Google+

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Globe icon of the infobox
Google+
Website logo
"Share like in real life, reinvented for the web"
social network
languages German, 43 other language versions
operator Google LLC ( more )
user 111 million monthly active users (April 2015)
3,091 million registered users (April 2016)
Registration Google account required
On-line June 28, 2011 (currently offline)
https://plus.google.com/

Google+ was a social network of the US company Google LLC . According to its own statements, Google+ as a "social layer" should expand many of the company's own products. It differs from many social networks, whose access is limited to a single website . Others saw Google+ as a purely competitive product that was supposed to counter the success of Facebook .

Google+ was the world's second largest social network in May 2013. After a serious data breach that became known in October 2018 , Google+ was discontinued for private users on April 2, 2019. G-Suite users will continue to receive the network functions in the Google Currents service .

history

Until September 1, 2015, this logo was used with serifs .

Google+ was available since June 28, 2011. In an early phase, registration was only possible upon invitation by an existing user. From September 20, 2011, it was possible to register with the social network without an invitation. At the beginning, the minimum age was 18 years, which was reduced to 13 years from January 27, 2012.

88 days after publication, Google+ had 40 million registered users. So it was the fastest growing social network in history. For comparison: Facebook reached the same number of users after 1,325 days. On March 7, 2012, it was announced that the network had exceeded 100 million regular users. The design was revised in April 2012, at this time 170 million users were registered, in June 250 million. At the end of 2012, Google itself put the number of users at 500 million, of which 135 million were active. In 2013, Google stated that there were 190 million active users on Google+.

After the project manager Vic Gundotra left the group, around 1,000 developers were employed on other products. The integration of Google+ with other Google services was discontinued.

On October 8, 2018, it became known that more than 500,000 Google+ user accounts had been at risk of data theft for years. Since app developers were able to read their personal data, it was decided to close Google+ in the version open to end customers. The commercial Google Plus variant in the corporate environment will remain available. Due to another data breach that became known in December 2018 , in which profile data of 52.5 million users could have been read, Google Plus was discontinued on April 2, 2019. Google gradually made data backup tools available.

Attendees

Google offered this service to private individuals ( natural persons ) on the one hand, but also to companies, institutions, associations and other non-natural persons such as families on the other. By July 2014, individuals had with their real names , so register the actual first and last name. But it was possible to use a so-called alias as a pseudonym. Google called the presence of a natural person a “ Google+ profile ”, while that of a non-natural person was called a “ Google+ page ”. Both forms differed slightly in their presentation, but also in their possibilities.

Functions

On the one hand, Google relied on the combination of its existing services, on the other hand it also offered a range of new social plugins . A key difference to most other social networks was that the relationships between the participants on Google+ could be one-sided and were divided into so-called circles, following the example of diaspora .

General functionality

Google described the functions of the network as follows:

  • With the circles the user can divide his contacts into groups and thus share various information with certain circles. For example, the user can share pictures of the last family celebration with his family. The contacts do not have to be signed in to Google+ to be part of a circle. Information that is shared with such persons will then be sent by email upon request. However, Google+ always generates an invitation email when a person without a “Google+” account is added to a circle. As a user, you can determine who is allowed to see the members of your own circles and who can see in whose circles you are included.
  • Posts are “shared” in Google+ usage, whereby the creator of the post must specify with whom. This can be the public, members of one or more circles, but z. B. also be an e-mail address - or everything in combination. Posts can contain an image, a movie, a link or a location, and these elements are automatically adjusted. A picture is shown as a small preview and a preview (with picture) is created from a link. A contribution can also arise from sharing someone else’s contribution, although this possibility can also be excluded.
  • Stream is what Google calls the stream of posts. On the “Overview” page, the user normally sees all the posts from all of his circles in reverse chronological order, ie the most recent on top. You can set the “volume” for each circle, which means the number of posts that are mixed into the stream. But you can also select a circle and then only see the contributions of the people in it. These web pages aren't static - new posts let the older ones flow down without having to reload the page.
  • Google+ users can upload any number of image files and organize them into albums. Images that are too large are either reduced to 2048 × 2048 pixels and can therefore be used without using up the Google Drive storage space (standard size) or uploaded in their original size (original size). With the latter, the storage space consumption is deducted from the user's Google Drive account. In addition to the presentation in Google+, these images are also available in the Picasa web albums , and vice versa.
  • Comments can be made on posts as well as on pictures in albums, although this option can also be blocked for your own posts. Comments contain only text with minimal formatting. They are displayed in the stream below the posts.

