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# How Google+ Works

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YLQyF5d5.m3u8" -->
## Video: How Google+ Works

[Watch (HLS stream): How Google+ Works](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YLQyF5d5.m3u8) (2:00)

![How Google+ Works](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/YLQyF5d5/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2011-07-14. Here's a very quick and basic look at how Google+ works and how it compares to the likes of Facebook and Twitter._


---

Jul 27, 2023 3:15 PM UTC

---

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## Transcript

The new social network on the block, Google + has arrived. Here's a very quick and basic look at how the service works and how it compares to the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Why quick and basic? Because I have two minutes for these videos, and anything more complicated would be like trying to explain the human soul to my dog. Do we even have a soul, and if so what what happens to that soul when we die? Like what, what, does it just disappear too, or is it just the body that dies? That's really the biggest question, but several other, okay. Facebook can be considered a closed network in that for most cases you give people permission to connect to you, and likewise people you wish to connect to have to allow you to do so.

Twitter can be considered an open network in that you set up an account that anyone else can follow even people who aren't Twitter users. Google + is a little bit of about. Like Twitter, people can follow you on Google + and any public messages you post can be viewed by anybody, even non Google + members. However, you can add other Google + members to your own Google + circles and if they have also added you to their own circles, it establishes a closed network similar to how Facebook works. So, there's a little more setup involved with Google + because you have to categorize your connections into one or more.

Circles. With Facebook, on the other hand, friend requests are either approved or denied and then your connections can be sorted into groups after the fact. As for communicating, if I wanna send a message out in my Google + stream, I can make it so that anyone who's following me, as in, they've added me to one of their circles can see it. Anyone in someone else's circle who's in one of my circles can see it. [ MUSIC ] Or I can send it to only people in one or more of my circles who also have me in their circles. Confused yet? It makes a little more sense once you actually start using it. There are some other cool and notable Google + features such as sparks, which are news articles based on various interest you could share with people and hangouts, which is ten person live video chatting for people who have jobs for video chatting with nine other people as a frowned upon.

Were after hours chatting I guess, So what is Google +? Is it the new Facebook, kind of, not really. Is it the new Twitter? Kind of. Not really. Is it worth checking out. Absolutely.

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