Project Google+

Google has been trying to enter the social networking community for a long time (they even bought Orkut back in the day, remember?)... But until now, all attempts have failed - some in truly "Michael Bay explosive fashion" ways. But Google has a secret weapon in hands, and this time they might actually make it right:

I present you Project Google+ which, from what we can see, looks like it has a lot of potential.




Circles



Like myself, you've probably faced the problem of wanting to separate your "friends". Things are rarely "black or white" or digital "on/off" in the real world. We might have friends... and "friends".
And even with close friends, some might like some things, others other things, etc.

With Google+ Circles, Google might have found the perfect solution to handle it all, allowing us to create circles where we can group people as we please: family, coworkers, friends that like a particular kind of music/movies/sports, etc.

Sparks



With Sparks, Google+ is able to feed us constantly updated news about what we're interested in, and "sparking" talks and discussions with friends sharing the same interests.


Hangouts



This might actually be the killer feature that makes Google+ standout from the rest. It basically allow us to meet and "hangout" with our friends, no matter where we are. Friend can drop in/out at any time. And, this might actually be the tool that will make multi-person video chat  mainstream.


Instant Uploads



If you're like myself, you've always hated the process of manually transferring your photos from your mobile device to your computer. With Google+ Instant Uploads, you'll never have to worry about it again. Your photos will be instantly available in a private folder in Google+, where you can share it with your friends and family.


Huddle



Last but not least, Huddle allows you to chat with a circle of friends.



Unfortunately, Google+ is still in beta and available by invite only (maybe I'll need to mobilize and organize Google+ invites like just we did back in the Google Wave days! ;)
A Google+ App for Android is already in the market, and we should soon get one in the App Store for the iPhone as well.

What do you think? Will Google+ finally succeed as the social network Google so desperately needs/wants?