Why You Should Care About the New Google+
Back in July, Google announced that it was revamping its social network.
At the time, the tech juggernaut acknowledged that it had made some choices for Google+ in the past that it needed to rethink. Now, Google has made those changes and is introducing the world to the new Google+, which puts a greater focus on users' interests.
"Today we're taking a big step toward making Google+ an even better place for your interests. To do so, we've drastically simplified nearly every aspect of the product," Google's Luke Wroblewski said in a Google+ post.
Discover three things Web professionals should know about the new Google+ below:
1. There is an emphasis on Communities and Collections.
According to Google's announcement, Google+'s "Communities" feature averages 1.2 million new joins per day. What's more, Google notes that its "Collections" feature, which was launched just five months ago, is growing even faster.
Because of this, the new Google+ puts both features front and center. The platform's new navigation is centered around both features, which enables users to immerse themselves in content about topics they are interested in. With this new interest-focused design, Wroblewski says it will be simpler for users to discover amazing things. Web professionals will want to continue to build content and share it on Google+ as there is little doubt it will make its way to the search engine result pages.
2. The platform is more mobile-friendly.
It is pretty evident that Google takes mobile seriously, especially after the release of its Mobilegeddon update earlier this year. This makes it no surprise that Google put a focus on mobile during its Google+ redesign.
In fact, Google notes that Google+ is now more mobile-friendly, as it had been rebuilt across the Web, Android and iOS. With the rebuild, users should experience a faster and more consistent Google+ experience across screens.
3. You have to opt-in (for now).
It is important to note that the new Google+ design isn't available to everyone just yet. According to Wroblewski, users can preview the new Google+ on the Web by signing in and clicking "Let's go" when they see the prompt. That said, Website Magazine editors had not yet received the prompt at the time of this writing.
Users that do decide to opt-in, however, should know that they can toggle back to the classic Google+, as not every Google+ feature has made its way to the new design yet. Google also says that it will be rolling out updated apps for Android and iOS in the coming days.
