I’ve been playing around with Google Plus today and like most people have my option on what I think of it….  But you don’t really care about that do you.

What your thinking is “why should I use it?” and “but most of my friends are already on Facebook!”.  My thoughts too.
The tie in with your existing Facebook friends is reason enough to not switch across to yet another social network.  Its just too much like hard work!

So why the hell would Google go to a bucket load of effort to create a new social network if they thought that people wouldn’t use it.  It got me thinking; why would they?!?

There is a number of reasons for people to switch; lots of them reasons will have already been talked about.  Privacy being one of the big issues for a lot of people.  I have one big reason.  To understand why its my one big reason first we need to roll back in time a little.

Facebook.  Remember when you first signed up; how often did you use it?  There was that first few days exploring all the goodies it had to offer.  Your use of the site started to grow…. your friends list started to grow and once you had got your head around it; begin the daily ritual of going to the site to see whats going on in the world of your social friendships.  The fact that you don’t and still don’t like most of these people strangely has no baring.  Facebook became your social hub.

Then the game changer.  Not FarmVille. Your mobile phone.

The level of Facebook usage goes through the roof for most people.  Status update on the bus to work.  From camera on your phone to your Facebook profile in super quick time.

Mobile access to Facebook changed the way everyday people use there mobile phones and buy there mobile phones.  Your average Joe no longer thinks twice about buying a smart phone… he demands it.

Facebook may not be the only reason; but it has driven the everyday habits of normal people into using the bits of plastic and computer chips in their pocket to access the Internet in a new way.

So why switch to Google Plus?

If you are a iPhone user like me then its just going to be another social app for you phone (once its released) that will help you link in with some stuff you already have with Google.  That link in could be useful if you are a savvy web user or not if you’re not.

If you are an Android user then you are as good as ready for some G+ action.  Currently your Contacts, Calendar, Email, Photos and Location are already linked with G+.  All you need to do and add the App choose your contacts and you’re set.

Think about it… a social network that directly links with the operating system running on your smart phone.  An operating system that is built on Cloud Computing.

Apple don’t do social (No Ping does not count) but have realised that they need to.  There soon to be released update will add Twitter integration to iOS.  Microsoft have Facebook integrated with there Windows Phone 7 OS.  Google have Google.

They don’t have to come up with some kind of work around to give there mobile operating system the social edge.  Just turn it on.

Google have entered the social world with a army of services that can all be easily moved under one roof.

Instant messaging, Video sharing and broadcasting with YouTube, Mapping, Navigation and Location Sharing.  Personalised Home Pages, Blogging, News aggregation and RSS management.  Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Online Photo Storage.  Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Presentation software. Search, Search, Search and a crap load more…

Remember; that’s all before they allow 3rd party application development to the G+ site.

Nobody has ever had a social platform that can be easily driven and integrated with an operating system that has over 500,000 new activations per day.  This makes it simple and easy for Android users to switch to G+.  Mobile application use is changing the habits of how people access the Internet.  Tablet devices and the applications running on them are taking over computers.

The masses decide what social network people use and when they use it they will use it on there mobile devices.  Google controls the masses. Google just have to flick the switch on Android devices and start the world wide move to G+.  Everyone else will just follow the leader.  Its not a question of why should you switch but how soon you are going to do it.

Cloud Computing is about to go mainstream.  Its not going to happen over night but I believe that it is going to happen.  G+ will be the social network that will drive Cloud Computing.

Google has just become self aware.

I work in retail for a major Mobile phone company and have done so for some time. 11 years to be exact. Part of my job involves managing stock allocation with in own little domain. If I work back to 6 June 2010; the day that the iPhone 4 was announced by apple the stock situation for the iPhone 3Gs 16GB was already falling off the edge. What I mean by this is that around 3 months before there was a noticeable drop in stock allocations for the 3GS combined with a push on offers on the older 3g model.

Apple don’t normally communicate stock level allocations. Basically you don’t get much of a chance to see what stock you are going to get from apple until you actually have it. You place your order for units and then you get what your given. Often you get exactly what you have asked for; but not all the time. Over the last 3 weeks the stock situation on the iPhone 4 and 3Gs 8GB has been a nightmare.

Offer around the iPhone 3Gs 8GB have been running in force across most UK networks for the last month and I have seen about a 80% drop in iPhone stock on last allocation.

yesterday all Pre-pay stock of all iPhones models was reallocated for contract stock. Stock rooms across UK mobile retailer are emptying of iPhone stock.

