Plus me on the Googles

“The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom.” ~Jon Stewart

I spent all of yesterday on Google+ and then I’d go to Facebook   or Twitter and exclaim that Google+ is made of magic and full of double rainbows, unicorns, sprinkles and whatever other good you can conjure up in your little head. The truth is that for me, Google+ is exactly what I’ve always wanted but had no idea that it was missing. A social media platform that brings together what we love about Facebook, Twitter, Posterous and Tumblr. It brings back of the joy of having conversations on these public platforms without feeling so constrained by character limits or worrying that 5,000 people might read your words. There are of course caveats like you should always be careful when using SM platforms less you enjoy unemployment and if that’s the case then hey! Can I borrow a couple bucks from you?

Real life people have never understood why I would enjoy sharing anything with people I don’t know. For them the Internet is full of serial killers who are ready to kidnap me at a moments notice. Never mind reassurances that I am careful and that I use proper judgment. No. For them it’s a perpetual worry that today I post something on Twitter, tomorrow I get kidnapped. They’re lovely people. Really.

So without further ado, here is why I love me some Google+:

1. Circles: With a few thousand following me across Twitter and Facebook, I like being able to limit who sees what. I cannot imagine being a ‘big blogger’ and having tens of thousands following me. I..just..no. I like this for a few reasons one being that there are certain people who don’t like to see the word “motherfucker” in their stream. Google+ makes it so that if I feel like swearing, I can do so in front of a smaller group of people. I have circles for people I know from the Internet, real life friends (there are three people on that list one of which is a woman I’ve known since elementary school), Internet friends, Internet famous people (think the Pete Cashmores and Anil Dashs of the world) and then a circle of people I trust. Of course anyone in any circle can share with their circles so always be careful with what you post but I’m still able to feel a little more comfortable with how and what I share.

2. No one is on it…yet: I remember when Facebook started and it was invite only. It was just me sharing photos from college with friends from high school. Back then I didn’t mind the occasional shot of me in my bathing suit, in a hot tub, drunk off my ass to be shown on FB because no one else was there. We behaved as if no one was watching. Fast forward eleven years and everyone and my brothers are there and sharing and my nieces and my 15 year old cousin and…no…just no. Things tend to be more enjoyable before it gets too crowded. So get in on the ground floor before your grandmother puts you in her circle.

3.How I share: I posted a link to the pie throw heard around the world the other afternoon while I was watching the Murdochs at Parliament. I wasn’t able to write much about it at the time but at least with the link I could give an explanation to why I was pissed off at the situation. It wasn’t just a link and four words about what was there. I love Twitter but things can easily be taken out of context. Google+ allows me to link to things I enjoy around the Internet and then give a paragraph about why I’m a fan. I’m a prolific wordsmith. I cannot help it. Google+ lets me be as loquacious as I wanna be.

4. Let’s have a conversation: I post a link. People can then +1 the link or comment on it or they can share what I have written with their circles. I like that I can start a conversation and responses to the conversation are all right there and show up nested in my email so that I can respond. This is how I hope to have Poliogue become more of a conversation starter and not just a straight up blog with comments. This is one of my favorite features.

5. It’s always there: I usually keep Twitter open during the day as well as Flickr on occasion but I’m rarely checking Facebook. I am almost always on Google as my email is Gmail and I use Google Reader. With Google+ I can now do all of the sharing I do elsewhere in one place and it takes out the step of opening up a new browser based application to do so. Everything is one place and for the perpetually lazy, like me, that is perfect.

The first week I had trouble figuring out what to use G+ for. I didn’t want to be redundant so my breakdown of what I share and where is this: Facebook holds updates for real life people/former coworkers and the like. They also get to see blog posts in one place because they wouldn’t ordinarily see them. Twitter is still for having conversations and my trademark spouting off. There’s still sharing but I like how Twitter tests my limits of being a writer and how to get my point across in 140 characters or less. Also, I still get much of my breaking news there and I like the vibe of Twitter. But I might stop saying “fuck” so much. Maybe. Google+ I share cool links and then have a conversation about them. Poliogue posts will also be shared there because things I write there are things I want to have a conversation about (hence The Art of Political Dialogue). I will add that I’m interested in how big brands and companies will be included as right now Google is saying that they will have something “different” for them.

And there you have it. Questions? Comments? Concerns? If you’re on Google+ feel free to find me: Gplus.to/heatherbarmore