Google +: Sparks and flame

I decided to use the Google Translate to post some of my blogs in English. I don’t expect them to be perfect but hopefully good enough to understand what I’m talking about. I want to edit the posts ASAP. Thanks to Google!

See original Russian text…

———————-

If we talk about the possible use of Google + for work and at work, as we have already established , we will be primarily interested in such a new social function switch, like a Circle, Sparks, a collective videochat (Hangout). Or consider his future and full integration with email Gmail, that would bring together in one place and executed in the same style as «old» opportunities for personal correspondence with new methods of social connectivity. On the diversification of our social environment with Circles albeit indirectly, the conversation has already taken place . In this note we shall discuss  Spark and all that with them, directly or indirectly connected.

Like the other three above-mentioned innovations, Sparks belong to the same 80% of the functionality of a new resource that can be useful for not more than 20% of its potential users. In this case it may be even more overvalued rate. These include, in general, only those who are interested in one way or another and / or directly involved in Knowledge Management and / or Business Intelligence . In other words, we will go about dealing with content, access to which we have announced a link, as well as on procedures for assessing the content and its metabolism. So, now we will talk not only about working with information that, generally speaking, is a fad Google as a corporation as a whole, but also on how the relevant information activities «socialized» into Google +. But just socialization still remains the weakest part of the main web-detective.

So, Sparks, link exchange (Share), evaluation of information (what to Facebook is primarily through Like, as in Google — a «+1»), of course, the search itself and something else so necessary for professional and business information activities. What we have today and what we still lack.

At the same time warning that all of what I now say, reflects only the current status of Google +. Everything is in the dynamics, and changing, literally, every day. What was yesterday, today we can not see, and tomorrow will be a sudden or in another capacity, or elsewhere, and, perhaps, an entirely different product Google. We’re testing a new project. Fade function of the first stage, not stood the test of their replaced or enhanced versions. The main thing is that «the process has begun …»

Sparks

What we have today? Crossed with his main (Home) page to another Sparks could lead the user to it every thematic section, defining its name one or more words. Such entries, each user can be any number. In addition, the system offers a set of standard headings, the user can also take advantage of. Words in the title column as key, in which the system and produces a periodic search on the Internet among all the content that appears in the news syndication flow type RSS. Links to content found as it becomes available (or updates) are placed on the list associated with the appropriate heading.

What are we missing?
1. We can not evaluate the content and comment on the location of the corresponding links.
2. We can also evaluate the content of the place even with «+1» — the native key for Google .
3. In order to do all the above, we need to take advantage of key Share, located near the appropriate link in Sparks. With this button we can duplicate the selected link in our Profiles, as usual, making it available to us as an authorized user. Thus, the option is completely excluded purely personal use of the information that, generally speaking, is characteristic of the keys to Google + Share and sets it in the worse of the same name keys on Facebook.
4. The system adds no listings in Sparks content (references to it) relating to the relevant places, if the content appeared in our Profile or in the main stream news Home page. In other words, searching for any external Internet site, but not on your own site Google +. My guess about the reason for this seemingly strange phenomenon, see the last section.
5. The system not only itself (ie, automatically) are not replenishing Sparks internal content, but does not give us the opportunity to do it manually, for example, through Share. This key has no option such as My Sparks, as has already marked the option type Only Me *.
6. For the chosen material can not be obtained to link to materials with similar content (relevant content), although in their «standard» Google searches it often does, including, in Google News.
7. I still do not get a job and search expressions, as permitted in the «standard» search Google. But such a possibility would, if necessary, easy to combine several related topics (such as «social media» and «social networking»).
8. Does not provide any opportunities for collaboration with users filling the subject headings. Although at the moment is, unfortunately, does not make sense (see sections 4 and 5).
9. Other disadvantages will be named in some of the following sections.

Share) and the «+1»

What we have today? We approximate equivalent functions Facebook, the now de-facto standard, Share, and Like («+1» for Google +), in general, is used today as well as many other social networking and media resources inside the system and outside it. Share on other sites and Like («+1» for Google) are embodied in the corresponding plug-ins, linking these sites with open platforms of social switches. In addition, in our case the plugin «a» is set in all of the resulting list given search engine Google, which certainly applies to the benefit of the new project.

What are we missing?

