A quick note on Google+

[matgb]

Lots and lots of the people I normally get all with trying out a new web feature have had emails to Google+ and are having fin getting it working.

I haven't had an invite yet.

It looks cool. Nothing groundbreaking, but some substantially well through through UI tweaks to existing ideas (Dreamwidth users are probably pointing at the "Circles" idea and going "ours" quite a bit, whereas G+ is laughing at the management interface...)

So, y'know, if anyone has a spare invite kicking around ;-)

ETA: I know have an account, and it is good-never actually received an invite, I just got in via a link, weird.
Mat Bowles - Google+

Comments

[karohemd]

I followed a third party suggestion for inviting people. Apparently, you should get an invite in the next half hour or so.

[matgb]

OK, thanks. From what I've read, they're selecting people with a "strong social graph" based on who and how many people they email regularly.

I don't use email, I use Twitter, DW, Facebook &c. My strong social graph doesn't show up. Daft, innit. Some people are just getting to log straight in, most annoying.

[miss_s_b]

I'd like a go too.

[birguslatro]

You don't use email, let alone gmail? So why would you expect Google to know of you?

I expect 'strong social graph' means how big and active your address-book is on gmail. Which isn't daft, but spooky.

[andrewhickey.info]

Mat does use Gmail, just not very much on a day-to-day basis. Same goes for me (and I've got 1078 people in my contact list on Gmail) and I've not got an invitation either. I think it's partly to do with whether you've linked your Google account to your Twitter or Facebook accounts. In my case Google keeps saying "Are you @stealthmunchkin on Twitter? Go on, please tell us you are. We know you are. Please tell us." And I keep saying "None of your business". I suspect if I just clicked 'Yes' on that, the invitation would come pretty quickly.

[birguslatro]

So that's how the do it. I've never used gmail and have no intention to do so. Google's way more sinister than Facebook.

Break your links!

[matgb]

I use Gmail, but not directly to send/receive emails to other people--most ov my conversations are on mailing lists or through blogs/forums/twitter etc.

Their initial criteria was for active email users with a large addressbook--that's fair enough, they want people toa ctually test it and see what works/doesn't work.

[birguslatro]

I see your profile's going to have to be public now...

"Keep in mind that your full name and gender are the only required information that will be displayed on your profile; you’ll be able to edit or remove any other information that you don’t want to share."

OK if that's what you want, but it locks out those who don't want it.

[matgb]

Yeah, that's not a problem for me as I do everything real name only, and won't be a problem for the people I need to get it working for (ie, politiians and public figures), but for those that need a little pseudonymity, for whatever reason, it's not so good.

[marahmarie]

Dreamwidth users are probably pointing at the "Circles" idea and going "ours"

OMG - indeed yes - exactly. That was my first thought the second I saw it! Too bad denise can't collect royalties for this website giving them the idea - I'm sure it did.

Oh and (edit) if I get an invite I'll be sure to pass it your way. :)

An open rant to the developers

[daweaver]

There was going to be a considered response to the points raised in the original post, and those developed in comments. Then it grew into a post of its own. Here's a precis: You at G****e live in your machines, and you are moulding human activity to fit your algorithms. This is holding humanity back.

[blue5hadow.livejournal.com]

Just sign in… No invite needed!

https://plus.google.com/

[matgb]

Google+ is in limited Field Trial
Right now, we're testing with a small number of people, but it won't be long before the Google+ project is ready for everyone. Leave us your email address and we'll make sure you're the first to know when we're ready to invite more people.

My social graph isn't good enough for them (mostly as I don't use email for anything these days so they don't know much about it).

[fearmeforiampink]

When I log in to google on it, it additionally says "Already invited? We've temporarily exceeded our capacity. Please try again soon."

Now I'm trying to work out whether logging in there then going to gmail bypassed two stage authentication, or whether google just wanted my password and not the code.

[andrewducker]

Are Circles that different from, say, LJ's friends lists? Or even the friends filtering you can do on FB?

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Yes. [As far as I've played with it to date,] you can't put people into more than one circle at a time, unlike LJ filters. But you can choose to see one/two/many circles on your list, and post things to one/some/all circles. It seems to be more like DW friending than LJ friending as far as privacy goes.

[andrewducker]

You can have people in multiple circles (I've done this).

And you can post to multiple friends lists at once in LJ as well.

DW's main difference to LJ's friending system is that you can grant access to people without putting them into a filter for reading - and they know it. You can't do that with G+.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Of course you can post to multiple friends lists in LJ.
...unlike LJ filters. But you can
This indicates "the first thing is not like LJ. The second thing is the opposite of that" [i.e. like LJ].

I'm still unable to have people in multiple circles; I will have to play with that a bit more and find out why.

[andrewducker]

Sorry, misread you there. Clearly I'm not properly awake yet.

I managed to drag someone into a circle when they were already in a different one. When I hovered over them both circles glowed. I wonder why that would work for me and not you. Seems odd.

[matgb]

From what others have said about them, no, not really, except for the vastly superior user interface for them, and the extra emphasis they've put on them.

But until I've played, can't be sure.

[andrewducker]

I like the fact that you _have_ to put someone in a circle to add them.

And yes, it's kinda pretty.

[susanne-est-moi.livejournal.com]

I haven't invited anyone...so I presumably have some left? I've never done this before, but I'll try to figure it out if you'd like an invite XD