Google + Like Facebook for Grownups?

So I’ve received one of the early invites to join Google+, the search behemoth’s full force foray into social media. Does it live up to the hype? Some have described it as Facebook for Grownups. Others say it’s fun but “empty” due to the current dearth of users, due in equal measures to the current invite-only membership as well as the fact that Facebook currently holds so many users who may not want to add yet another social media site to their daily roster. After my brief examination of the site and its features – because, to the emptiness point, I currently have only 4 friends – I think both assessments carry some weight. As someone who is a bit of a Facebook junkie, I can actually see myself migrating to Google+ over time – provided that more of the people I want to connect with do, as well.

So what’s worthwhile about Google+? For a start, the UI is open, elegant, and easy to navigate, making Facebook feel cluttered in comparison. Google+ allows you to add and categorize your contacts into “Circles,” the defaults being Friends, Family, Acquaintances, and Following, the latter allowing you to follow people on the service without them having to add you, much like Twitter. The Circles are meant to help a user filter posts and photos – you might want to share pix of a late night out with friends, but probably not with acquaintances who might include your boss or others you know non-socially. While Facebook allows this too via the creation of Groups, Circles is a far more intuitive solution and the drag and drop functionality that lets you add users to different circles is truly addictive.

Another feature of Google+ is Hangout, a unique video chat feature that integrates seamlessly and has Facebook on its heels – they’ve immediately announced plans to integrate Skype. Hangout is easy to use and integrates with YouTube so you and the others you invite to your Hangout can watch and comment on videos en masse.

The problem – one of two that I currently have with Google+ may seem obvious. As of right now, there’s virtually nobody to invite. With so few users currently populating Google+ all the fun I had playing around with the different features felt a little less than complete since I couldn’t appreciate them fully. Hopefully with time and the opening up of the floodgates that will become a thing of the past.

The other item that I am hoping – and anticipating – that the Google team spends more time on is more fully integrating the other Google platforms into Plus. As described here, right now there’s a lot of needless new window spawning to do something as seemingly contextual as check email. My guess is that once Plus gets past Beta some of this will be addressed. Google always has tricks up their sleeve and I’m excited to see how much more powerful Plus might become.

One thing they’re definitely working on, per an announcement on Wednesday, is a Google+ experience specifically for businesses and brands. In fact they are discouraging brands from creating profiles currently and even taking them down, although some are creating pages regardless.

Advertising is also currently nonexistent on Plus, although I expect that to change.

As Google+ continues to evolve and as more of their plans relative to marketing and advertising become clear, watch this space for updates. And in the meantime, here’s hoping you all get that coveted invite soon!