Google+ seems like a "reaction" to Twitter/Facebook. But are you starting to see the ways that Google+ just makes Google a better, more integrated set of services? Google already has top-notch products in key categories--photos, videos, office productivity, blogs, Chrome, Android, maps and (duh) search. Can you start to see/imagine what Google+ does for Gmail? Picassa? Youtube? Not to mention search? The +1 system that Google now has control of (unlike Facebook Likes) can really influence and change the nature of their search.

My original vision for MS was that everything got better when it was social--so I tried to build all the super popular things used on the web (blogs, music, classifieds, events, photos) on top of MySpace's social layer. When Yahoo launched 360, MSN launched Spaces, and Google launched Okrut, I was shakin in my boots. But quickly I saw that it's really hard to layer in social to features after the fact. At MySpace we had the luxury of having social first, and building the products on top of that layer. Then I choked and Facebook realized that vision. ;-)

But Google+ really seems to be primed to make good on that original premise--that everything gets better when its social. And unlike FB, Twitter, or anyone else, Google already has the most advanced set of products. And if I can clearly see where this is headed, then I think what we are getting is a much better Google. Does that kill FB/Twitter? Who cares? I'd use all 3, but more importantly, I'll be using Google products I never used, or use them in new, better ways I never used them before.

Oh yah and I love my Google TV

Any guesses as to who is the most popular person on Google(PLUS), the company's new social networking service? Ashton Kutcher , perhaps? Or Lady Gaga?

Actually, that title is currently held by Mark Zuckerberg , the founder and chief executive of Facebook - the very service that Google(PLUS) was meant to challenge.

As of Tuesday evening, Zuckerberg had nearly 35,000 people following his updates on the service, more than anyone else in a broad survey of Google(PLUS) profiles by Social Statistics, an outside service. His fan base exceeds that of Larry Page , one of the founders of Google and its recently appointed chief executive, who had only 24,000 people following him.

Is Google’s Hangouts Its Killer App?
By JENNA WORTHAM

Last night a chatroom changed my life.

But it wasn’t just any chatroom. It was a virtual “hangout,” the group video chat service that is a prominent feature of Google+, Google’s new social-networking service that aims to challenge Facebook..


DIGITAL DIARY
One woman’s look at technology and life.
Shortly before bed, I lingered online, checking my various social networking sites when I noticed several friends were in a video chat session on Google+. I put on some pants and clicked my way into the room with six other people….and didn’t leave until nearly 3 in the morning. We spent several hours cracking jokes, making fun of each other’s snacks and welcoming other friends who noticed our group online and dropped in to say hello. At one point, we found YouTube videos with lyrics and turned the chat into an impromptu karaoke room. A few of our other friends dropped into say hello before making their way offline and heading to bed. One friend, Lindsey, said she’s been hanging out with different groups of friends since 10PM and later told me she didn’t sign off until close to 5 in the morning.

It might be easy to chalk up our giddy excitement to the novelty of the service. But it was a fun, synchronous hangout time on the Internet not quite like anything I’ve ever experienced online. It’s the same thing that makes Turntable.fm, a new music service that lets people play songs to each other in a chatroom, so entertaining. Both services let us do what we’re already doing, most of the time (spending time in front of our computers, and online), and giving us fun, group activities to do while we’re there.

Part of the appeal of Google’s service, I think, is that most of us are already loitering online and are likely already logged into Gmail, making it easy to jump into a room and “hangout.” There’s no awkward preamble of texting to figure out whether or not someone is free to Skype or use FaceTime. You can just start a hangout and see who joins the room or see who in your network is already in a group video chat session and join in.

The other, larger part, is how well the technology works. The service effortlessly switches back and forth between the person who is chatting, cleverly skipping your own camera, so you avoid awkwardly staring into your own face on your laptop screen. In addition, allowing people to watch videos and share GIFs offers enough activity to keep things lively when there’s a lull in conversation. Given that, its not shocking that there are rumors flying today that Google is interested in buying Hulu; it’d be easy to see cozying up for a night and a handful of friends for a 30 Rock marathon or to settle in with a movie.

GigaOm, a technology blog, dove deep into the technology behind the service, which includes cloud-based architecture and a close-knit browser integration, keeping out the stuttery lags that tend to be a buzzkill for other video messaging services.

I’m curious to see what happens as more people gain access to Google+ and whether hangouts will be as fun and frequent, or whether the novelty will fade. The scene is only likely to get more interesting as Facebook may be eager to introduce its own videochatting services, as TechCrunch is reporting.

Google+ to require that profiles be visible to all, will boot private profiles after July 31st
BY ZACH HONIG
POSTEDJUL 6TH 2011 04:36AM

Don't want anyone searching for you on Google+? No problem! Just leave your profile marked as private and Google will punt your page from the cloud after July 31st. If you still want your profile around come August, you'll need to mark it as public before that deadline. You can still keep most of your personal details under lock and key, limiting access to specific elements to yourself, your Circles, extended Circles, or anyone on the web -- Google does require that your full name and gender be available to everyone, however. Want your social network profile to be forever visible to you and you alone? MySpace is still around. For a little while longer, at least.

Hey Google+ folks!

As I bet you've noticed, we are facing pretty incredible demand for Google+ invites.

As Engineering Director of Google+, I wanted to take a moment to explain why we're growing the system slowly. First, we want to make sure our infrastructure scales so the service remains fast and reliable. Second, we want to ensure that bugs are fixed while there are still a relatively few people in the field trial.

Things are going well with the systems right now so we feel comfortable enough to open up invites for a brief period. Our goal is to double the user base in the field trial. (Sorry, we're not giving details about how many folks are in the field trial yet).

So, in a few minutes, we'll open up invites again.

We continue to throttle invites, so please don't mass invite folks as it won't work. If you invite a handful of your most important friends and family you're much more likely to get these folks into our system.

Thanks again for providing so much wonderful feedback!