Google Plus — First Impressions

Hey Gadget Core readers,

Will got into Google Plus and he was kind enough to invite me in. I’ve been trying it out and I am going to be sharing some quick (and I mean quick) first impressions of Google Plus.

• Firstly, it’s so simple. In a similar vein to Facebook, sharing is easy, photos, videos, links, places and almost anything is available to share with others at the click of an icon.

• Adding people to your “Circles” is an addictive process, dragging and dropping on the fly. It’s almost… fun. The design of the site is elegant, simple yet enough to not get boring.

• The site is quick and responsive and as far as I am concerned, there’s no lag.

• Sparks are a fun and interesting way to share your interest (just like “like” pages on facebook)

• Finding people through the search bar was a pain at first (for example, you cannot type Will if the person’s name on Google + is William)… But I am sure this will improve.

• The notifications style system is not in your way, in the top corner, but it gives you plenty of info when you open it.

• Adding photos and +1 -ing things is a breeze.

Overall, I think Google + is very neat, and a potential big competitor to Facebook (given people can be bothered with change)… I’d happily switch over to this, but I think if too many do (let’s say… 750 million?) then the experience could risk being watered down.

Thanks and keep your eyes peeled for the public release of Google Plus.