Will Google+ let Google beat the Wave?

There's a Buzz in the air today. Or at least on Twitter. Rumours were around that Google had put out invites to its hip new social network Google+.

(Credit: CNET)

The ever-exclusive invite-only just made me want it more. Putting the call out on Twitter, it didn't take long to score myself one, and in a few short clicks I was on.

When moving from MySpace to Facebook, I remember being relieved that it just seemed much less cluttered to look at, and it's the same now going from Facebook to Google+. The interface is clean and simple. At first look, the privacy controls for status sharing seem much more obvious, and, unlike Facebook, if you decide to share a status publicly, you will be able to share it with the whole internet, regardless of whether they have a Google+ account.

Sorting friends is also a mile ahead of Facebook. The clunky grouping method of Facebook pales in comparison to Google. Filtering your groups into friends, family and work colleagues is so simple, and much easier to manage with a few clicks.

While I'm enjoying exploring Google's latest offering, this is all beginning to feel very familiar. I remember scouring the internet just for an invite to Google's exciting new Wave development that was supposed to eventually replace email. It too was ambitious and it was great to use, but after a while everyone stopped using it, and I stopped logging in. And ultimately Google killed it.

But I have a feeling it might be different this time. Google has not tried something completely radical, and because it's not too different to existing social networks, we may see a greater adoption of it, and given that Google seems a bit more generous with invites right away, I think uptake will probably be much better.

There's no telling whether Google+ just might be able to survive in a world dominated by Facebook, but, for now, I like what I'm seeing.

If you've managed to get an invite to Google+ let us know what you think in the comments below.