Google+

[Ytrog]

Does anyone here has an Google+ account?
What do you think of it?

Mine is http://gplus.to/ytrog" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; btw

[Assaji]

Hi,

I have an account - but so far just wait for more friends to come.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/117356799870801403728/posts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Ytrog]

Added

[DNS]

Mine is http://gplus.to/ytrog" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; btw

Oh, no! Not another social network.

Okay, how did you get it to have a unique user name at the end instead of all those 1s and 0s?

[Ytrog]

http://gplus.to" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; makes short aliases for your account

[Ben]

here ya go!
https://plus.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wX#1 ... 3527/posts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
But I should warn you...
I AIN'T PRETTY!

[Mawkish1983]

I'm still trying to work out what the unique selling point of Google+ is... can a Google+ user enlighten me?

[Ben]

Hi Keith.
I imagine it will be more integrated with google's other applications and products but beyond that I don't know.
I joined this one to keep an eye on my teenage son. Facebook has been useful for me in that I've been able to make contact again with long lost friends and for my siblings and I to ignore each other on a different medium.
It will be interesting to see if Google+ is more than just a flash-in-the-pan.
kind regards

Ben

[Mawkish1983]

It will be interesting to see if Google+ is more than just a flash-in-the-pan.

Well I'm very intersted in using ICT for teaching. Social networking sites are viewed generally very negatively by the teachers I know, mainly because it is far too easy to have accusations made against you if you communicate with a student using something like Facebook. Using a school's email system means you are protected from such accusations, but the students rarely bother to check. Not sure how (or even if) Google+ could address this. If it is just another social networking site, I won't be joining. As it is, I am considering deactivating my Facebook account.

I've read a small bit about Google+ and it seems they insist on real names being used. Instantly, I'm turned off by it.

I know this post looks overly negative, but then I remember the hype that surrounded Google Wave.

(EDIT: Google Wave, in my opinion, looked much more useful that having yet another social networking site)

[Ben]

Yes, I remember google wave. How long did it last, five minutes?
The whole issue of communicating with school students via social networking software is fraught with danger.
One of the reasons my wife doesn't have a facebook page is because of that reason and because the nature of her role she tends to attract the "bunny boilers" from the parent group. We've already had a couple of instances where my son would relay something going on at home to one of his friends, who told his parents and then that information being hurled back at my wife at a meeting with one of the crazy parents. Not very nice.
And of course you also get some teachers who ignore the advice they receive and try and be best buddies with students.
kind regards

Ben

[Mawkish1983]

And of course you also get some teachers who ignore the advice they receive and try and be best buddies with students.

Wow, a dangerous game to play. The complete transparency of Google Wave made it potentially very useful for teaching (instead I use Wall Wisher now). As for Google+... hmmm... time will tell. The more I look into it, the more I wonder what the point is.

The only reason I still have a Facebook account is that it's the only way I can keep in contact with some of my distant friends. At least that is what I tell myself.

[Ben]

Its the same reason I keep a facebook acct, Keith! It came in quite useful when I got in contact with a number of people who I hadn't seen in about 30 years!
I think it makes up for the times when I think its just a complete waste of time and encourages relatively sane people to indulge in narcissism!
kind regards

Ben

[ewomack]

I received an invitation for Google+ but I haven't acted on it. Is it just a Googlefied Facebook? If so, I'm not a fan of Facebook so I likely won't jump on this one. Forums, though seemingly waning in popularity, provide a much better medium for discussing things with a wide range of people. On social networking sites I tend to only meet people that I already know (or knew).

[DNS]

http://gplus.to makes short aliases for your account

Thanks. Here's mine:

http://www.gplus.to/DhammaWiki" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mawkish1983]

encourages relatively sane people to indulge in narcissism!

Well I gave it a bit of thought and decided that there were other ways I can be in contact with my friends. My musical friends use soundcloud, my Buddhist friends use dhammawheel, my family use telephones and all other friends are so distant* that I'm not really too bothered about being in touch with them at all. So, my facebook page has been deactivated. In a month I'll make a decision about whether to permanently delete the facebook account or just keep it deactivated.

*by distant I don't necessarily mean geographically far. By distant friends I mean friends of the past who I now share nothing in common with and communicate rarely, if at all. Not even acquaintances.