Google+ passes 90,000,000 users

Google‘s social network, Google+, may only have been operational for little over a year, but it has already accrued over 90,000,000 users according to CEO Larry Page. Announced as part of Google’s Q4 2011 financial results today, the milestone comes just four months after Google+ was opened up to general public registrations. However, it’s still in the shadow of the Facebook behemoth.

Facebook was believed to have 800m active users back in September 2011, and has been aggressively promoting site changes since then in an attempt to increase popularity and engagement. Earlier this week, Facebook launched Timeline Apps, part of its Open Graph promotion to increase the amount of personal data shared on each users’ wall.

Still, Google’s achievement is a credible one, given it came significantly later to the social market than rivals. The search giant has boasted that it added at least one new feature to Google+ each day since July 2011, most recently the ability to initiate YouTube video recording directly from the service itself.

“Four months ago, when we opened to the public, we were not sure what kind of reception we would receive. Your feedback has helped us build this service, and we can’t thank you enough for your enthusiastic support” Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President of Social at Google, said today, unsurprisingly taking to Google+ to celebrate the milestone. Gundotra also quoted anthropologist Margaret Mead, likening her famous quote “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” to the early-adopters of the social network.

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Tags: Google, Social Networks

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Facebook Timeline goes live worldwide

Facebook Timeline has gone live worldwide, the social networking giant has announced, with all users now being notified that they can activate the life-tracking activity log Mark Zuckerberg announced back in September. A chronicle of your interactions, events, photos and video from your time on the social network, Timeline has been available to beta testers, celebrities and those following sneaky hacks for a few months now.

Since the potential for revealing too much is high, Facebook has built in some extra controls around Timeline. The system will default to a seven day review period initially, giving users time to check everything that appears on their timeline before anyone else can see it. A “View As” button allows the layout to be checked from the perspective of different friends groups and non-friends, so you can ensure those slightly risque photos of you and the office photocopier are saved only for loved-ones.

There’s also an easily-accessed “Hide from Timeline” option that allows you to instantly remove any photo, update or other content from the overall Timeline list. Timeline replaces the traditional profile page, but also adds an Activity Log, private to each user, showing pared down details of full activity.

You can turn on Facebook Timeline by heading here and choosing “Get It Now.” More details on what it includes here, and on why you might want to think twice before activating it here.

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Tags: Facebook, Facebook Timeline, Social Networks, Video

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Facebook for Android updated, inherits speedier UI from iOS

Facebook just launched their updated Facebook app for Android, which the social networking giant claims is “now quicker and easier to view photos, get messages and navigate around the app”. What does this actually mean? Basically put, it’s inherited the interface from the recently updated iPad and iPhone versions of the app. The UI has also been redone for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, with the upper-right drop-down menu instead of the previous hidden menu interface.

From what Facebook says, photos and albums are up to twice as fast than the previous Android app (not surprising, for those of you who’ve used the old app, it’s nowhere near as smooth of an experience as on, say iOS or Windows Phone 7). Sharing photos, viewing comments and editing captions on the go have all been made easier, too. As long as everything is faster, than I think users will be content. The Facebook app on Android at the moment is incomparable in terms of overall user experience to the one on the iOS app.

The updated Facebook app puts messages and notifications at the top of the screen, and you can respond to friends and stay updated without leaving the page you’re on. Furthermore, you can also quickly access the News Feed, Groups, games and apps from the new left-side menu. The Facebook app update isn’t out live on the Android Market yet, but Facebook has just promised that it will be available soon. I’m probably speaking for all Android users when I say that hopefully happens very soon.

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Tags: Android, Android Market, Apps, Facebook, Social Networks

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Facebook testing Windows desktop client for chat and ticker feed

Facebook begun letting a limited group of users to download and try out a new Facebook Messenger for Windows 7 desktop client (much like in the way they started off with their newly-revamped Facebook Timeline user interface, which still hasn’t rolled out to all users yet). Apparently, the new desktop client provides access to Facebook Chat, the Ticker feed, and update notifications. From what it looks like, the social networking company is trying to gauge user interest in desktop client access to these real-time features that could keep users engaged all day without the need of having to keep a browser window open for the Facebook website itself. If I say so myself, such a client could become instantly popular, especially since Facebook is essentially the largest contact list for most people these days, the author included.

