If you’re longing for a digital networking space that lets you easily share information with the different facets of your life, then put Google Plus at the top of your “to explore” list. (Assuming you can wrangle an invitation!)

If you’re longing for a digital networking space that lets you easily videoconference with 10 people while everyone watches (and chats about) the same YouTube clip, then put Google Plus (hangouts) at the top of your “to explore” list.

If you’re longing for a digital networking space that integrates functional email, real cloud-based documents, an attractive photo gallery … and lets you eavesdrop on conversations like Twitter does (no reciprocity required in setting up circles) … then put Google Plus at the top of your “to explore” list.

And if you long for a digital networking space that will allow you to easily and simultaneously communicate with people inside and outside of the space … then you must put Google Plus at the top of your “to explore” list.

In October 2009, Google launched Wave. The current launch, Google’s third foray into “social”, is nothing like Wave, except for the clamor to “let me in!”

With Google+, things work. The interface is clean, light, inviting. Engineers have anticipated how we might use existing shorthand (from Twitter and Facebook), such as replying in a comment thread by putting @ in front of someone’s name. They turn that @ into a + automagically and the name becomes a link to the person’s Google profile page. Read more…

Foursquare is going “social.” Foursquare adds photos and comments, Techmeme tells me this morning. Color me unimpressed; I’d much prefer the developers focus on functionality. Here’s why.
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I’m not talking about the first step towards getting married!

Online marketing buzz words include “social” and “engagement.” Let’s set “social” aside for another day.

What does it look like when a customer is “engaged” with a brand, with a web site, with Twitter or Facebook? Who are “engaged” customers and why are they important to an organization? Why might their web site visits be more valuable — in the traditional, monetary sense of the word — than less “engaged” customers?

What the heck does it mean to be engaged?

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We’re all pressed for time, with demands of work, friends, family and school. Think of this as a cheat sheet of blogs that will help you “think different” about the world of digital media. You won’t find the usual suspects (TechCrunch, Mashable, ReadWriteWeb, etc) and I don’t consider this a “best of” kinda post. Instead, it’s a reach-out-beyond your current thinking set of resources.
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Sometime last month, the BBC circulated a Powerpoint presentation (Scribd document) to staff that cements links as an “essential” (emphasis per original document) element for BBC reporting.

Moreover, the BBC wants to “double outbound links from 10m to 20m a month by 2013.” Links are, according to this BBC document, a “well suit[ed] unique selling point for BBC News.”

The guidance document includes important tips for anyone who is writing online:

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Sometime last night, I discovered that Robert Scoble had added me to a new group he’d formed on Facebook. “Cool,” I thought. And then I went to bed. I woke up to a choked inbox.

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If I asked you to tell me which professions have the deepest Rolodex, I bet you wouldn’t start out with computer programming or accounting. I’m guessing you’d list marketing, sales, HR (recruiters, anyway) and PR. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that marketing and human resources/recruiting were the most “social jobs” on the just-released NetProspex Social Index (NPSI), which is based on a database of “crowdsourced business contacts” (tip: TechFlash). The NPSI is a function of three things:

• Social Connectedness: how many people had more than one social media profile (according to the website, these are Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn)
• Social Friendliness and Reach: the average number of connections per person across major social networks
• Social Activity is based entirely on Twitter stats: number of tweets, number of followers, and number of people followed

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Want to experiment with photographic filters without the heavy price tag of Photoshop? Then consider CameraBag (@camerabag), even if you don’t own an iPhone! This photo processing app for the iPhone and iPad also comes in a desktop version for Mac and PC.

Why use a filter application?

Before the digital era, a photographer’s choice of camera and film had nearly as much artistic impact as the subject matter. Rediscover the fading, tinting, blurring, chemical processing techniques, and “happy accidents” which gave film photos life.

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