Google+ So far

I got an invitation to Google+ and am trying it out. Thanks Heather! My thoughts so far.

Cleaner interface. It doesn't feel quite as cramped as Facebook does.

Privacy. Privacy controls are in from the beginning.

No ads. We'll see how long that lasts.

Photos. It uses your existing Picasa albums if you have them.

Circles. A very nice interface to build the groups of people you want to follow or share with.

Hangouts. Video chat for up to 10 people. I haven't tried it yet, but some podcasters like it as a Skype replacement.

Will it beat Facebook? No. It is as good as Facebook, but Facebook has inertia and a few hundred million of our closest friends. Google+ has Robert Scoble and his love of the new shiny as well as a bunch of Silicon Valley people. The question is, what is so compelling about Google+ that will make people want to move from Facebook. We'll see what Google can do to make this a compelling choice.