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Google+ was launched three years ago in direct competition with Facebook, and while most people haven’t given Google’s foray into social media a chance, there are many factors that make the former a better social network than the latter.
Stories
My favorite feature of Google+ is “Stories”. If you use Google photos to back up your photos online, not only does it automatically create folders and events, it also creates stories. Stories is basically an online photo book, the great part is you can edit photos, rearrange them, and choose the photos you want shown.
To see my “Story” in my recent trip to Ukraine, click here (will take you to an external link).
Auto Awesome
Another thing I love about Google+ is “Auto Awesome”. Google takes your photos and makes them livelier. Did you take 4-5 pictures consecutively? Google+ will turn it into moving gif. Did you take a picture of a Christmas Tree? Google will make the lights twinkle. Did you take 4-5 selfies? Google will make a collage of your awesome pictures.
You can distinguish which photos have been “touched” by Google on the upper right of the photo, in this case, it is Mix, where the site takes different pictures and automatically turns it into a collage – no additional app or photo editing required.
Sharing
Unlike Facebook, Google+ makes sharing anything super easy. Users can use circles to compartmentalize the things you share on the site. For example, you can create a circle for just your best friends and send this circle anything you’d like to share without anyone else seeing it. You can also just share one person at a time by using a +, to share with me, just type in +Max Sandoval.
Do you have pictures you want to share with someone not using Google+? No problem, you can type in their email. This not only applies to individual photos, albums, and also a selection of photos (that you’ve chosen).
Social
Social networks are supposed to be social, but let’s be honest Facebook hasn’t been social for years (Instagram has been, but not Facebook). Meeting new people with different interests is easier than ever with Google+ communities. Want to meet new gay gamers (gaymers)? Join the gaymer community. Do you love your Samsung Galaxy Note 3? There’s a community for that as well and many, many, many others.
I’ve found that posting things publically on Facebook does not yield any additional interactions outside of my friends. That’s not the face with Google+, proper hashtags along with a picture will bring new people to the content you are sharing.
Posting
One of the things I loathe about Facebook is the inability to block comments; for example, an update or announcement, which doesn’t warrant everyone’s blurb. Unlike Facebook, Google+ sharing options not allows disabling comments, but also disabling reshares, embedding the post and obtaining a link to the post, to share elsewhere. Google then provides greater control regarding sharing on its own social network with regards to the content, and what your viewers are allowed to do.
GIFs
Did someone share a GIF with you on Google+? There is no need to do anything additional, the GIF will automatically play. Yes, not like Facebook, where you have to click on it, which occasionally may take you to another website.
Integration
Do you use YouTube or Blogger? Do you have a new subscriber to your blog and videos? or perhaps someone left a comment on on either one. Notifications from both will feed into your Google+ notification system.
Wrap-up
Google+ is coming into its own by providing features which are tightly integrated within the Google ecosystem. Automatically enhancing photos, greater control over sharing, and more social individuals places Google+ above and beyond Facebook.
Do you have any questions about Google+? Post a comment, add me on Google+ https://plus.google.com/+MaxSandoval or send me a tweet @hawaiiinsomniac.
