back to article Google+ opened to world+dog

Google has allowed world+dog onto Google+, its latest attempt to turn itself into Facebook. Mountain View launched a "Google+ field trial" in late June, letting users join by invitation only. But after making "99" different improvements to the social networking service, the company has announced that anyone can now sign up …

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  1. Neh

    Still not available for Google Apps users - which sucks.

    1. a33a
      FAIL

      4 MONTHS

      Its been 4 months since they promised that feature. I've given up waiting.

    2. BatCat
      Facepalm

      Imagine my delight...

      ... when I was logged on to my google apps account, went to the search page and saw the you+ and arrow inviting me to join up. Then my disappointment when having clicked the you+ I got the same apps user apology page I've been seeing for months.

      Oh well....

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmm, bit late?

    Pretty much anyone who uses teh interweb on a frequent basis already got in and got their mates in ... erm, and then .. well, not much really.

    My google+ account is mostly silent - 30 or 40 contacts, nobody posting anything - and the only posts that were there, were pretty much just an alternate version of tweets etc.

    Guess google is going the slow burn route, which I suppose they can more than afford to do.

    However, something tells me Google+ is going to be another Buzz - is there really enough space in the market for another social network like facebook ?

    Time will tell. I initially hoped it would be more of a thinking persons facebook, but it's pretty much a non-starter right now - comments from a few of the people in my circles "this place is dead"

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Don't get me started on my rant about twitter haters!

        It's how you use it that counts, so although there'll be a *massive* amount of vapid 'I'm at xyz doing xyz right now', there's plenty of quirky, funny, useful tweets - you just need to find the diamonds in the muck.

        To dismiss twitter in it's entirety as being 'vapid' is missing the point. You may as well say the entire www is 'vapid', based on the fact that 95% of websites on it are shit.

  3. Big O

    I was curious, but I've lost interest in the time its taken to introduce this 'feature'!

  4. Andrew Jones 2

    for Android users....

    For Android users having a social network that actually works on their phone AND gets realtime (most of the time) notifications is a big win for Google.

    Facebook have updated their app countless times for Android but they seem incapable of making the most basic part of the app work - we get NO notifications at all - not even polled notifications. Nada.

    (oh except Messages - which aren't really messages, event invites and friend requests)

    1. Paul Shirley

      The FB app was notorious for quickly draining batteries and a background service that wasn't keen on being stopped, whether you wanted it or not.

      Sure you want to encourage these inept clowns to try harder at having the app running permanently?

      Even Google can't always get this right, the maps apps background service also has a history as a battery destroyer for example, and also can't be stopped in many versions of the app even if you never start the maps app! I'd bet on FB deliberately trying to run the damn app behind users backs.

      1. Steve Evans

        The latest FB app on Android powers up the GPS to get a location lock the moment you start the app, which really annoys me!

        I very very very rarely ever use the location feature, and if I did I would be willing to wait for it to get a lock. I don't appreciate the app trying to get a lock (and doing who-knows-what with the info) and clobbering my battery when all I wanted was to read a message.

        A couple of times the GPS has remained active even after I've exited the app, and killed any facebook related processes and services. I had to "turn it off and on again"

    2. Matt Piechota

      "For Android users having a social network that actually works on their phone AND gets realtime (most of the time) notifications is a big win for Google."

      That's pretty interesting. On my phone (US Verizon Droid Classic, I think that's the Milestone in .eu), after installing the Plus app I noticed all my Google stuff suddenly had delays getting to my phone. I mostly noticed it on Gmail and Gtalk, where it would take between 1 and 20 minutes for stuff to show up. After I uninstalled, everything seems to have gone back to normal.

      Haven't had time to go back and retest to see if I can replicate the behavior.

  5. clanger9
    Stop

    Don't do it!!

    Be warned: as soon as you create your profile, [whatever you enter as] your real name is plastered publicly all over any other Google services you may use (YouTube, Picasa, Maps, Like this, Reader, Blogger, Docs, Groups, etc, etc.). Which means your real name starts popping up all over the Google search results.

    The may (or may not) be what you want to happen. Regardless, you have no choice.

    Only solution is to delete you public profile and wait a few days for Google to purge your name from the search results...

    1. Kamal Hashmi
      Stop

      Optional

      Y'know why don't you have two accounts? One for your nefarious activities, online stalking, flaming etc; and one with your real name for your friends and family....

      I have one of the latter (and one more for business use).

      I may need one of the first kind when I turn into a grumpy old git in a few years (every time I think I already am one, I just read a few pages of comments on TheRegister and I realise I'm still relatively a cheerful positive bloke).

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Just created one. I'll see how long it takes them to disable or nuke my account. I am using a bogus, but somewhat plausible name on my profile.

    1. frank ly

      Just call yourelf Noel

      see title

  7. dajuk

    Still missing key parts

    I'm surprised they have opened this up without support for Brands, or Google Apps for Domains users.