TechCrunch has confirmed the client’s limited beta launch with Facebook, and has stated that the fraction of the entire Facebook user base chosen to participate randomly to join the test group are being prompted via a homepage notification on Facebook itself. There is also “no public download link, and the client is only compatible with Windows 7, though it was developed entirely by Facebook and does not constitute a new partnership with Microsoft.” Facebook is working on getting more users using its Chat service, as this summer it pushed out its standalone Messenger app for the iOS, Android, and BlackBerry platforms.

Combining Chat and the Ticket feed into once service is a first for Facebook, and by doing that, the social networking company can potentially get users “on its communication system that produces huge volumes of sustained attention, and then get them frequently returning to the site by clicking through Ticker and notification links”. This looks like a very smart move, since by stripping Facebook down to just its bare minimum but real-time elements, users can choose to leave on Messenger for Windows throughout the entire day. The plans seems to be that if the Windows 7 version gains mucho traction, Mac OS X and other operating systems clients could very well be on the way in development and release.

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Tags: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Timeline, Social Networks, Windows 7

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Facebook SlingPlayer revealed, proves you can’t escape social networking (video)

Add another future platform for SlingPlayer to the pile, as the company recently showed off this quick demo of streaming video through Facebook. While the old Sling.com streaming still works just fine, this one adds some new social features to the mix. That will let viewers share the shows and what they enjoy watching easily while not-so-coincidentally making sure their friends know they’re watching TV via Slingbox. There’s no word on when this will actually hit the OpenGraph’d streets, but so far it’s already in line behind players we’ve seen demonstrated but not yet released for Boxee and Google TV. Press play to check out the video and think back to a world where no one knew you were watching Law & Order for the eighth time today.

Article: RSS via Engadget Mobile

Tags: Facebook, Slingbox, SlingPlayer, Social Networks, Social TV

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Google+ Pages announced for businesses [Video]

This week brands, businesses, bands, and more are being welcomed back to Google+, provided they didn’t get offended after having gotten kicked out several weeks ago, in an initiative known officially as Google+ Pages. As Bradley Horowitz, VP of Product for Google+ notes, “As most of you know, we “kicked out the brands” in the early going on Google+… Not because we don’t love them (we do!) but because we wanted to create the right experience for users, as well as the brands themselves.” Will the Google-based social networking powerhouse be able to gather the brands to its bosom?

You can see one of the first pages to be accepted into the fold by searching for Angry Birds. What you’ll notice is that the page is essentially the same as your own profile save for the couple of extra marks that appear aside the brand name, one assuring you that this is indeed Angry Birds, the other showing that this is a page. You can +1 Angry Birds because it’s something you love, you can interact with Angry Birds via comments, and you can see updates from Angry Birds as if they were a normal human Google+ resident.

Obviously also this gives a great opportunity to institutions, groups, and even one-person businesses to get their group off the ground with a network-connected page in the ever-growing ranks of Google+. What’s more is today Google has also announced Direct Connect, a way for people to find your business directly through Google’s main search engine – it’s just a + away! Have a peek at how the whole system works here:

And of course no presentation of a Google+ event would be complete without a celebrity endorsement, of course, so here’s the Muppets!

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Tags: Google, Google+ Pages, Social Networks, Video

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Motorola Facebook phone resurfaces as Motokey Social, destined for Telus? (Update: official product page found)

If you thought we’d forgotten all about Motorola’s little Facebook Phone that could, you’d be incorrect. Only known previously as the EX225, it appears the portrait QWERTY may have a final destination and name. According to YS Tech, the device seems set for a collision course with Telus as the Motokey Social, a prepaid feature phone that offers basic access to Gmail, Facebook and Twitter. The leaked specs are right on the money with what we’ve heard already: 2.4-inch touchscreen, 3MP camera and a proprietary platform (read: not Android), which means this could be an inexpensive option to appease the kiddies during the holidays. No official announcement has been made yet, so we don’t have any idea of pricing or availability. Time will tell, as always.

Update: It turns out that Motorola does, in fact, have an official product page up for the Motokey Social.

