Jun 30, 2011 / Topic Ideas

Do you need another social network?

Topic #174:

Google recently released Google+, a new social network. Do you think you need another social network? Do you prefer real social networks (people you actually see regularly), or are you happy with the digital social networks you use? Or do you avoid them all on principle?

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  1. I want an INVITE to G+! PLEEEEEZ!

    Can someone just send ONE invite to me? pranab.chatterjee AT gmail DOT com.

    PLEEEEEEEZ!

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      1. The advantage of WP over social networks is the ability to comment and follow people’s ideas through their blogs (whom you don’t know in real life) – All the other social networks don’t allow you to interact with people whom you don’t know, and thats a huge minus!

        Destination Infinity

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  3. Absolutely not. I think that social networks are excellent at helping people stay in touch that would otherwise find it tricky, like overseas family and friends etc, and as has been proven, they are useful for sharing ideas and organising large groups of people, and organising social events, but I think that they are ultimately a digital solution to a digital problem. With ever advancing technology, communities became more and more insular as all our ‘needs’ were met by gadgets and the internet, and so community cohesion and personal relationships suffered. People are made to have relationships, it’s a basic ingredient in our make-up and being online and always available has created a barrier. It seems to me that Facebook et al are trying to re-create something that always was in existence and then removed not even 15 years ago. What we really need is genuine face to face interaction, otherwise we’re only a few steps away from becoming cybermen.

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  4. It depends on the quality of the social network. I’ve seen one tweet suggesting that Google+ is either buggy, cumbersome to use or both. I’m interested in Diaspora! but it’s not available to the most-used operating system. In the end, I will choose one social network, not 20

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  5. I just use Facebook. Switching to Google+ would be a nightmare as all my friends and their info is on Facebook. And my friends wouldn’t switch over…

    Google should have brought in a social network earlier when they had a chance. They did try, with Google Wave then Google Buzz. But the features were rubbish.

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  7. Hmmm, let me see; Facebook or Google+? Well both “companies” (overlooked by government bodies) already use it trace your ip address on every Google search you submit, and Facebook is used to sieve through you photos to improve automatic photo-recognition for CCTV assignment to mention just a couple of “features”. So, Facebook or Google+? They both work together already – switching to Google+ would just make “their” job easier.

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  8. The concept of dividing your friends in circles in Google+ is nice. You don’t want to share everything with everyone! Maybe FB can implement this?

    Also, a new social network is fine, but adding each and every friend again is not. So, new social network should import friends automatically like how you can import posts from blogger to wordpress 😉

    Destination Infinity

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    1. 1) Facebook actually have that feature.
      You CAN divide your friends into groups and then select which updates you want to share with each group.
      It’s rather clumsy though, and requires a lot of clicking each time.

      2) Most social networks have that feature nowadays, and it’s quite easy to import friends from one to another.
      But yeah, that’s a must-have for Google+.

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  9. No es fácil imaginar que puede suceder pasado mañana, mañana o entre unas horas. Cambios y más cambios se siscitan. Y lo de las redes sociales si efectivamente está caliente, esperemos no se queme, ni se convierta en un completo enredo, y de serlo tratarán solucionar el enredo. Me parece que llegaremos a contactar entre humanos sólo a través de las PC´s, laptop, Ipad, Ipod, Tabletas etc. porque personalmente ya casi no se toleran.

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  10. I’ve been on the lookout for something new. Facebook is getting old and is being tainted with too many 20 year olds who think everyone cares what they had for lunch.

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  11. I was sorry when Society.com ended. It was different, you could choose who you could write to. Facebook maybe old to some but the ideas keep coming.

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  13. Honestly I just go where friends go. Sounds sheep-like but it can’t be helped. I remember using ICQ back in 1998 because it was *the* IM to use. Then we migrated to Yahoo! Messenger because it was easier to interact with Clubs/Groups. We used to use LiveJournal before it had a few bumps and my friends scattered to other blogging sites. A good chunk went to Facebook and got sucked in by the games. Only about four friends went to Twitter (thankfully. I did not want to be stuck using that to keep in contact with them). If Google+ takes off like wildfire and most of my friends go there, I’ll have no choice but to follow.

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  14. I have trouble following all the networks that already exist, and sure don’t participate in all of them. If everyone I know switches to Google+, then maybe I will. Otherwise, this news makes no difference to me.

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  15. Personally, I think it is just another way to make millions of dollars. We have SOO many social networks. Myspace, Facebook, Yearbook, Twitter, etc. Here’s just another one to the bunch. Go figure.

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  16. *whine* But I don’t WANT another network to update. Seriously. I write a post, then I advertise it on Facebook and Twitter. Anymore networks besides that and I don’t know which people I’m reaching or if my friends are being spammed by me.

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  18. Lesser social network is better for simple me 😦
    Wish they would just integrate one with all others so we can just log into one and get updates from others.

    DVD+R vs DVD-R saga comes to mind.

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  19. No, I think I’d stick probably with the one that I used to know. Although it would be good to know that a lot of social networks are on the rise today, but for me, I just want to write and say whats on my mind hoping that I could get to inspire people with my post.

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  20. No no no and no! Google should use their imagination and considerable resources to create something new and original and useful instead of just copycatting Facebook.

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  24. word press is wide and alive it can provide all the information i need at the moment meanwhile i learn more about the importance of other social work.Actually Word press is a social work on its own.

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  27. Although I have learned to use several of the networks, I find the amount, and difference, of networks to use is as cumbersome as having several cell phones attached to my belt. One for work, one for kids, one for friends, one for……….well……….you get the picture. Phewh!

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