

Google+ to surpass 10M Users - ssapkota
https://plus.google.com/117388252776312694644/posts

======
w1ntermute
The crazy thing about Google+ is that _ordinary people are already actually
using it_. I have a ton of non-tech savvy friends on it already, and people
are making posts that get 5-10 replies. This isn't just "yet another social
networking site". I think Google finally managed to pull it off this time, and
if they ride the wave of positive sentiment they've gained as a result of
Android and other successful ventures as of late, they'll probably be able to
get people to trust them with their data much more than Facebook ever could.

~~~
adriand
> if they ride the wave of positive sentiment they've gained

It's interesting to consider what the impact of the goodwill many people feel
towards Google will be on Google+. With traditional commodities (e.g. cars,
detergent, etc.) companies are keen to maintain trust, a positive image, and
so on, amongst consumers.

That seems to have been less a factor in the success of companies like
Facebook, perhaps because what they offered was so new and compelling that
many people were willing to overlook trust issues, ethical and privacy lapses,
etc.

Perhaps social networks are now becoming a commodity, and as a result, these
factors may end up being much more important. It would be fascinating if
Google+'s success was less about the technology and more about how people feel
towards the company - if people say, "I can get the same experience from
product X as I can from product Y, but I trust the company that makes product
X more."

~~~
Daniel14
> "With Google+ in the open, Facebook finally needs to watch its step. ...
> Google is the only web property which can even begin to threaten Facebook’s
> supremacy. ... That’s the problem with monopolies, and the reason they’re
> illegal: if you have nowhere to go — if there isn’t an alternative service
> that you can switch to — the monopoly can simply milk you and stretch you
> without recourse. But now there’s Google+. With Big G hulking menacingly in
> Facebook’s shadow and just waiting for a misstep or mistake, Facebook needs
> to be careful. Mess up now, Zuckerberg, and Google will gladly gobble up
> droves of discontented denizens."

\- One of the main reasons I like Google+, from
[http://www.extremetech.com/computing/89628-too-many-eggs-
in-...](http://www.extremetech.com/computing/89628-too-many-eggs-in-the-
google-basket)

------
stephen_dryden
I think one of the main reasons why Google+ is doing so well is that they have
taken time to produce a really well designed user interface. Facebook's UI is
really poor in comparison. As a user, interaction should come natural and with
Google+ it does. This is highlighted by positive interaction from 'non-techy'
users. It is actually a pleasure to use. I could happily create and delete
circles all day long :)

~~~
perlpimp
there was a number of forecasts and predictions for some sort of lite
interface that was to be crossbreeding of twitter and facebook UIs, in some
shape.

This one might just be the winner. Time will tell... or maybe it will just
find a niche and rest of the world will quickly move on.

------
aaronharnly
The fact that random peoples' posts on Google+ show up as 'google.com' here
and elsewhere is not good for Google's ownership of its messaging. On the
other hand, their use of the blogspot.com domain for official news suggests
they don't care, but on the _other_ other hand, what is
'googleusercontent.com' if not a separation of what's Google's from what's
everyone elses?

~~~
Roboprog
The other, other hand? I believe the phrase you are hunting for is "on the
gripping hand" :-)

<http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/O/on-the-gripping-hand.html> (fun books, as
well)

------
perlpimp
Orkut was huge in the beginning too. I mean plus is a nice and clean interface
and I am all for people to use that all kudos to Google for doing it.

There was Facebook Lite that somewhat resembled this (imo) . Maybe google has
gotten the 'lite' ingredients just right. Because if they didn't - you know
how _light_ mayonnaise tastes like ;-)

+

------
Flenser
Direct link to post:
[https://plus.google.com/117388252776312694644/posts/bGJPTALD...](https://plus.google.com/117388252776312694644/posts/bGJPTALDkDe)

(There's a menu in the top right of posts (under an icon that looks like a
circle with an down arrow) that has a "Link to this post" option. Saves having
to click the "Expand this post »" link.)

------
meowzero
How many are actual users? About 50% of my friends in Google+ have no info,
posts, pictures, etc., up. They're on Google+ because they got an invite and
that's it. What's the use of having that many users if half of them don't use
it?

~~~
tonfa
Now that they have a profile, if they are loggued in there google account, as
soon as some people in their social circle starts using it, the cost of
interacting will be very low (because of the g+ toolbar).

------
Qz
I was having a conversation with my non tech-savvy roommate last night about
G+, and one of the things we noticed was that the name itself is just
completely uncompelling. What does G+ mean? What does it imply? We concluded
it would be a great name for a new calculator.

Facebook at least has the tangential meaning originating from printed college
'facebooks' which a substantial portion of the (American) population is
familiar with.

~~~
nek4life
I had no clue what a printed facebook was until recently. I went to a
community college that didn't have one of these and have never actually seen a
real one. I'd be willing to be that the substantial portion of Americans which
you speak of is actually the minority when it comes to knowing about the
etymology of the word facebook.

On the other hand Google+ sounds like a better version of Google. Which I feel
is more in line with their vision than merely an attempt at a Facebook killer.

------
ajays
This is funny, because I haven't received an invite yet (and I'm a longtime
GMail user). A couple of my friends have G+, but never use it. They created
profiles with great excitement, but in a couple of days it petered away.

Until I can try it out it's hard to believe all these numbers. Only time will
tell, I guess; but one should be wary of the people who chase the next shiny
thing, for they are fickle indeed.

------
cappaert
Searching the Google Plus about pages returns about 8.88M users currently:

[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=653&...](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=653&q=inurl%3Aplus.google.com%2F*about+site%3Aplus.google.com&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=)

------
swah
Anyone else felt unclear about whose Friends are seeing some comment?

~~~
smithian
Yes, but I feel the same way about Facebook. You don't see everything that
your friends post, and they don't see everything you post once you get above a
few dozen friends. At least G+ is allowing you to teach it what your friend
lists are and use that information to target your posts to relevant interest
groups.

------
UofFree
Google+ > Twitter > Facebook > MySpace > Friendster

~~~
hammock
Is that an ordering of chronology or personal preference? Could be either.

------
nrbafna
this seems to give an indication.

[https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=inurl%3Aplus.google.co...](https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=inurl%3Aplus.google.com%2F*about+site%3Aplus.google.com)

------
nextparadigms
Not bad for first 2 weeks. If the growth rate continues, it should get 100
million users by the end of the year, or maybe in just a few short months.

~~~
netrus
Yep, If that growth rate continues, they should have 100 billion users in the
end of 2012. Oh, wait ...

~~~
stephen_dryden
Come 2012... "Google responsible for sharp increase in population"...

------
UofFree
Mark Zuckerburg has joined Google+:
<https://plus.google.com/104560124403688998123/posts>

