Q&A: Google+
Is it popular? Very much so. More than 10 million people created profiles in just two weeks. And Google's chief executive, Larry Page, recently confirmed that those members are sharing more than 1 billion items of information each day.
How do I join? Many people were sent invitations by Google, or through friends who have the company's Gmail account. But those who've already been invited at this point and haven't joined are out of luck for now.
Why's that? The site has "temporarily exceeded" its capacity and visitors will have to try signing up later. Google only has the site in testing phase right now but promises "it won't be long before the Google+ project is ready for everyone".
Social networking sites are not just big distractions for those who want to waste a little time at work. These days, many of the latest mobile phones are being designed as gateway tools for websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Nokia's N9 smartphone, which the company announced just last month, boasts an 8-megapixel, Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor within its camera. Yet the company also made a point of highlighting how the mobile's screen comes with three different home views "to give fast access to the most important things people do with a phone", which includes staying up-to-date with notifications and social networks in addition to tapping apps. Neither the phone's pricing nor availability in the region has been announced.
Acer's SocialJogger application on its new Liquid mt mobile is also targeted at social networking users. This particular app is designed to aggregate people's Facebook and Twitter feeds. It also allows users to surf through status updates and tweets, using a track wheel, while receiving updates on the mobile's homescreen. The release of this particular mobile was announced last week and it is now retailing in the Emirates for Dh1,799 (US$490).
Another new mobile from Acer - the beTouch E210 - takes a page from a popular BlackBerry model by combining a touchscreen with a full keyboard. When it comes to social networking, this particular device features a one-click "share" button that can swiftly upload web links, pictures, videos or status updates on to sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
The Motorola Atrix 4G, which went on sale in the UAE this month for Dh2,599 to Dh2,799, runs Android 2.2 and links to more than 150,000 applications, including the usual social networking suspects. A more impressive feature, though, is Motorblur, which continuously synchronises someone's most-used content, such as contacts from personal and work phonebooks, with those from Facebook or Twitter.
Top 5: social networking sites by users
1 Facebook: more than 750 million
2 Twitter: more than 300 million
3 LinkedIn: more than 100 million
4 MySpace: more than 100 million
5 Ning: more than 29 million
Source: 2010 figures from International Data, a market research company.
The Quote: We are building toward a web where the default is social. Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook
