Google’s recently new network, Google+ has undergone some changes yesterday, complete with a big facelift and lots of new/expanded features.
The new look is softer and cleaner. There is an easy navigation system where all the icons, formerly on the top left but now arranged vertically down the left side of the screen, are positioned in a way users can jump quickly to different sections of Google+. The customized navigation features new Hangouts and Explore pages, and is easy to customize.
In the earlier version of Google+ the input box was a big majority of space on the browser. Now, it is much smaller allowing for more focus on photos and videos. Like the new Facebook timeline, Google+ has integrated a cover photo. Also, the chat list now takes a more prominent position.
Users of the old version of Google+ bashed it saying, it was too “dull” and “hard to navigate.” Google executives are hoping this change will satisfy users.
For a roundup of what others are saying, here are a few of our favorite articles so far:
From The New York Times:
Google made its social network site on the Web cleaner and smoother, with soft gray tones that flow into a central stream of updates from users. It presents a neat stack of icons that sit off to the left of the screen, allowing people to jump quickly to different areas of Google Plus. The options include Hangouts, the Google group video chat; Google Plus Photos; Google Circles; and Games —
…A new Hangouts page, for instance, shows Hangout invitations from people in your circles and makes it easier to browse upcoming hangouts. With a new Explore page, users can see the content that is trending across the network.
Meanwhile, Google+’s version of the News Feed has been redesigned, too, and now features full bleed photos and “conversation cards,” which better separate each post and the discussion from the next by wrapping it in a box. Activity surrounding the content – like how many people “plussed” it or re-shared your post – is also now available directly beneath your shared item in a drop-down box (the “activity drawer”).
To learn more on how to navigate through the new Google+ listen to Dave at today’s Lunch & Learn Series at OffiCenters. Can’t make it today? Join us for our FREE Buzz Builders Webinar this Wednesday, April 18 at noon CT.
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