  • +1 is a button that the user can use to publicly communicate what they think is positive. The function is comparable to the “Like” button on Facebook . This button is available for every post, comment and image; it can appear on third-party websites. The function was introduced to the public at the end of March 2011 by Google employee Matt Cutts. It was initially only available for Google Results and Google Ads.
  • Many actions can trigger a notification , whereby the user can fine-tune what he wants to be notified about. So z. For example, a notification will be sent if a (possibly third-party) post is commented after the user himself has commented on this post. The number of new notifications is displayed in the Google bar in a red circle (previously a red square), clicking on it opens a list in which various actions can be carried out directly.
  • Google Hangouts are chats that the user can invite any number of other people to join and then video chat. 10 people can participate in a hangout at the same time.
  • With Hangouts on Air , users have the ability to post a video stream live . The stream is archived on YouTube and made publicly available at the same time . The function was activated in Germany on August 15, 2012 after it had been available in other countries since September 2011. It is legally controversial because public broadcasts are subject to the State Broadcasting Treaty.
  • The Google+ bar , which, like other Google products, is located at the top, serves, among other things. a. for quick account switching and more convenient administration. It creates a connection between Google+ and all other Google products.
  • With Google+ Communities , groups can discuss any topic together. The function, which was first introduced in December 2012, enables the permanent availability of certain content exclusively for a defined group of people or the general public. Hangouts and events can be held within a so-called community .

According to official information, only 20 percent of the planned Google+ functions were implemented in 2012. In the coming years, the apps and the Google+ API in particular should be expanded further.

Functions within texts

  • Mention of names: The name of another profile can be automatically transferred to a text. To do this, type a plus sign or an @ sign and start typing the name. The system then shows - progressively as you type - a selection of profiles from which you have to select the one you want. The mention of a profile usually triggers a notification of this profile. Non-public posts that were not visible for a specific profile will be visible for this profile if it is mentioned (also in a comment).
  • Hashtags : A hash mark (#) written in front of a single word without a space makes it a search term. After the article has been published, the reader can click on this word, which will start a Google Plus internal search for the hashtag. Mention of the relevant word without the "#" sign will not be found, and mentions of the hashtag in comments will not be taken into account.
  • Text formatting within posts and comments is also possible:
    • Bold type by enclosing an asterisk * (* example * becomes example )
    • Italic type by enclosing it in an underscore _ (_example_ becomes example )
    • Strikethrough text by enclosing it in a minus sign - (-example- becomes example )
The characters are to be written without any space before or after the word (s).

User profile

The term profile on Google+ not only stands for the presence of a natural person (see participants ), but also for the five personal pages ("tabs") of each user:

  • Posts shows the user's posts as an extract from the stream.
  • About me contains the personal data of the user, whereby Google asks for information, but does not force this. The page can only be designed to a limited extent; instead, Google offers a variety of fields that can be filled in, such as address, occupation, occupation, etc. For each group of information, the user can determine who is allowed to see it: for example, the public , all circles, just himself.
  • Photos leads to the images, whereby there are other albums in addition to the albums explicitly created by the user: "Photos of the user" with the images on which the user was "tagged", ie identified, "Photos of posts", where the images are collected that are not assigned to an album but were used in contributions, "Photos for the photo wall" and finally "Profile photos", which contains all (possibly earlier) profile photos. In addition to the profile, there is also the “From the phone” picture section, where the (if desired) uploaded photos of the phone are collected. These are - as long as they are not shared with anyone - only visible to the user himself. Since May 2014 there has also been the option of displaying “Stories”. Google+ uses the coordinates in the photos to create a slide show about events, e.g. B. for the past vacation, a birthday party, etc.
  • Videos leads to the user's videos.
  • +1 shows a list of the (foreign) websites that the user has rated positively via the "+1" button.

The pages Photos , Videos and +1 could be hidden from others by the user. Above the profile, the profile picture (which was also shown in a reduced form for each post) and a photo wall made of five square pictures were displayed, alternatively a wide picture was also possible.

Google made it possible for selected users to shorten the public address of their profile with the help of a so-called vanity URL . Instead of the profile number, the vanity URL contained a short name that was automatically suggested to the user and could not be edited. In August 2012, Google began to introduce vanity URLs for German-speaking users.

Google+ pages

On November 7, 2011, Google Profiles for companies and organizations was launched under the name "Google+ Pages" (+ Pages) . It was also possible for companies and associations to appear under their names, to divide users into groups or to hold video conferences using the Hangouts function . These pages were owned by one owner, and they can have one or more administrators who can edit the content. A page must be created from the profile of a natural person, whose identity does not have to be published.

