Ask HN: How to describe Google Circles to not-so-smart people?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2737055

by jeez • 15 years ago

5 5 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Every time I try to explain what a google circle is, people (for some reason) go out of their way to defend facebook. Is that because they depend so much on it? How do I explain people how circles are NOT facebook groups?

Edit 1: Changed title to add 'Google'

auganov• 15 years ago

Maybe it's your attitude? It looks like you're implying anyone who doesn't get it is 'not-so-smart'. Even if you're not saying that explicitly they can probably sense that attitude :-)

I myself also don't see how it's a Facebook killer. I don't care about social networking, don't spend tons of time there, barely mange to check out my 'feed' sometimes.

If all my friends go there, sure, I'll tag along, why not? But am I going to make an actual effort, make a profile and even try to get my friends to join (as there will probably be none) all because of it having a new way of grouping people? No way.

I'm not saying it's not going to workout, it might or might not. Nobody knows at this point. Just understand that most people don't care about something being a little better if they don't see how it's game changing for them. And let's be honest, for most of us google+ won't change much at all, for me the experience would be very similar on both sites. So if somebody comes telling you how google+ is so different the natural reaction is to dismiss that person. And also keep in mind that for some people Circles are a feature they would not want to see.

jeez• 15 years ago

I guess you pretty much nailed it. :\ But by not-so-smart people, I just meant otherwise smart people who just don't WANT to understand how/why circles are different. Its like they're too tied to FB that they don't even want to hear good things about G+ and they dismiss it right away(by shouting abuses about how it sucks and copied fb).

salva_xf2• 15 years ago

circles are like have multiple facebook accounts, one for family, on for work one for friends, and yo can share photos of the last sadomaso party with your friends, without your mother see them

salva_xf2• 15 years ago

well i think is a bad example, I dont test google+ and is more an example of what I believe , because of things that I read out there or imagine, i dont know, sorry for the confusion and for my poor language

namank• 15 years ago

Well...maybe not FB Groups, but G+ Circles are exactly like Facebook lists without the crazy granular privacy settings.

Ask HN: How to describe Google Circles to not-so-smart people?

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