Among the most basic of
human needs is the need to connect with others. With a smile, a laugh, a
whisper or a cheer, we connect with others every single day.
Today, the connections
between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and
substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our
online tools.
In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it.
We’d like to bring the
nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software. We want to make
Google better by including you, your relationships, and your interests.
And so begins the Google+ project:
+Circles: share what matters, with the people who matter most
Not all relationships are
created equal. So in life we share one thing with college buddies,
another with parents, and almost nothing with our boss. The problem is
that today’s online services turn friendship into fast food—wrapping
everyone in “friend” paper—and sharing really suffers:
- It’s sloppy. We only want to connect with certain people at certain times, but online we hear from everyone all the time.
- It’s scary. Every online
conversation (with over 100 “friends”) is a public performance, so we
often share less because of stage fright.
- It’s insensitive. We all
define “friend” and “family” differently—in our own way, on our own
terms—but we lose this nuance online.
In light of these
shortcomings we asked ourselves, “What do people actually do?” And we
didn’t have to search far for the answer. People in fact share
selectively all the time—with their circles.
From close family to
foodies, we found that people already use real-life circles to express
themselves, and to share with precisely the right folks. So we did the
only thing that made sense: we brought Circles to software. Just make a
circle, add your people, and share what’s new—just like any other day:
+Sparks: strike up a conversation, about pretty much anything
Healthy obsessions inspire
sharing, and we’ve all got one (or two, or three…). Maybe it’s muscle
cars, or comic books, or fashion, but the attraction is always the same:
it comes up in conversation, we immediately jump in, and we share back
and forth with other fans. Often for hours. The trick is getting things
started, and getting over that initial hump. Fortunately, the web is the
ultimate icebreaker.
The web, of course, is
filled with great content—from timely articles to vibrant photos to
funny videos. And great content can lead to great conversations. We
noticed, however, that it’s still too hard to find and share the things
we care about—not without lots of work, and lots of noise. So, we built
an online sharing engine called Sparks.
Thanks to Google’s web
expertise, Sparks delivers a feed of highly contagious content from
across the Internet. On any topic you want, in over 40 languages. Simply
add your interests, and you’ll always have something to watch, read and
share—with just the right circle of friends.
+Hangouts: stop by and say hello, face-to-face-to-face
Whether it’s inside a pub or on
a front porch, human beings have always enjoyed hanging out. And why
not? It’s how we unwind, recharge, and spend unscheduled time with old
and new friends alike. Hanging out is deceptively simple though, and the
nuance gets lost online.
Just think: when you walk
into the pub or step onto your front porch, you’re in fact signaling to
everyone around, “Hey, I’ve got some time, so feel free to stop by.”
Further, it’s this unspoken understanding that puts people at ease, and
encourages conversation. But today’s online communication tools (like
instant messaging and video-calling) don’t understand this subtlety:
- They’re annoying, for starters. You can ping everyone that’s “available,” but you’re bound to interrupt someone’s plans.
- They’re also really awkward. When someone doesn’t respond, you don’t know if they’re just not there, or just not interested.
With Google+ we wanted to
make on-screen gatherings fun, fluid and serendipitous, so we created
Hangouts. By combining the casual meetup with live multi-person video,
Hangouts lets you stop by when you’re free, and spend time with your
Circles.
+Mobile: share what’s around, right now, without any hassle
These days a phone is the
perfect sharing accessory: it’s always with you, it’s always online, and
it’s how we stay close with our closest friends. We didn’t want “just” a
mobile experience, however, so with Google+ we focused on things (like
GPS, cameras, and messaging) to make your pocket computer even more
personal.
+Location Update
In life, the places we visit
shape conversations in lots of meaningful ways. If we call John from the
airport, he’ll likely ask about our trip. Or if Jane texts from a
nearby restaurant, we might join her for dessert. With Google+ you can
add your location to every post. (Or not. It’s always up to you.)
+Instant Upload
Getting photos off your phone
is a huge pain, so most of us don’t even bother. Of course pictures are
meant to be shared, not stranded, so we created Instant Upload to help
you never leave a photo behind. While you’re snapping pictures, and with
your permission, Google+ adds your photos to a private album in the
cloud. This way they’re always available across your devices—ready to
share as you see fit.
