Google's latest foray into the waters of social media will be a network-building tool called Google+, which will seek to control information better than other social networks.
Parsing the world of sharing into easier-to-digest pieces, Google+ hopes to build a sort of social intranet, where the right content finds the right people.
Here is a view of the Google+ home screen, showing a main stream of all friends' content down the center column; groups of friends, called Circles, run along the left side; with a user's interests, called Sparks, underneath them, giving recent topical news on those subjects.
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
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Integrating content
Google+ will try to bring together all Google's products, including chat, video, and photos.
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
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Google+ Circles
Google+ aims to segment a user's social network into more closely defined groups, which they are calling Circles, based on shared interests.
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
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Google+ Hangouts
"Hangouts" is an element of Google+ that revisits a classic form of social interaction on the Internet--the chat room, but adds the visual element of video.
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
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Google+ Hangouts
Invite your friends to chat, and Hangouts automatically puts the person who is speaking, or speaking the loudest, on the upper window, and shows all other chat participants below.
Here, CNET's Declan McCullagh, Elinor Mills, James Martin, and Jay Greene chat on Google+.
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
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Groups watching videos together
In the Hangouts group video chat feature of Google+, participants can watch YouTube videos together. For some unknown reason, when I initiated the YouTube feature, Google presented me with a dozen automatic weapon videos.
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
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Google+ on mobile devices
Instant Upload will send photos and video from your phone straight to Google+. For now, the native app is only available on Android devices. However, Google's Web site says any smartphone can access Google+ through the Web app, and that a native app for the iPhone is coming soon.
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
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Google+ suggestions
Google+ will suggest content it thinks you might like.
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
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Google+ Sparks
Sparks are topical interests that stream relevant news and articles about your favorite subjects. This Sparks page shows the results for the term "Robotics."
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
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Huddle group messaging
Google+'s Huddle feature allows text messages to be sent to a group of people who share a common need, such as making a group decision or setting up a meeting time and place at a restaurant or concert.
Updated:Caption:James MartinPhoto:Screenshot by CNET