At the end of 2011, Google introduced a manual verification of the authenticity of Google+ pages, which could be requested by the owners of the page. Successfully checked pages were marked with a tick symbol and offered the user the assurance that this page was really managed by the named brand or company. The review was only granted for pages with a certain number of users.

On July 19, 2012, Google opened up access to Google+ pages through third-party applications. While this was only possible for selected companies at the beginning, later every service could access “Google+” pages and circles via a public API. This included in particular the HootSuite program , which is primarily used by companies to centrally control several social networks .

Applications

Google started early to provide apps for mobile access to Google+. The operating systems Apple iOS and Android were supported, both when using a smartphone and on tablets. The last major revision of the apps was presented in May 2012 and included mobile Google Hangouts and improved navigation with quick access. Google last published a variant of the app for the iPad on July 10, 2012 . It was during the Google I / O first announced, and also supports high-resolution displays, including the retina displays of Apple . From October 2012 it was possible to manage not only profiles but also (organization) pages via the corresponding app for iOS.

integration

In November 2011, Google began integrating information from Google+ into search results. The display of profile photos, which can be seen directly in the results, attracted particular attention. Technically, the connection between Google web search, Google+ and the affected website was realized with the help of meta elements . Marking a website with a profile on Google+ as the author automatically enabled access to Google Webmaster Tools for the respective person .

For several months, Google rated content from the social network Google+ higher than content from competing platforms. As a result, user profiles and pages tended to be displayed above the search results of the competition, provided they were active on Google+. Google wanted to promote the spread of its own network, which drew massive criticism from the European Commission . In August 2012, Google officially discontinued the favor.

Offers submitted early

Game titles such as Angry Birds , Monster World and Zombie Lane were published for Google+ Games . This offer was abandoned on June 30, 2013 due to lack of demand.

literature

  • Ron Faber: Google+. The plus for your social media marketing. Hanser, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-446-43259-8 . (With free e-book)
  • Oliver Gassner: Communicate professionally with Google+. 2nd, revised and updated edition. Stark, Hallbergmoos 2014, ISBN 978-3-86668-971-8 .
  • Annette Schwindt: The Google+ book. O'Reilly, Cologne 2012, ISBN 978-3-86899-160-4 .
  • Björn Tantau: Google+. Entry and strategies for successful marketing and more reach. mitp, Heidelberg 2012, ISBN 978-3-8266-9223-9 .
  • Ralf Wasselowski: Google+. Discover. Understand. Be sure to get involved. Data Becker, Düsseldorf 2012, ISBN 978-3-8158-3729-0 .

