Google has finally launched its long-awaited social network, the Google+ project.
The Google+ network is designed around users’ social circles and lets them selectively share with specific groups within their personal network, rather than sharing with all their social connections at once.
The search giant emphasizes Google+’s privacy customizations and hopes that users will prefer the new service over more established networks like Facebook and Twitter.
In addition to +Circles, Google’s network will also let users add interests, video chat in groups, share content via mobile and more, as other networks.
The search giant will integrate its new network directly into its massive web presence to allow users to socialize as they use various Google proucts. The new social project will be integrated into every Google product, thanks to a complete redesign of the Google navigation bar. The familiar gray bar at the top of every Google page will turn black, and come with several new options for accessing your Google+ profile, viewing notifications and instantly sharing content at any time. The notification system is similar to how Facebook handles notifications, complete with a red number that increases with each additional notice.
Starting today Google+ is available on Android Market and the mobile web, and it’s coming soon to the App Store. Google is competing its field trial of the network, which is currently open only to a select few. However, you can visit Google+ to sign up, and Google will send you a notification when the service is ready. You can also explore the social network’s landing page and to see what new features are in store.
That’s the Google+ project so far: Circles, Sparks, Hangouts and mobile. But online sharing needs a serious re-think, so it’s time we got started. There’s just one more thing—really the only thing: You.
