Bradley Horowitz, the vice president of product at Google+ introduced a new chapter for the 8 month year old Social Network Google+, brining it to the most lucrative market of teens along with introducing more security feature sets for them.
“In life, for instance, teens can share the right things with just the right people (like classmates, parents or close ties). Over time, the nuance and richness of selective sharing even promotes authenticity and accountability,” Horowitz wrote. “Sadly, today’s most popular online tools are rigid and brittle by comparison, so teens end up over-sharing with all of their so-called ‘friends.’”
Google, which had previously barred consumers under 18 from joining Google+, is attempting to avoid such a situation on its network via a series of enhancement aimed at protecting people on the network aged 13-17.
Those include steps in which Google will intercept teens before they overshare or expose themselves to risk. For instance, when teens attempt to share a post to people outside their Circles, Google will flash a message noting “When you share publicly, people you haven’t added to your circles will be able to view your post and may be able to comment.”
In addition, there’s a default setting in which “only those in teens’ circles can say hello, and blocking someone is always just a click or two away,” Horowitz wrote.
In addition, there’s another feature in which teens taking part in a hangout will be removed automatically if a stranger joins. Finally, Google has added a Google+ Safety Center which describes the changes.
Here is the full post:
Teens and young adults are the most active Internet users on the planet. And surprise, surprise: they’re also human beings who enjoy spending time with friends and family. Put these two things together and it’s clear that teens will increasingly connect online. Unfortunately, online sharing is still second-rate for this age group.
In life, for instance, teens can share the right things with just the right people (like classmates, parents or close ties). Over time, the nuance and richness of selective sharing even promotes authenticity and accountability. Sadly, today’s most popular online tools are rigid and brittle by comparison, so teens end up over-sharing with all of their so-called “friends.”
With Google+, we want to help teens build meaningful connections online. We also want to provide features that foster safety alongside self-expression. Today we’re doing both, for everyone who’s old enough for a Google Account (13+ in most countries).
Safety starts with your circles
The difference between friends, acquaintances and strangers is a crucial one—especially for teens. Google+ includes circles to help people manage their different relationships, but we’re going a step further for our younger users.
Sharing content
With Google+ you can share privately with your circles, or publicly with the world. Posting something for everyone to see is a big deal, however, so when teens try and share outside their circles, we encourage them to think before they post.Receiving notifications
Google+ is a great place to connect with close friends, as well as discover others with common interests. We want to help people explore the community safely, however, so we give users control over who can contact them online. By default, only those in teens’ circles can say hello, and blocking someone is always just a click or two away.Hanging out with friends
Google+ Hangouts bring people together using live multi-person video, and the results range from heartwarming to awe-inspiring . However, we recognize that connecting face-to-face is special and serious, so if a stranger outside a teen’s circles joins the hangout, we temporarily remove the young adult, and give them a chance to rejoin.
Our newly launched Google+ Safety Center describes these and other changes in more detail, but our approach is straightforward: build awesome features that teens really want, encourage safe behavior through appropriate defaults and in-product help, and make abuse reporting tools easy to find and use.
People and pages for the young(er) at heart
The joy of real-life sharing lies in connecting with everything we care about—from family and friends, to businesses and brands. Teens, like adults, deserve a rich experience online, so today we’re welcoming some of their favorite individuals and organizations to the Google+ community.
Between strong user protections and teen-focused content, it’s our hope that young adults will feel at home (and have some fun) on Google+. And of course, we do have at least one thing in common with our newest users: we’re both busy growing up.
Do you think this move will disturb Facebook’s roots? Leave us your comments…
Using Google+? Add TechnologyCafe to your circles. Get to know latest Technology and Social Media news and happenings around the web on Google+.
