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Google+ Gets a Redesign (Google Blog)
We’re introducing a more functional and flexible version of Google+. We think you’ll find it easier to use and nicer to look at, but most importantly, it accelerates our efforts to create a simpler, more beautiful Google. SocialTimes This update proves that Facebook really does have something to fear as Google has improved the user experience in a lot of innovative ways that may leave Facebookers envious. TechCrunch It’s interesting that Google+ has now changed its design, after its first efforts received such praise. BGR The new interface focuses on customization, Google’s Hangout video chatting service and features that will make it easier to discover new conversations and profile pages. Lifehacker The improvements are rolling out over the next few days. Read more
The birth of the digital book has made it possible, at least in theory, to make social media part of the reading experience. But is reading really a social activity? At the Digital Book World Conference 2012, publishers and social media experts predicted the role that social media will play in connecting authors and readers of digital books.
Despite the widely accepted public knowledge before the big reveal today (including pre-announcement photos on TechCrunch), Amazon managed to pull of a Steve Jobs type “one more thing” this morning by announcing not just one but four new Kindle models and a new web browser that uses its own considerable cloud services.
Newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and the “record” (CD) business have all been dramatically affected by the digital revolution that took places in the past few decades. Physical book stores have been hit especially hard by the combination of online book sales as well as ebooks. While Borders Books announced its shutdown earlier this year, CNET reports that Barnes & Noble reported an uptick in both sales and revenue. This is despite the fact that books sales at the physical stores were down during the reported quarter.
A little more than a year since Flipboard for the iPad launched, it has changed the way many people sort through news. It started out taking links from people a person follows on Twitter and Facebook and the expanding the links to display the actual news items in a magazine-like format. In this way, the people you like enough to follow on social networks curate news for you. Since then, it has grown to partner with featured content providers in addition to crowdsourced social network links. So, what’s their next move?
