Has Google Finally Cracked Social?

Google: Introducing the Google+ project: Real-life sharing, rethought for the web

Among the most basic of human needs is the need to connect with others. With a smile, a laugh, a whisper or a cheer, we connect with others every single day. Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools. In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it. We’d like to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software. Not all relationships are created equal. So in life we share one thing with college buddies, another with parents, and almost nothing with our boss. The problem is that today’s online services turn friendship into fast food—wrapping everyone in “friend” paper—and sharing really suffers ..... we brought Circles to software. Just make a circle, add your people, and share what’s new—just like any other day ..... the web is the ultimate icebreaker. ...... Sparks delivers a feed of highly contagious content from across the Internet. On any topic you want, in over 40 languages. Simply add your interests, and you’ll always have something to watch, read and share—with just the right circle of friends ..... Whether it's inside a pub or on a front porch, human beings have always enjoyed hanging out. And why not? It's how we unwind, recharge, and spend unscheduled time with old and new friends alike. Hanging out is deceptively simple though, and the nuance gets lost online ...... With Google+ we wanted to make on-screen gatherings fun, fluid and serendipitous, so we created Hangouts. ....... a phone is the perfect sharing accessory: it's always with you, it's always online, and it's how we stay close with our closest friends ...... With Google+ you can add your location to every post. (Or not. It’s always up to you.) ...... While you're snapping pictures, and with your permission, Google+ adds your photos to a private album in the cloud. This way they're always available across your devices—ready to share as you see fit. ..... Google+ includes Huddle, a group messaging experience that lets everyone inside the circle know what's going on, right this second. ...... We’re beginning in Field Trial, so you may find some rough edges, and the project is by invitation only.