Move over Facebook, Google is taking on social networking with Google+, a new service aimed toward reshaping the way people interact and share information online.
According to Google, current social networking services don't provide users with a large enough degree of control when sharing status updates, links, and media, but Google+ will streamline selective sharing with features like Circles.
Circles lets you effortlessly organize groups of friends, family members, and associates, allowing the option to have selected information shared only within the group. Landing a date with a hot lady you met at the bar might be something you want your close buddies to know, but is something you may want to keep away from your grandparents or your boss.
To complement Circles, the Google+ project also features Sparks, a tool to share interests, and Hangouts, a way to quickly jump into group video chats with people in your circles. The group video chat feature is particularly enticing, since there are only a few quality alternatives that don't charge a premium.
As the company behind Android, Google+ unsurprisingly exists on the mobile front as well. Location based sharing, instant cloud uploads, and Huddle, a feature that enables you to quickly send messages to people in a circle to keep them up to date on your whereabouts and activities, are all present in Google+.
Google+ is available now from the Android Market, but you'll need access to the beta to make any use of it for the time being. If you're as intrigued about the service as I am, you can sign up to know when you can start making circles of your own.
via http://gear.ign.com/articles/117/1179514p1.html
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