Monday, December 19, 2011

Google announces welcome improvements to Google+


Google+
Google has some great new improvements in the works for Google+, and today they let us know we'll be getting them soon -- as in before New Year's Day.  Starting to roll out in the "next few days", we'll be seeing changes to the way notifications look and feel, which posts are shown in your main stream, a new photo lightbox display, and changes to the way Google+ Pages are administered.
Notifications (that red box you see in the new Google bar) are being improved so that you'll have a preview of what's new instead of just a notice that it's there.  A welcome change, especially if you replay to posts from folks who quickly hit the 500 comment limit.
Google is adding a way to fine-tune what type of posts are shown in your main stream, with a slider for each user you've circled.  This should allow better control, and it's a great idea that many have been asking for.  Let's face it -- some users post a lot of content you just don;t want to see.  It will be interesting to see how they pull this one off.
The photo lightbox -- the page that's shown when you click a photo from your stream -- has been enhanced, with a new look as well as the way comments and options are presented to users.  Since Google+ is a great way to share photos, making the way they are displayed to you and I is a pretty big deal.  Looking forward to this one myself.
Finally, Google+ Pages, accounts for businesses and websites, have had tweaks that webmasters and managers will welcome.  Up to 50 people will be able to administrate the account, a new notification system will help keep admins more in-the-loop about content, and new tools will be provided to see just who is interacting with your stream. 
These look like great improvements, and several of them should trickle down to the Google+ mobile app -- like filtering your stream.  The Google+ team looks to have had a busy fall, and we're about to see the results.  Be sure to visit the link to check out a couple videos and learn more.

No comments: