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SarchieSome of you might be aware Google have created a new social website, Google+. At the moment it is in its beta stage and so invites are a must and very few. But soon it will be open to the public. It is predicted to rival Facebook and Myspace, however it is a lot different so those loyal to other websites do not think of it as a take over.
You can add friends to groups (circles) and update particular groups on what is happening, or find out what they are doing.
By selecting particular circles to network to you will be able to be updated on certain topics. Say if you had a circle just for teddy bear people; collectors and artist! you could update everyone on what is new just to that group, without spamming family and friends news feed. you could then post updates so only your friends and family know about and no one from any other circle will be able to view (unless in both circles - your choice). I think this would be a great site for the Teddy-bear community. Imagine updating all your collectors on new ideas and bears available and they would all be able to see your groups. You can share your groups so other people can invite the people on your lists. (you can also choose the circles's you share). This would be great!
What do people think?
I am in the beta and so far so good, I can try and send out invites if anyone is interested? or let people know when it is available to the public?
Everything I've heard sounds good - especially the circles feature (for the reasons you mention). The constant and senseless changes at FB, on the other hand, I'm getting tired of.
I know Google+ is another mega-corporate endeavor, but if they have the resources and can provide me with a useful and cost-free service - I'm in! 
Becky
SarchieI see it as another form of free advertising and you don't have to sort through your wall to find the topics. All you would need to do is sort your people into the groups you want. (one just for artist and collectors would be great) and then post updates so only they will be able to read particular feed. You will be able to be social and business-like
If you had a big group of other artists and collectors world wide you would always have things to socialise about and maybe even bond more. You may even get feedback from collectors on what they like and dislike etc. They can respond or share your updates.
SarchieIf anyone is interested in joining pm me your name and email and I will invite you when I can.
Boechout, AntwerpI have read an article in our paper about the new GOOGLE+ and it did sound interesting to me.
I still love FB, but it is getting more and more difficult to find the really interesting posts between all the other stuff like games and events.
So I am definitely willing to give it a try. I will send you a PM.
Thanks for inviting us. 
Hugs, :hug:
Peter & the bears
SarchieWell if anyone is interested in joining the new Google plus it seems to be online now.
Test it for yourselves, I have found it to be very interesting and believe this would further the bear community in keeping artist and collectors up-to-date. You can post updates, videos, messages and you can also do video chats with other people, multiple people even.
desertmountainbearMe too, I would like to take a look.
Joanne
Boechout, AntwerpOKAY, I am in and so far so good; it's looking very good: more user-friendly, pages are not filled with advertising (yet 
); we'll have to wait and see until they unleash it on the general public.
If anyone is interested in adding me to their circle: Peter Masscharis is my name.
Hugs, :hug:
Peter & the bears
SarchieI believe it is now open to the public. It has been out 1month almost and is just about to hit 18million people joined. - Thats how popular it is.
I have been on it daily and have a circle for another forum I'm in (not to do with teddy bears) and I have 1300 people constantly posting updates and information. This is how I know if all collectors and artist join it would be great. :o) people can choose to share their circles so others can add those people and then all people would need to do is go through and add all those people in the circles. It does not work like facebook, people do not need to accept invitations to add to friend. The way it works is people can choose to see other peoples updates in their news feed.
its and ongoing new feed, gifs, pictures and videos can be posted aswell as updates on anything and everything.
If people have trouble with working it out just me know and I will be happy to walk people through.
To find artist and collectors please everyone list their names or emails, I can then ad you all to one cirlce and the share with others so they can all add those people in the circle as well. :o) - thats part can take time if there is 100's lol.
Btw I have sent invitations out to people that have requested. otherwise if you have already joined pm me and I will add you to my Bear circle. :o)
I've been on for about a week. So far I like the look and feel. Sherroy if you can add me to your circle.
I can also send out invites if anyone needs one just PM me your name and email address.
Hugs,
DallyMay TeddiesI don't know if Google+ is operational in South Africa but I've tried Googling it and can't pick it up.
Coraleen
desertmountainbearI have just joined and have to spend some time looking around to get the feel of it.
I have also learned that with Facebook you can post things to only certain lists of friends you keep and only they can see the post. This is something I never knew about and I have gone on and reordered lists. I think it will make things easier for me there too.
Joanne
I too have been using Google+, and it seems OK.
-- Thomas Adam
MelbourneI have just joined and have to spend some time looking around to get the feel of it.
I have also learned that with Facebook you can post things to only certain lists of friends you keep and only they can see the post. This is something I never knew about and I have gone on and reordered lists. I think it will make things easier for me there too.
Joanne
I'll check out this Google+ but how do you only post to certain groups in FB? I can see that you can post to "Friends", "Friends of Friends" etc, but if you have made "lists" of friends such as "teddy bears", "games" etc., is this what you mean???
desertmountainbearYes if you have your people in lists then when you post look for the little lock right below the post. Click it. If you go to customize it will allow you to post to just certain people of just certain lists of friends. I love this, and have been using it alot. I also think that may be why some people are not noticing as much feedback on posts, because in the privacy settings they may have made a default that not everyone is included in.
I did that not realizing. I made a "friends list" and then in my privacy setting where it says who can see your posts I chose friends. So only my "friends list" was seeing the posts. Not everyone which is what I really wanted.
So now with every post and picture I decide with that little lock who gets to see what, much better.
