The big innovation is that it lets users organize their contacts into "circles" or groups and post content that can only be viewed by one circle.
After having tried and failed to make a dent in the social media marketplace last year, Google may finally have struck gold with Google+, a social network that launched at the end of June and is gradually being rolled out to a limited number of users.
The new service has strong similarities in appearance and function to Facebook -- allowing users to connect with friends and family, share photos and post updates -- but it offers several new features that may entice longtime Facebook users and give the social network a run for its money.
Customize your news feed. The big innovation of Google+ is that it lets users organize their contacts into "circles" or groups and post content that can only be viewed by one circle but not another. So, for example, you might create a circle called "friends" and share inside jokes and pictures from your nights out, while creating another circle called "co-workers" to share more professional posts like links to industry news.
In this way, you can avoid exposing your professional contacts to potentially controversial content, and likewise avoid boring your friends with work updates. Facebook attempted a similar feature several months ago called Groups, but it wasn't as well integrated or intuitive to use.
The Google+ circles option doesn't just ensure a greater degree of privacy than many users may be accustomed to on other social networks, it also lets you heavily customize and organize your news feed.
On Facebook, users generally see updates from friends, family and co-workers all together in one never-ending feed that can only be organized by date or the number of other users who liked or commented on a given post.
With Google+, however, you can choose to view the entire news feed, or only posts from certain groups. So you could theoretically make a group called "Inner Circle" that features only your closest friends, and check that first each time you log in to ensure that none of their updates ever get lost among the larger pool of people you follow
Contact users directly. Last year, Facebook overhauled its messaging system and suggested it could overtake traditional email, but in fact, one of the less-talked-about Google+ features could actually prove to be the end of email as we know it.
When users post content, they can select a group or an individual who can exclusively see the content, much in the same way one might do on Twitter by mentioning another user in a post. The big difference from Twitter, though, is that no one other than the user you mention would be able to view that post. In effect, then, you could carry on the kind of conversation you would by email or through Facebook messages, but have it all be viewable in your news feed, an option that may prove more convenient for many users.
Video chatting. Facebook made headlines last week by partnering with Skype to offer a free video chat feature on the site, but Google+ beat it to the punch. Google+ applies the company's existing chat features and makes it possible for users to video chat one-on-one or in groups (as long as their computer has a webcam). All the user has to do is opt to "Start a hangout" and invite his or her connections to join. The feature is not only useful for friends, but even for businesses looking for a cheap way to set up a virtual conference room.
If this feature isn't enough, Google has gone one step further by allowing users to incorporate YouTube videos into their hangout space, making it possible for you to watch short clips with friends who are miles away and talk to each other about it instantly.
Facebook has dabbled in a similar effort by partnering with movie studios to stream a select few films on the social network and let users comment on them, but given the vast selection of videos on YouTube, it seems Facebook is falling behind in this effort as well.
