Google+

When I first started using google+, I didn't know anybody else that had it. It felt like I was the only person in the world using it, but that quickly changed. Now, I have about thirty friends who are also using the site along with some family that lives out of state. That might not seem like a very large number of people, but they are all people I interact with on a regular basis.

Image created by Matthew Baranyk, 2012

I created four different circles for various groups of people. There is some overlap, so circles are not mutually exclusive. If a person is in one circle, they may very well be in another. The strong majority of my time spent using google+ (90% or more) is in hangouts. I believe that this is the best option for doing video chat with a group of people. A typical hangout summary is shown to the left. Scrolling down my profile, I see I have only made one post, commented on three posts, and been involved in 38 hangouts. That paints a pretty clear picture as to how I use google+. I really like the Hang Out option. It is a great way to keep in touch with people you meet that live far away. I generally "hang out" with people I met in California one summer who live in California, DC, Oregon, New York, Canada, England, United Arab Emirates, Australia, and Brazil among other places. It's nice to be able to see all these people at once and keep in touch despite the distance.

As far as this article is concerned (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389102,00.asp), I don't think the results of the poll are an accurate indicator of people leaving facebook for google+. The poll indicates a mass exodus from facebook, but that is incredibly unlikely at the moment. Google+ needs to attract more people and really find an identity. I personally choose to use both. Facebook is better for sending messages back and forth and interacting with people in an organized manner while google+ is better for video chatting with groups of people. Facebook has a big advantage over google+ right now, but if google+ can make some changes, it might be a threat. I will continue using both for different purposes in the foreseeable future.