Web links

Commons : Google+  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Has Google+ Really Died? In: forbes.com. April 23, 2015, accessed November 10, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Statistics and data on the Internet company Google. In: statista.com. 2016, accessed September 21, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Google+ Turns One: Hits, Misses & What's Ahead. In: The Next Web. June 28, 2012, accessed July 2, 2013 .
  4. ^ Claire Cain Miller: Another Try by Google to Take On Facebook. In: New York Times . June 28, 2011, accessed June 30, 2011 .
  5. ↑ Suddenly, Google Plus Is Outpacing Twitter To Become The World's Second Largest Social Network. Retrieved July 2, 2013 .
  6. ↑ a b Google closes the Google Plus online network faster. In: bluewin.ch . December 11, 2018, accessed December 11, 2018 .
  7. ↑ heise.de
  8. ↑ Martin Kaste: Facebook's Newest Challenger: Google Plus. In: National Public Radio. June 29, 2011, accessed June 30, 2011 .
  9. ↑ Vic Gundotra: Google+: 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 ... 100. In: Official Google Blog. September 20, 2011, accessed September 21, 2011 .
  10. ↑ Jens Minor: Google+: Now also for minors - with stricter rules. In: GoogleWatchBlog. January 27, 2012, accessed August 26, 2012 .
  11. ↑ Bernd Zolchhofer: Growth does not stop: Google+ breaks 50 million user limit? September 26, 2011, archived from the original on September 24, 2012 ; Retrieved August 26, 2012 .
  12. ↑ Thomas Cloer: Google names new user numbers for Google+. In: Computerwoche. March 7, 2012, accessed March 7, 2012 .
  13. ^ Claire Cain Miller: Another Try by Google to Take On Facebook. In: The New York Times . June 28, 2011, Retrieved August 26, 2012 .
  14. ↑ sg: More than 500 million members - and 2 new functions. In: internet WORLD BUSINESS. December 7, 2012, accessed March 4, 2013 .
  15. ↑ blogspot.de
  16. ↑ The online network Google says goodbye to Google+ . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . April 25, 2014, ISSN  0174-4909 ( faz.net ).
  17. ↑ Death sentence after failure. Retrieved October 8, 2018 .
  18. ↑ Your name and Google+ profile. In: Google+ Help. Google Inc., accessed May 14, 2012 .
  19. ↑ Google+: No mandatory name required. heise online, accessed on July 17, 2014 .
  20. ↑ Differences between Google+ pages and Google+ profiles. In: Google+ Help. Google Inc., archived from the original on May 22, 2012 ; Retrieved May 14, 2012 .
  21. ^ Max Arnold: About the Google Plus project. (No longer available online.) In: Google+ Blog. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011 ; Retrieved July 6, 2011 .
  22. ↑ About circles. In: Google+ Help. Google Inc., accessed July 1, 2011 .
  23. ↑ Pascal Herbert: Picasa with unlimited storage space. In: GoogleWatchBlog. July 1, 2011, accessed July 2, 2011 .
  24. ↑ Via the +1 button. In: Google+ Help. Google Inc., accessed July 1, 2011 .
  25. ↑ Konrad Lischka: New recommendation service: Google counters Facebook's like-me strategy. In: Spiegel Online. March 30, 2011, accessed August 26, 2012 .
  26. ↑ Notifications. In: Google+ Help. Google Inc., archived from the original on May 22, 2012 ; Retrieved March 1, 2012 .
  27. ↑ About Hangouts. In: Google+ help. Retrieved July 1, 2011 .
  28. ↑ Google+ Hangouts On Air now also in Germany - Goes live on the air and the whole world is there! In: The official Google Product Blog. August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2012 .
  29. ↑ Google activates Hangout video streams in Germany. In: Zeit Online. August 15, 2012, archived from the original on May 4, 2016 ; Retrieved August 26, 2012 .
  30. ↑ Via the Google+ bar. In: Google+ Help. Google Inc., accessed July 24, 2011 .
  31. ↑ Jörn Brien: Google+ Communities: Social Network gets group function. In: t3n magazine . December 6, 2012, archived from the original on December 9, 2012 ; Retrieved December 6, 2012 .
  32. ↑ Lars Budde: "Google+ accounts for 20 percent of the planned functions". In: t3n magazine. November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012 .
  33. ↑ Share content on Google+ (open "Posting tips"!). Retrieved May 8, 2013 .
  34. ↑ First steps with your profile in Google+. In: Google+ Help. Google Inc., accessed May 14, 2012 .
  35. ↑ Falk Hedemann: Google+ Vanity URLs started in Germany. In: t3n. August 23, 2012, archived from the original on August 25, 2012 ; Retrieved August 24, 2012 .
  36. ↑ Google+ opens for companies and brands. In: The Standard . November 7, 2011, accessed August 26, 2012 .
  37. ↑ Jörg Erdmann: Google+: Marking "verified name" for company profiles. (No longer available online.) In: MuscleCat. May 4, 2012, archived from the original on September 4, 2012 ; Retrieved September 4, 2012 .
  38. ^ Joel Falconer: Google+ Page APIs opening up to hundreds of social tool companies. In: The Next Web. July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012 .
  39. ↑ Lars Budde: Google+ Pages can now be managed with Hootsuite. (No longer available online.) In: t3n. July 19, 2012, archived from the original on July 23, 2012 ; Retrieved July 22, 2012 .
  40. ↑ Andreas Floemer: Also the Android version of the Google+ app in a new look. (No longer available online.) In: t3n magazine. May 24, 2012, archived from the original on June 26, 2012 ; Retrieved July 11, 2012 .
  41. ↑ Andreas Floemer: Google+ app for iPad released. (No longer available online.) In: t3n magazine. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012 ; Retrieved July 11, 2012 .
  42. ↑ Andreas Floemer: Google+ app update: Manage Pages on the go, too. In: t3n magazine . October 11, 2012, accessed October 13, 2012 .
  43. ↑ Falk Hedemann: Google+ Integration: Search shows author pictures and profiles. In: t3n. November 28, 2011, accessed August 6, 2012 .
  44. ↑ Falk Hedemann: Use author images in the Google search now. In: t3n. February 14, 2012, archived from the original on August 6, 2012 ; Retrieved August 6, 2012 .
  45. ↑ Lars Budde: Web search revised: Google+ content is no longer preferred. In: t3n. August 13, 2012, archived from the original on August 15, 2012 ; Retrieved August 13, 2012 .
  46. ↑ About games. In: Google+ Help. Retrieved August 21, 2011 .
  47. ↑ Jens Minor: Played: Google will discontinue Google+ Games in a few weeks - GWB. In: googlewatchblog.de. May 17, 2013, accessed March 14, 2014 .