Article: RSS via Engadget Mobile

Tags: Facebook, Facebook Phone, Motokey Social, Motorola, QWERTY Keyboard, Social Networks

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Google+ Notifications now available for Google Chrome

If you’re a heavy Google+ user, and Google Chrome is your browser of choice, you’re in luck. Google has just released an official Chrome extension that brings the social network right to your very browser. You know that little red notifications box that’s on the top right corner of every Google service you’re signed into? With the extension, you can have that box on your browser itself, next to your address bar, so you no longer have to open up or switch to a Google tab just to see your notification count.

The notification box functions in the same way as the regular one, which means you can write comments, add people to your circles, and so on. The only difference being – you don’t ever having to leave the website you’re currently on. Though if you wish to launch Google+, it even contains a link to the page, making it a 2-click process. Talk about convenient!

Head over to the Chrome webstore to download Google+ Notifications for Google Chome now.

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Tags: Google, Google Chrome, Social Networks, Web Browser

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Panasonic Internet Social Network app: watch shows and Tweet simultaneously

If you spend 24/7 of your life on social networks like Facebook or Twitter and you own a Panasonic smart TV with VIERA Connect, you’re in luck. Panasonic has released a bunch of new apps for its VIERA Connect-equipped 2011 VIERA HDTVs, with one of them being the Internet Social Network app. The app allows users to watch their content they would normally watch on the TV i.e. their favorite TV shows, while they leave their favorite social networks running side by side.

The social network (Facebook or Twitter) will be in a sidebar displaying the newsfeed/main timeline, while the show will be taking up most of the screen. Users can update their statuses or post new tweets without having to leave their show, which makes it great for folks who love letting the world know exactly what they’re watching or what they think about what they see.

Other apps being released by Panasonic include: PlayJam (a game channel with multiple game apps) and BigFlix (an app that lets users access Bollywood Video on Demand). All these three apps will be made free to VIERA HDTVs for free.

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Tags: Apps, Facebook, Panasonic, Smart TV, Social Networks, Social TV, TV, Twitter

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Google Reader Backlash: 10,000 Users Sign Petition to Save Old Version

Now that Google has officially switched to its new version of Google Reader, complete with Google+ integration, the company is facing the righteous fury of a social network it barely seemed to recognize: the Sharebros.

This small but maniacally dedicated community of Google Reader users was able to share stories and comments with each other until Monday, when the new version of Reader forced them to start using Google+. But the Sharebros are not taking the snub lying down.

Since the changes were announced earlier this month, more than 10,000 Sharebros have signed a petition to Google created by Washington, D.C.-based grad student Brett Keller.

“Many of us have been faithful users of your Reader for years,” the petition reads. “It’s central to our daily information consumption … Reader builds tremendous goodwill from a core group of heavy Internet users, leading us to recommend this and your other services to our friends.

“Eliminating Google Reader or its features (like following friends’ shared items) is short-sighted because you will alienate some of your most loyal users, sparking a vocal backlash.”

Among those loyal users: Iranian activists. Google Reader is the most visited site in Iran, having gained much of its popularity during the “green revolution” of 2009. The country’s government has banned most social networks and blogging services; Sharebros inside the country say Reader has been an extremely useful way to share news and comments under the radar.

Some Iranian users had as many as 7,500 followers on Reader, according to Iranian blogger Amir.

Many Sharebros have taken to Twitter to vent their anger, posting under hashtags such as #OccupyGoogleReader. While there are workarounds for Sharebros to transfer their following to Google+ circles, many indicated they would not be interested in switching.

“Dear Google: taking away my Google Reader functionality will not make me use Google+,” wrote blogger Megan McArdle. “It will only make me mad.”

Even some Googlers joined in sympathy with the Sharebros, such as engineers Kevin Fox (who helped design an early version of Reader) and Mihai Parparita.

Will that be enough to convince Google to give Sharebros an option to roll back the changes? Or does CEO Larry Page’s much-heralded focus on social media mean that the Sharebros must be sacrificed for the greater good of Google+? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article: RSS via Mashable

Tags: Google, Google Reader, Petition, RSS, Social Networks

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