What goes around comes around:Google+ CIRCLES
What were we thinking when I created this PowerPoint slide, back in the early days of mobile?
When Google+ and circles crossed my radar recently, the meeting that resulted in this graphic creation back in 2004 flashed into my consciousness.………
MobileEverywhere, an ambitious tech start-up with Mike Hess at the helm, was “obsessed” with security & privacy related to the “circles’ of mobile users; secure virtual networks (SVN’s). Even at that time we were cognizant of overlapping & extended circles of users, and the large amount of information, which would be shared & passed around, though at the time we really had no idea of the social media explosion, which would happen soon thereafter. Security and Privacy were justifiable concerns, and a potential business opportunity. All is true today.
MobileEverywhere was a mobile phone focus and Google+ now 7 years later is into the “newer” Social Networking space. However the “circles” difference I see between Google+ and our model ca. 2004, is that the users in the above illustration were aware of all those in their own circle…..in essence able to see and be seen at anytime, anywhere (this function was an opt-in/out) You could choose to be seen or not. Instead in Google+, you have no clue how you are filed or cataloged in other’s circles, unless they tell you. Would this opt-in/out feature be an improvement to Google+ circles?
I am quite curious to learn how people are using “circles” to catalog and or manage their groups, and a couple of people have kindly shared theirs with me. My circles are as follows:
SMART ~ Smart online connections with whom I already regularly converse.
DESIGNERS ~ The best designers I know whom I converse with online.
NON PROFIT ~ Everyone involved in non-profit endeavors, who add to my learning experience.
ALWAYS LEARNING ~ People we ALL learn from (many are on my Twitterati list), and you can bet just about everyone else has them in their circles!
EXTENDED AWARENESS ~ People I really want to get to know (new finds on Google+ that appear interesting; and note this is NOT a catch-all for circling everyone back !)
IRL (obvious)
PROJECTS ~ I’m hoping to use this circle like I did Twine and Diigo; sending specific info to people involved in a specific start-up or architectural design project. This could morph into several project “circles” ~ Will this work?
When I first heard about Circles in Google+ I thought the circles were going to be a direct enabler for conversations of like-minded people, because we would all know who was in a specific circle. But you don’t; so, do you think it will work as the conversation enabler I visualized?
Remember MobileEverywhere? Didn’t think so…. They didn’t get funding, and the technology was pointed in another direction. It’s probably only a tiny coincidence that the MobileEverywhere technical guru headed to Google next…..
CASUDI
Building Bridges between People ~ Designing Success.
July 17th, 2011 at 9:37 am
I like being able to create multiple circles, not knowing which circles in which others have placed me at their end, Casudi. Your extended awareness circle sums it up. Whereas conventional social platforms force one:all relationships, circles one:few:many:all; allows us to filter incoming information according to perceived value and importance.
The onus is on us to ensure we allow diverse perspectives into our streams, as there is real potential for the creation of echo chambers that merely reinforce inflexible beliefs and dilute the stream with thin value; which we can eliminate by removing the unspoken expectation to auto-follow. I think, if set up correctly, G+ provides an opportunity to curate a small number of strong ties which will provide relevant second, third, and fourth order connections to global society.
It’s a real step in the right direction!
July 17th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
I agree it’s a step in the right direction.
However, I still would like circles more defined ~ie: have the option of knowing who is there. Maybe I’ll get over this when I create my specific “project” circles and publish a list of those who need to know related to a project (circle)
I’d like to thank you for your help in getting me up and running initially in G+ and also thank you for commenting here. This is going to be an exciting dialog wherever it takes place.
July 18th, 2011 at 8:21 am
Anytime, Casudi.
While I prefer the privacy of keeping my circles to myself by default, that’s not to say I’m opposed to sharing who I’ve got where at some point in the future. To that end, perhaps the ability to selectively share circles (a la Twitter lists) if so desired could be provided in the future. Google does seem to be rolling out mad updates to the platform fairly regularly.
This would have to be optional, discretionary, though. I’m not yet so bold as to have a publicly viewable list of “Shitheels” or “Shills.” Then again, what does it say about us, socially, if we’re willing to add such people to our streams?
.-= Brian Driggs´s last blog ..Everything We Thought We Knew About Organizing Rallies Is Wrong =-.