Tag: Google Plus

Who to follow on Google+?

A lot of people joining Google+ don’t know who to follow.  Most of their friends and colleagues aren’t on Google+ yet.  And having an empty circles kind of defeats the whole purpose of the social network.  Gladly, there are many blog posts and directories on the Web already, that provide lists upon lists of who to follow, based on interests, popularity, geographical location, and other criteria.  The most recent of such listings that I came across is the Unofficial Google+’s Recommended Users.  This one has a variety of categories that cover everything from technology and blogging to food and music.  Take a look, browse through the categories, and populate your circles.  The more people you follow, the more interesting tidbits are coming your way.

P.S.: And if you are still not on the Google+ and need an invite, let me know your Gmail address, and I’ll send you one.  I have plenty left.

US Navy embracing social networks

While reading this article, I was really amazed by how much US Navy embraced social networks.

Over 90 documents relating to Navy social media use were made available online that give a window onto recommended military security practices for popular services and how naval culture squares with the anarchic world of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. More importantly, it also reveals how the Navy keeps tabs on sailors via social media.
In one case, the Navy shared a poster of sexual assault prevention tips on their official Facebook page at the request of the Defense Department’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office. The poster was a repurposed graphic that the Navy copied from Slutwalk Austin’s Facebook page.
The idea was to intentionally spur a debate among Navy personnel on sexual assault and to bring discussion of the topic into a semi-public forum. According to the Navy’s own report, “many thought [the poster] was funny, ‘dumb,’ or a joke, others were outraged, a few recognized the tone and intent” and Navy social media personnel managed the resulting comments thread. They moderated the discussion, noted how sailors treat discussion of sexual assault online and attempted to keep a respectful tone. In one case, the thread even uncovered what appeared to have been the sexual assault of a former sailor.

I wish more companies and organizations did the same.

On how Google+ will succeed

The Next Web blog runs a piece by Tom Anderson in which he explains why Google+ is not at all a failure many journalists paint it to be.  It’s quite interesting really, I do agree with a lot of it.

While perhaps all social networks need to capture subgroups of people to chew away at the core of more dominant players, Google’s massive scale — both the attention the brand receives — and the domains it owns: google.com, youtube.com, blogger.com, and gmail.com — have given Google a weapon no one else has: the power of attrition, via that little black bar and red notification. The constant reminder this black bar/red notification provides, means that Google+ doesn’t need to have high engagement numbers from all its users in the beginning. Day by day, one key person after another will find that they enjoy the G+ platform more than its competitors. They’ll start posting and then the ball starts rolling.

More Picasa Web Albums space for Google+ users

Google Operating System blog tells:

Picasa Web Albums offers more free storage if you are a Google+ user. According to Picasa Web’s help center, “photos up to 2048 x 2048 pixels and videos up to 15 minutes won’t count towards your free storage”. If you upload photos from Google+, they’re automatically resized to 2048 pixels on their longest edge, so they don’t use the 1 GB of free storage that’s available in Picasa Web Albums.

For those of you not on Google+ yet, only pictures up to 800×800 pixels won’t count up on your storage.  You really should let me know your email address and I’ll send you an invite.