The next big thing?
Google likes to innovate and develop. And we all know that Google generally does that at the speed of the TGV. And so it did again now. Burning with curiosity, I created a community as fast as I could . And I have to say: that was quick, easy and brought me to a number of surprising features, which its 'counterpart' Facebook Groups does not have.
What immediately stands out is that Google+ Communities is much more focused on sharing, sharing and sharing. list to data It was (rightly) set up with the idea of bringing people with a shared interest together and sharing the latest developments or personal experiences. You will also immediately receive (even before you create your own community) a number of suggestions for communities you can join.
When you create a community yourself, you can set whether everyone can participate in your community or whether you keep it private. The 'public' option is offered on the left (and actually first), with the message 'Your community will be open to the world'. Google makes a clear statement here.
You can immediately invite your circles to participate, after which it is time for your first post. Nice to know: you do not have to log in to your community to share something. From your Google+ homepage you can share everything you want. Are you a member of multiple communities? Then you can indicate which community you want to fire the post at. And there is more: you can share directly with your communities from any website that uses a Google +1 button.
Google + Communities is, in my opinion, a real addition to the existing networks and features within the social landscape. Where Facebook focuses on people who already know each other, Google focuses with these communities on discovering our world and the people + interests that exist within that world. And before you shout “Twitter”: Twitter is also, in my opinion, not a comparable platform: 140 characters per post and 100% text (links to images don’t really count in my opinion) is not enough to share your passion.