Mike Elgan

Your Invitation to Google+

You’ve heard about Google+, Google’s invitation-only “social network.” Now you can join.  No, the company hasn’t opened the service to the public yet – it’s still only possible to join if you have an invite. But now you’re invited.  

Last week, Google gave out 150 invitations to each current user, and also enabled those invitations to be shared via URLs. Each user was given a custom URL that 

invites 150 people. I asked all my friends on Google+ to “donate” their invite URLs in order to get YOU on the service. I want to get as many of my readers as possible to get in on the early beta program. You’ll find the links at the bottom of this e-mail. Just click on one, and the sign-up process is self-explanatory.  

I love Google+. For the past month, I’ve been on a “Google+ Diet,” where I’ve given up Facebook, Twitter, chat, e-mail and other forms of online communication, and have instead used only Google+. Here’s a short post I wrote on Google+ that describes its flexibility:  

Instead of saying, “I’m going to write a blog post now,” or “I’m going to send an e-mail” or “I think I’ll tweet something” you simply say what you have to say, then decide who you’re going to say it to.  

If you address it to “Public,” it’s a blog post.  

If you address it to “Your Circles” it’s a tweet.  

If you address it to your “My Customers” Circle it’s a business newsletter.  

If you address it to a single person, it can be a letter to your mother.  

I’d say this is pretty revolutionary. 

Google+ is nothing less than the future of the Internet. It’s not a “social network” like Facebook, but a “social layer” for the whole Internet. I’ve already predicted that it renders Twitter obsolete. And it’s the solution for the millions of people who are tired of Facebook’s Wall spam, censorship, privacy violations and all the rest. 

Once you’ve signed up, you’ll want to “circle” (follow) all your family and friends – they don’t need to be members, you just need their e-mail address.  Also: You can follow me here! Google+ is only as good as the people you circle. Here are ten people to circle who always post very interesting stuff: 

1. Tom Anderson
2. Tim O’Reilly
3. Felicia Day
4. Louis Gray
5. Danah Boyd
6. Darren Rowse
7. Steve Rubel
8. Bill Gross
9. Orli Yakuel
10. Christina Trapolino

Here’s the “Unofficial Recommended Users” list. Here’s Guy Kawasaki’s “Pluserati“ List for finding great people to follow. Here’s the best guide for “How to Use Google+” And finally, here are all those invitations I promised. (Feel free to share these links with all your family and friends – G+ is better when your people are also members!). Once you’ve signed up, please circle me — I’ll be happy to serve as your personal guide to Google+, and answer any questions you have about it.  

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I’m now on the Google+ Diet!

I wrote a column for Computerworld about how Google+ can be used as a replacement for not only Facebook and other social networking services, but also e-mail, blogging, micro-blogging, RSS news feeds, video conferencing, chat, texting and location-based social networking.

The idea is to cure social networking fatigue by streamlining and consolidating all online social activity into the one service.

To prove this concept to myself, and also to anyone else who’s interested, I am going on a Google+ Diet until further notice. I’m no longer using Gmail, Tumblr, Twitter, Google Reader, Skype, AIM and Foursquare, and instead will use Google+ and only Google+ for all online communication until further notice.

Wish me luck!

I’ll be chronicling my Google+ Diet adventures on — where else? — Google+. So please join me there and let’s see what happens!

http://profiles.google.com/mike.elgan

Why Google+ is better for business

Both Facebook and Google+ have strengths and weaknesses for personal social networking. But for business? There’s no contest: Google+ is better. Far better. And it’s likely to stay that way.

‘Floating Apple’ returns spectacularly to ‘Call of Duty’

When the Xbox 360 megahit Call of Duty: Black Ops first hit, there was a minor bug in the program in one map where if you shot away the pineapple and oranges in a small stack of fruit on a table except for the apple on top, the apple appeared to hover in mid-air. The fact was hilariously commented upon in this YouTube video.

Don’t look now, but the hovering apple is back. This time it appears in the brand new map Hangar 18, which is part of the new Annihilation pack of maps. The level has a weird room with a strange power system, all of which appears to be generated by a floating apple. Well played, Treyarch. Well played.

Who should read Guy Kawasaki’s ‘enchanting’ new book?

Guy Kawasaki’s newish book, Enchantment, is a strange (if enchanting) creature. It’s not a marketing book for marketers, at least not exclusively. And it’s not even tightly focused on a central idea. The whole “enchantment” business is really just a clever hook upon which to hang a gazillion disconnected ideas for succeeding in business the way Apple does.

Here’s my mini-review.