority sisters ROTFL.
Hangouts: You can “hangout” with your circles via video chat without leaving Google+, so you can watch YouTube videos or mind-numbing reality TV along with your buddies. If you desire more high-brow hangouts, you can assess the latest Book Club read with your literary circle of friends (shout-out to author Maeve Binchy).
Sparks: The “sparks” feature on Google+ serves up content based on your interests. If you’re like me and have no time to read an actual book or are too tired to watch the news, this is a nice little space to visit for news that you care about.

And that’s my short, sweet and not terribly deep take on Google+. Is it going to revolutionize the world? Not sure yet. Is it cool? It certainly has potential, but we shall see what happens in this fickle technological universe. What I do know is that I won’t be kicking my social media addiction anytime soon.

Julie Hatfield works as a Customer Development Specialist at Texas Gas Service. Julie has been a member of AWC Austin since February 2011. Connect with her on Google+ by searching for Julie Hatfield.

Photo uploaded to Flickr by Bruce Clay, Inc.