Google+, Day 4: Pros and Cons of Circles

30 Years With Google+: Day 4

Google+ is made-up around the concept of Circles. Building a multi-ethnic network on Google+ seems like a more conscious or intentional practice because I can't tot someone to the social network without placing the contact into at to the lowest degree one Circle. Some privacy advocates see this as a benefit, merely I can besides see a potential downside to the way the Circles are used.

The Pros

I can understand how Google came finished with the musical theme of Circles for its social mesh. IT's not rotatory–it's just how people by nature compartmentalize living anyway. I have family, friends, experienced friends from high shoal or college, co-workers, former co-workers, contacts with suchlike euphony interests who I've never flat met in real world, etc.. IT is biological to segregate contacts from different facets of my life into their own groups.

Group relationships isn't revolutionary, it is honorable the way information technology is naturally done.

When I write a base on Google+, I experience to prefer which Circles that data testament constitute shared with. I can select scarce one Circle, or tenfold Circles. I can also choose to share with all of my Circles, or my extended Circles–which includes everyone in my Circles, plus everyone those contacts have in their Circles, or I can exactly make the station Public which means everyone who has me in a Circle will see it.

When IT comes to sharing information, much things I might want to share with my family and close friends might be too personal for groups like "multitude online with similar music interests who I've never met in real world." IT is also possible that I might need to share the same information, merely at different levels depending on the Circles.

E.g., explaining that I won't Be going in to work Monday can take in very different meanings depending on the Circle. I might want to LET my "co-workers" Band know that I'm not feeling very well and South Korean won't make it in, and then have my "friends" Circle know that I'll meet them at the beach, and I'm delivery the beer.

The fact that Google+ forces me to portion my contacts to Circle(s) means that I rich person to be to a greater extent aware of the relationships I have within my interpersonal network, and actually put together many conscious intellection into how to segregate them, and which ones I am soothing sharing more sensitive information with.

**I read the value of Google+ Circles, but IT adds more complexity than it's meriting.**

The Cons

Sounds good sol far, only I see some issues. First, it can be difficult to segregate contacts, friends, and acquaintances that way. I take over a few very close friends who I antimonopoly added to the "family" Circuit, only beyond that shaping a "booster" versus an "acquaintance", or creating additional Circles in between can be very nuanced.

Once the basic compartmentalizing of relationships into Circles is completed, past I have to consider those relationships again each time I post information on Google+. Should the information I am posting only constitute shared with family line and close friends? What about co-workers? Maybe IT is Oklahoma to share with friends, but non acquaintances?

As I pointed dead at the stop of Daytime 3, the Circles are not unique entities. It is more of a Venn diagram where the circles lap. My first cousin mightiness work with me, or my best protagonist might be on my golf game team. Instances where one contact straddles multiple Circles exacerbates the issue because if the contact comments on, or reshares the information with their Circles, it may inadvertently ending up being uncovered to contacts I specifically chose not to parcel it with.

In that respect are some options to let me restrict how my posts are shared, indeed it is possible to fend off that post. We'll covert the privacy controls another day, though.

I have created the Circles. If something comes up that I only deprivation to share with my family, I possess that selection. In general, though, I only post stuff that I wear't mind everyone in my social network seeing. In point of fact, I put on't mind if my extended multi-ethnic network (my social network, and those in their social networks as well) sees IT. I get into't get it on the exact figure, merely supported along the whole six degrees of legal separation thing I think over it's pretty such in the public eye at that point.

I don't want to put so much effort into figuring tabu who should, or who will see a given post. I'll clean use Public.

Read the most recently "30 Days" series: 30 Days With the iPad

Day 3: Filling In the Circles

Day 5: The "Actual Name calling" Debate