Posted by Google+ Circles: a solution for those with multiple online personalities
So, after two weeks of using Google+ I have come to realize that there is a need to somehow separate Public posts from Circle Posts. As demonstrated in the left side of the above diagram, in the current build, a Plus user is able to categorize the people who they follow into different Circles based on their personal affiliation. Friends, Family, Industry, these are fairly simple designations, more often than not with some overlap. One might share photos and cat video posts with Friends and Family, while the obligatory commentary about how great Google+ is would be limited to one’s Industry Circle. The issue that I have is with the Public Circle seeing as it encompasses all of the other circles. So whatever you post Publicly goes to every one of your Circles.
To use my own scenario, I have decided that my Public face on Google+ is going to be focused on Music. So I have been posting Music links to my Public wall. However, in doing so, everyone who is following me, whether it be an Industry contact or a Family member must put up with these Public posts. Which pretty much defeats the purpose of content categorization from the broadcasting side of things. I could convince my mom to get onto Google+ if I could demonstrate to her that all she would ever see is pictures of her granddaughter without having to wade through an entire evening of post-dubstep YouTube links.
What I think is needed is a distinction between Private Circles and Public circles, whereby Private Circles’ “membership” is controlled and maintained by the Circle Owner, while Public Circles are created by the owner but subscribed to by the user. Returning to the Music scenario, I would create a circle called Music that would be Public so anyone can subscribe to the content but it would not go to everyone in my Circles, unless they also chose subscribe.
Ultimately, for me, I realize that in many cases I am more interested in following a particular topic that an individual is posting about more than than the actual individual. Hopefully, future updates will provide more user side options for filtering and personalizing content channels. In the meantime, I guess my mom is just going to have to learn to appreciate the finer points of a sick 130 bpm groove.
The ability to segregate personal social circles makes sense and replicates real world conversation. You discuss some things with co-workers, other topics with friends, and particulars with family. Not only that, we have A, B, and C lists of friends, contacts, and colleagues.
Plus is the evolution of social networks, but can they continue to innovate? I think a big advantage being that since Google owns it, they’ll be able to integrate with our web use, so we aren’t confines to living within a network or walled garden such as Facebook has created.
Since Google is an advertiser before anything else, it will be interesting to see how they data is used to drive more targeted ads.
Great post, Kevin. Sparks seems like it should fit into this niche you’re describing, though it’s current build feels unfinished and clearly isn’t designed to be doing what you’re describing (yet).
In my mind, a more developed Sparks offering would look more like Tumblr’s edited topic streams. Within that there’s probably room for smaller, more personal, shareable channels like what you describe.