A One Year Anniversary Celebration for Google+
Happy One-Year Anniversary Google+
Every year Google hosts the Google I/O conference. Over 6,000 developers typically attend the California event, expecting to hear news about the latest projects from Google. Previous conferences have launched major projects such as Chrome and Google Maps. The 2012 conference was no different, however it did have an added twist as it fell during the first anniversary of the launch of Google+.
Google launched its namesake social network in summer 2011 and over the past year it has gone through some changes and come out quite successful. To begin with, in November 2011, Google integrated the social network with its cloud suite, Google Apps, bridging the gap between multiple Google platforms. In the spring, Google+ underwent a redesign which left it with new features like an explore page and a new look including larger photos and a customizable navigation ribbon. Over the course of the year, Google+ also became known as the top social network for businesses and more than 250 million people became Google+ users. And now, there is even more good news for these Google+ fans. At the conference, Google announced a new Google+ tablet application and a new tool for users. In order to make Google+ a more mobile social network, Google will release an app for the social network for Android tablets as well as the iPad. The tablet apps include better-than-ever hangout features, stream animations, and more.
Just as exciting for Google+ users is the new Google+ Events tool. Through this tool, users can create events and invite others to attend. But what really sets Google+ Events apart from other similar applications is the way it embodies multimedia. Through Google+ Events people can send video invitations and upload photos and videos to the event page at any time, even the moment after they are taken at the event. Users simply need to turn on “Party Mode” and any picture they snap or video they shoot at the event will be immediately uploaded to the Google+ Event page. Given all of the improvements and additions Google+ saw during its first year, it is easy to see that Google really values its social network. And for good reason. One of Google’s big goals is to make each user’s Google experience simpler by making the connection between its varied platforms, such as Gmail, Google Documents, and Chrome, seamless.
Google took a step toward achieving this goal when it changed its privacy policy in March 2011 to include all of the Google platforms in one, large policy. However, Google still believes it can create an even simpler user experience and it sees Google+ as the key to achieving this goal. According to Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering at Google, Google+ is so pivotal because it helps connect many Google platforms to one another. As Google+ embarks on its second year, users should expect to see its popularity grow even further as it is driven by a clear purpose and includes even more features than before.
This guest post was submitted by Sharon Shapiro of Cloud Sherpas.
Image courtesy of PCWORLD.com
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