Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) has remodeled Google Plus, its social network for enterprise and consumer users. In an effort to compete better with Facebook, Google's made it prettier, with flexibility to add new future features. But does it really have 170 million users, as claimed? In IT Blogwatch, bloggers give it a spin.
By Richi Jennings: Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention: Do not install this smartphone app...
Sharon Gaudin rings the changes:
The redesign sports more white space and moves the...navigation bar from the top of the page to...along the left-side. The buttons...can now be hidden or rearranged.
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With a large picture at the top and the user's photo to the right, the profile page seems to have taken a cue from Facebook. 
Nick Bilton opines aesthetically:
The new design is much prettier and easier to navigate. ... The Web, it seems, is becoming a lean-back viewing experience.
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Photos have become a focus of the new...design. Images shared in the stream are presented in a large view and flow into the...stream seamlessly.
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But the new design isn't all party hats and balloons. The new design...does not extend to the mobile experience, yet.
Here's Google's Vic Gundotra: [Surely, "Vic's PR minions"? -Ed.]
It's still early days...but we're more excited than ever to build a seamless social experience, all across Google.
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We think you'll find it easier to use and nicer to look at...[and] it accelerates our efforts to create a simpler, more beautiful Google. ... [We] built the ribbon with the future in mind, giving us...space for The Next Big Feature, and The Feature After That.
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We're aiming for an experience that fuses utility with beauty—one that inspires you to connect with others, and cherish the conversations that unfold. ... Simply put, we're hoping to make sharing more awesome by making it more evocative.
But Mohamed Mansour is not happy:
Why is Google trying to be so evil to the developer community?
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Facebook never did stuff like this. ... They always presented us a transition period...in a BETA sandbox weeks before they release it to the public.
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I guess I will officially give up...developing apps [for] Google+ and find another platform...that will welcome us, Facebook.
Meanwhile, Kelly Fiveash is puzzled:
Mountain View claimed today that 170 million users had "upgraded" to Google+. ... [But] what exactly does Google mean?
...
[All] new Google account signups are now automatically plonked into Google+. Many...won't necessarily know that they can opt out of that "upgrade". ... Add to that those people who were using [Google] services long before Google+ arrived, who...[took] a quick look...but who never went back.
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[It's] a useless number that once again reveals zilch about real time engagement with that service.
And Finally...
Do not install this smartphone app
[hat tip: Fark]
Don't miss out on IT Blogwatch:
Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. He's the creator and main author of Computerworld's IT Blogwatch, for which he has won ASBPE and Neal awards. He also writes The Long View for IDG Enterprise. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can read Richi's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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