This could have been just the retailer that I work for. No. I have spoken to contacts within all of the major high street mobile retailers and they are give or take a little in the same situation.

The pressure is building; a storm is about to be unleashed.

We all know this already unless you have been sleeping under a rock or just don’t give a crap. The overall consensus however is that we are looking at a new iPhone 5 and that we are looking at a “fall” release along with iOS 5.

l think we are going to see something else happen.

Based on the current stock levels and and the beta stage for iOS 5. Its clear that something new is in the pipe lines. One issues is however that we have not seen any massive reliable information regarding new bodywork for the iPhone. Something that would be hard for apple to hide. The nightmare Apple had with the great iPhone leak of 2010 when an employee lost his iPhone in a bar will make apple extra careful this time around but with the current storm building people will be looking for the leaks.

With nothing solid going on in that department it would suggest that something else is happening. They are going to be using most of the same parts they have now. An easy update on the camera, a quick switch on the glass on the back of the iPhone 4 and finish it off with a iPad 2 processor. They could update the screen without any information leaking out as most display manufactures are spitting out small high end screen like they are going out if fashion without any idea who the hell they are making them for. Smaller memory chip would allow for an easy storage update and you are done. A new, but not so new iPhone 4.1

discontinuation of the iPhone 3Gs 8GB; a new iPhone 4 8GB and the release of a new iPhone 4.1 32GB and 64GB.

Doors replaced; spindles on the stairs updated and a new ventilation fan for the bathroom.

All fine and well.

Part of installing the new ventilation for the bathroom involved a new lower ceiling for the utility room to allow some ventilation duct to be run across the ceiling to the outside of the house.  Very simple stuff.

The electrician arrives to ensure that the light blub was correctly rewired into the new lower ceiling. Job done; Everybody goes home.

It seems however that there was just one thing everybody forgot to check:

The new advertising campaign from Nexus to promote greater use of the Tyne and Wear Metro system

I’m all for greater use of public transport [insert generic comment about environment]; for my morning commute I cycle to work; [insert comment about own self worth directed to making me sound environmentally friendly].

I have an issue with this advert.  Anything that involves not using petrol saves money on petrol.

• I save £££’s on petrol for my own car every time I get a taxi.
• I switch off the engine every time I’ve finish using the car! It saves me a fortune in petrol

My issue is it make out like it would be cheaper to get the Metro over paying for petrol to drive to your destination. The advert is located in Gateshead so my presumption is that the advertising campaign is focused on people living outside of Newcastle City Centre, something I feel is confirm by one of their online images. Petrol in not cheap, I get that. People want to save money… great!

My beef; it is in fact cheaper to drive and park in Newcastle City Centre than it is the get the Metro!

A off peak return for an adult from Gateshead to Newcastle is £3.10 (£3.70 at peak times). Cost of driving that same distance for a car running on about 40MPG basised on May 2011 petrol prices…. 7p

Take an average; two adults taking a 4 hour shopping trip into Newcastle.

Metro £6.20

Drive + Parking £5.07

When you drive you can stick as many people in the car as you like and the cost stays the same or an extra £3.10 per adult when you get the Metro.

NEXUS – Sort it out.

Maybe if you hadn’t spent all that money on the advertising campaigns you could reduce your ticket prices and actually give more people a reason to use the Metro more often. Try it. One week; £1 per person; per journey (including major connecting bus routes).   It’s almost like you think we live in an area where the road system is completely clogged up and that a integrated transport system is peoples only option to minimize commuting havoc.  Tyne and Wear is not London.  We have space to park our cars in Newcastle city centre and we are able to get there without it taking hours navigating traffic hell.

If Nexus reduced the price to use the Tyne and Wear Metro would you (when possible) use it? Discuss.

My dream was that anything could be proven scientifically correct using a five Point system.  Prove any five things correct around your theory and if would be fact.

In my dream I was using a loop hole in the system that allow any part if your theory being correct to make it fact.

I was using the spelling of the name of my theory, the fact the it was my theory and the three subject in my theory it make if fact.

My theory:

Dogs, Cats and Humans were all the same animal.

I called it “The Homosapien Comparisment Theory”

This then allowed cats and dogs to claim unemployment benefit.

Let me know what you think.
SMLP

“I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this.”

• Emo Phillips

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sheriffmitchell:

from iwdrm