Joanne
MelbourneThat's a great idea Joanne. I've made up a "games" list so when posting coins etc, it should only go to them now (I hope). I checked it out last night. Now I just have to remember to change it when I want to post to everyone.
Sherroy, send me an invite so I can check out Google+. Thanks.
Donna's Duin BruinsJoAnne,
Thanks for the FB explaination! That will be so helpful.
Donna
LeftyBears by Natascha SaboI'm on Google+ too, if you want to add me to your circle:
I'm Natascha Sabo
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Biz Break: What's in a name? Google+ is working on that
By Jeremy C. Owens
jowens@mercurynews.com
Posted: 07/26/2011 01:25:28 PM PDT
Updated: 07/26/2011 02:31:10 PM PDT
Today: Google (GOOG)+ recovers from weekend's wrath at account suspensions, Facebook changes its policies on facial recognition and Netflix (NFLX) faces Wal-Mart and Wall Street challenges
Growing pains for Google+
What is a person's real name in cyberspace? With so many people known by usernames or nicknames on websites, message boards and more -- some for safety reasons -- where does a social network draw the line on how users represent themselves?
Google+ has run head-on into that conundrum this week, and they seem to be groping their way toward a conclusion, but only after angering a multitude of early adopters.
Google+ clearly states in its conduct policy that users should "use the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you. For example, if your full legal name is Charles Jones Jr. but you normally use Chuck Jones or Junior Jones, either of those would be acceptable." However, that does not leave room for the more off-the-wall names people go by on the Web.
The problems started this weekend, when Google+ deleted many profiles that seemed to be created under pseudonyms, including one owned by a former Google employee known both online and offline as "Skud." Anger bubbled to the service quickly, with users expressing outrage, as compiled rapidly on Saturday by Violet Blue at ZDNet.
By Sunday night, Google+ was responding. Blogger Robert Scoble caught up with Google's Vic Gundotra, one of the top two executives for Google+, who told him that Google has "made some mistakes while doing the first pass at this and they are learning."
"He also says they are working on ways to handle pseudonyms, but that will be a while before the team can turn on those features," Scoble reported.
On Tuesday, the other executive in charge of the social network, Bradley Horowitz, used Google+ for a full-fledged response that announced a rollout of some of the changes in how the company will approach such issues in the future.
The most immediate change will be warnings sent to users, who will have a chance to change their name before the profile is suspended. The warning will include a guide to what is acceptable. In the future, Google+ is looking at changing the sign-up procedure to help avoid more reviews of users' names.
Horowitz pointed out the fields that are available to users to highlight nicknames and pseudonyms, and he also sought to fight the rumor that having your Google+ profile suspended will bar you from all Google services, such as Gmail.
So less than a week after the account suspensions began, Google+ has admitted a mistake, explained how they expect to approach similar situations in the future and offered users tips to avoid the problem.
With a service that is less than four weeks old and still not completely available to the general public, these problems will arise, and the Google+ response indicates they are ready to change the service if necessary. As Horowitz said in his post, "Please don't misconstrue the product as it exists today ... as the 'end state.' "
--------------
Facebook adds another opt-out
Proving that you don't have to be a nascent social network to face complaints, Facebook also owned up to an issue on Tuesday.
After Connecticut's attorney general questioned the Palo Alto company's 'tag suggestions' feature, which uses facial recognition software to help users tag their contacts in photos, Facebook said it would make it easier for users to opt out of the feature.
"For any users who opt out, any facial recognition data collected will be deleted," Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen said, according to Bloomberg News. Jepsen also said that the company said the facial-recognition data was not being used for commercial or marketing purposes and has made efforts to fight impostor profiles.
"People across the country using Facebook will be more aware of our personalized privacy settings and how they can be used to benefit their experience on the site," Facebook spokesman Tim Sparapani told Bloomberg in an email.
Biz Break: What's in a name? Google+ is working on that
By Jeremy C. Owens
jowens@mercurynews.com
Posted: 07/26/2011 01:25:28 PM PDT
Updated: 07/26/2011 02:31:10 PM PDT
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore".
The lesser of two evils, you might say? I'd rather go with Google who already have all the information about me I don't want, and don't make no bones about it, unlike Facebook which claim otherwise, and then do a huge U-turn when the whistle is blown. You can't escape these people, but I'd rather choose the company which is more open about this (Google) than another. :P
-- Thomas Adam
P.S. Where's all the teddy bears gone? :)
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)I cannot attest to the efficacy of what's being written - it's just something that came though from the San Jose (CA) Mercury newspaper - one that's usually rather technology-based and up-to-date.
I haven't been 'invited' yet, and I've never had time to join any of the other networking sites.
I posted it - just in case anyone here was feeling a backlash repercussion over some ID problem(s) recently and frustrated about not getting any real answers.
q.D.paToOtieSI just joined Google+ and would love to add you all to my teeny, tiny circle. I am Lisa Thoms - I'll try looking some of you up as well.
Posts: 54Oh, sound interesting, FB fine but sometimes lost between posts.
can some one please send me invite
talesiaru gmail.com
Posts: 54I too have been using Google+, and it seems OK.
-- Thomas Adam
Thank you for invite, will look around.
q.D.paToOtieSThomasAdam wrote:I too have been using Google+, and it seems OK.
-- Thomas Adam
Thank you for invite, will look around.
I added you to my circle.
