Many articles have been written regarding Google+ (Google Plus), Google’s new foray into the social media world (after Google Buzz’s inauspicious beginnings):
Google+ offers chance for a social reboot
Tech elite struggling to define Google+
I think Google has a winner with Google+. With Facebook, it’s all or nothing. That boss that you didn’t want to “Friend” doesn’t have to see all of your updates on Google+. You can simply put your boss in his own circle. Circles give you the ability to determine who sees what. So if you want your closest friends to see something that you don’t want your boss to see, then you can put your boss in his own circle of one.
I’ve used it for about a week and I just have one word of caution. The receiver of the post on Google+ has no idea who is in the circle that your post was sent from. Thus, if you reply to that post, you have no idea who is seeing that. You might have the unfortunate situation where the boss who you left on an island by himself (circle of one) is included in your friend’s more intimate circle of friends.
Initially, I thought that Google didn’t provide a way to see a list of the recipients of the update, but I stand corrected. You can see who the post was directed to by clicking on the the “Limited” link, which lists the people who can see the post. Feature Request to Google: having a field to show the name of the circle would be nice. Just be careful — before posting a reply, check to see that you are in fact responding to your tight circle of mutual friends instead of everyone and their mother, including your boss.