1. It seems to me that according to his ability, «a» still significantly inferior to Facebook Like, first of all, that does not include functional features characteristic of Share. Using the «one», you just change the total estimated count, but not parallel to that share a link, along with a third-party annotation (from the original) and its information.Completely exclude the option of annotated links by clicking on the «one», I think, can not, although I agree that users should be able to do this (which, by the way, Facebook does not provide).
2. However, it should be said that references to the original annotations when using the key «1» you can still save the Google +, but only for personal use on a separate page in your Profile, which is called «+1′ s». But even here already chosen to share content with other you still can not. Unlike Pages Sparks, on page «+1′ s» is not even a button Share. You can not exchange information between your pages as Sparks and «+1′ s». Moreover, in Sparks, you can get only from the main page, while page «+1′ s» — just being in the Profile.
3. Some other disadvantages of the implementation of special features in Google + Share has been called, when we talked about Sparks. This lack of options like Only Me * (that is, in Facebook) and My Sparks, you are using the Share on other pages.
4. There are more conceptual claim to the «sweet» couple of Share and «+1» (Like), which apply to both Google +, and to Facebook. First, I think, the functional «a» must contain an option feature Share, but not vice verso. And secondly, as a functional option «1» is not the only option is needed to assess the information. Let the silence on (be default) is «1», but other options can not be excluded, particularly in relation to the rich content. And the function itself Share means that if you put it to the content, then raised in a content theme you like, and you recommend it to others. But this does not mean that you agree with the author or you prefer the style of presentation. Here is how to validate all this to us and you may need something like Like (again, not as a forced option to Share) For without all of this is really a social filter to be impossible.

Search

What we have today? We have a search on Google, and this could make your point. But, of course, being the greatest strength of this company, today search is integrated with Google + very much an opaque manner. Where he is working as it is clear, but somewhere it is not clear. Also not always clear where and what is offered to search other search engines or «little window» (people, content, services), and in what space the search is carried out. I think that these uncertainties — a temporary phenomenon, and soon everything will be here in his place, as has been evidenced recently appeared on the add to Google News Badges News . So I will not on today’s misunderstandings of finding a lot of talk. I can only say …

… What we lack is conceptually?
1. We (me, anyway) obviously do not have a multi-level embedding search when we can easily control the size of the space in which the search is carried out: within Google +, the links made ​​in the Google +, across the Web prostrastve or in some part of it . At the same time in order to personalize the social filtering should work diversification mechanism inherent in the Circles.
2. No real-time search, Twitter, and peculiar pair of «MS Bing — Facebook,» as in the more time a couple of «Bing-Twitter». However, there is a new project, apparently encountered an unexpected problem after Twitter has not renewed a similar agreement with Google. In all likelihood, this will be pages Variation Sparks.
3. Clearly need to combine functionality with Sparks News Badges, but in a broader sense — from Google News. However, this integration appears to not have to wait long.
4. The main thing I would like to with all these improvements would take into account all the remarks made earlier to the Sparks.

And a little bit of something else, then there is not, and would like ….

On the Web Broadcasting and the open Internet.

Speaking of Google News and Sparks, I can not ignore the problem of webcasting. So I call everything associated with RSS, or news aggregation. Indeed, as we have seen, and in Google News and is widely used in the Sparks-based aggregation sindikatsionnyh standards such as RSS. But in this case is a one-way broadcasting. News flows only imported. RSS — export to Google + so far they have not seen. And I think that it is no coincidence. Leaving all the talk about the open Internet , which Google is widely conducted in the first half of last year, the company is building another «walled garden». And this is me very wary.

By the way, perhaps, in this concept of closeness and the answer to the question, why not run the internal «spark»? How can they work if they need a RSS-export, when the output flow of information from Google + takes place on his own entrance? And the output stream in Google +, actually, no! The only thing that calms here is the fact that Google News is (temporarily?) RSS — export, and, as some say , the idea of opening up Google is still definitely not going to give.

About comments:

1. Visibility of comments. Very often the comments have more information than the messages to which they relate. But until Google +, as, incidentally, and his rival, the issues of visibility of third-party comments are resolved very bad is not fully and completely opaque. Often not clear what rules you suddenly see the comments and associated key messages from strangers at all you users. This means that someone you see an unauthorized and all your messages. By the way on Facebook, I thought, issues of access to the comments addressed still a little bit better.

2. Assembling personal comments and key messages. It would be nice to be able to collect in one place available to us messages per user, whether a main message or comment, as it is implemented, for example, Habrahabr. Now this can be done either in Google +, or in Facebook. True and there, and there may be something to achieve indirectly (for example, the introduction of temporary Goggle + Circle, consisting of a single user), but then only for basic communications.

3. Synchronization of comments. No, unlike many, I do not expect Social switch multilevel trees with leaves detailed and well-formatted comments. How, in general, do not expect this formatted text. Let’s leave it all media — blogs, forums, online publications and other resources with rich meaningful content. Do not «postoffice» that thing! But see, for example, in his blog, comments to their performances, which my readers are placed in, say, Google + , would like very much. Like, on the contrary, with the ability to respond to readers’ comments either in his blog or in Google +. While that where I have not replied to, the comment would appear and there and there. Facebook possibility of such synchronization with the comments already half a year is (Comment function and the corresponding API). Google this is not even stutter.

—- —

* (Update at July 22). It is said that the option type Only me in Google + all the same there. И называется она Only you. And is it Only you. However, I find it on the instructions given so far failed. The search continues:). I would be grateful for the tip.