    I wonder if they rushed it out just ahead of the FaceBook conference on Thursday!

    http://www.theonlycog.com/post/google-opens-the-doors-at-100/

  8. fidodogbreath
    FAIL

    Google profile URL exposes your Gmail address

    The default URL of a Google profile contains your Google ID...which is also the left part of your Gmail address. So unless you choose the option to use a random 15-digit number for you profile URL, you will expose your Gmail address to world+dog.

  9. atomic jam
    Pirate

    Just signed up

    Oh, its got sudoku! All right back on topic, Google'n my name now...theres quite a few...apparently, a few hundred years ago I had a disliking to the native Americans! Oh dear!

    Skull and Swords, Because Monday was "International Talk Like a Pirate Day"!

  10. nyelvmark
    Happy

    Finally!

    I've been waiting for months for somebody to invite me to Google+. Now Google themselves are doing it.

    So at last I can say "No thank you".

  11. Jolyon Smith
    Happy

    Horses for Courses...

    Someone mentioned that they have very little activity in their Google+ sphere... I can say the same. My Google+ stream spews forth only about 10% of the content that my FaceBook wall has.

    But here's the difference... 98% of the FaceBook stuff is drivel. Absolute and utter toss that I have no interest in.

    My Google+ stream on the other hand is exactly the opposite.

    Partly this will be because in Google+ I have deliberately sought out professional colleagues, associates, acquaintances to put in my circles precisely to avoid polluting it with the inane witterings of my distant cousins, long lost school friends etc etc ad nauseum.

    This is perhaps even more surprising given that I have more people in my Google+ Circles than I do "Friends" FaceBook (over 100 in each case, but still Google+ wins on that particular metric by quite a margin).

    I am also more active on Google+... I tend to (mostly) post stuff related to my work (software development)... stuff that isn't really relevant to FaceBook but which is relevant to my circles. But at the same time, I have discovered other shared interests with people on Google+ that I was otherwise unaware of. In that way, I think Google+ is more of a social networkING service than a social network per se.

    The bottom line is, I don't see Google+ replacing FaceBook, but I do see it as a very effective service that - for me - provides something a bit different than FaceBook, although the two are similar enough that comparisons are bound to be made I don't see that it *has* to be "either/or".

    1. Rovindi
      Thumb Up

      @Joylon

      I´d have to agree about the quantity vs. quality debate. I sadly use FB to keep in touch my friends and family back in blighty. The downside is, I get innundated with spam/virus/shite from my nephew´s/niece´s FB accounts on a regular basis.

      With G+, I have a specific bunch of people that I can keep in touch with, or groups with common interests and I´m not bombarded with drivel all day, every day. These indivduals and circles span my worklife and the things I do outside of work and are very low maintenance, in terms of interacting with them. Quite the opposite of FB.

      As for the Android App, it runs like a treat and hasn´t caused me a single problem. I´d have to say that FB for Android App is a shite. Buggy/unstable and not particularly useful.

  12. Andrew Baines Silver badge
    FAIL

    8am

    And I already have my first spam invite.

    I'll give it until 5pm, then disable my account.

    I don't use google for search, happy not to use them for social networking.

  13. b166er

    nyelvmark: that's just sad really.

    Andrew Baines: that should have been on Twitter it's so 'vapid'

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Blcok the stupid arrow.

    If you are already on G+ and/or dont like the stupid blue arrow...

    AdBlock

    http://www.google.co.uk/logos/2011/gplus11-hp.gif

    Gone :)

  15. FrankAlphaXII
    Devil

    Well I hate Google+ but....

    If anyone's seen the Facebook "update", which amounts to a UI nightmare, alot of people are going to be switching. Me thinks The Chocolate Factory knew this in advance and intends to capitalize on it. I wont be using it, but I can certainly see why people will.

  16. Mark 62
    Devil

    99 changes?

    So they had 99 problems but a glitch ain't one?

  17. rvt
    Thumb Down

    beta?

    I don't understand why Google makes everything 'Beta'. If I buy a car and the sales guy say 'Sir, this is a brand new car, it's beta so it might break, but good look with it' I would never buy it.

    If I go to the spurt to buy a package of beta milk, or beta cookies, I would never buy it.

    I would never buy a beta house, and if somebody give me a beta bike, I would not ride it.

    Why does make Google everything beta, and why it seems that everybody buys beta google?

    1. sheep++;
      Coat

      Re: Beta? (@rvt)

      Absolutely bloody agree with you about Google and others using "Beta" on every product. The Google+ thing even said there was a field trial _before_ the Beta version came out! [Sorry to do this - but did cows do a field trial and then said - there's a beta one over there]

      Anyway, just release version 1 and send out tons of patches afterwards like a major USA software mangler (sorry, development company).

      Footnote - Might as well go through the whole Greek Alpha... (pun intended) ...bet. Windows will be OK because when they get to version Delta, there'll be some changes ;-)

      That was a terrible posting so I'll get both my coats.

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