Circle Fatigue? Not This Guy!

I just read an article (came across my Twitter feed )  in Fast Company called “Circle Fatigue: The Dark Side of Google+”

After reading it, I just had to post something as there is one sentence that I just do not follow:

“Rather than classify my contacts as I might subconsciously in real life--as family, friends, or coworkers--I've been forced to consciously determine my relationships with these people online.” (emphasis mine)

Seriously?

Being active in social media ain’t easy

I am diametrically opposed to the author’s viewpoint. I actually welcome the chance to build my social graph. Its like having a do over so I can take the mistakes I made and use this experience to enrich my online experience. In real life, I have more than just friends, family, and coworkers. I do agree that building your social graph isn’t easy, but neither is real life relationships. The are complex and cannot be reduced into 3-5 general buckets. It takes effort, a great deal of effort, to maintain valuable interactions in the world of social media. The simplistic argument that maintaining “too many” circles is tiresome only resonates with people not fully engaged. You have to work at it, be genuine, and invest time, just like you would if you met someone new offline.

The Other Side of Complexity

There are two kinds of simplicity: one of this side of complexity and one on the other side of complexity. I prefer the other side as it means you have worked diligently and focused your time on getting through all the complexity that is relationships and arrived at the other side of complexity. Circles, once you start getting into it, are the other side of complexity. What the author talks about in the article is simple, just on the wrong side. So as you start working through building your circles, keep in mind that you will get to the “other side”, you will find that the benefits are quite rewarding.

Learning Curve

As with anything, Google+ being no exception, there is a learning curve. When you first start building your circles (aka social graph) it is a little overwhelming (agree with the author on this point). But, I didn’t reach fatigue, rather, I started to really think about not only what I wanted out of my online experience, but what others I interact with may want from me!

What do you think? Do you agree with the author of the Fast Company article? Are circles giving you the opportunity to begin anew?

The Unsung Heroes

This is a guest post from a friend of mine who has an interest in agriculture. Here is my preamble, followed by Woody’s guest post.

It is sometimes difficult to find information on just how much the American agriculturalists provide not only our nation, but others as well.  Our farmers, ranchers, and dairy men and women provide a vital service to the world. After all, agriculture, in the broadest sense, is the backbone of thriving societies.

The development of agriculture in 8000 BC changed the hunter-gatherer approach and resulted in more food for more people. And this resulted in the building of thriving societies and ultimately, cities. Thus, sophisticated social systems had there start. It is in agriculture that we began to build where we are today.

One last comment about this guest post: I am humbled by the remarks and thank Woody very much for his kind words. So, without further adieu, here is Woody’s post.

“It’s clear that those involved with agriculture are a passionate bunch. Followers of Nate’s postings can see how much he enjoys his occupation. However, the everyday conveniences provided by agribusiness and people like Nate are often times overlooked.

I’ve found that getting your hands dirty and starting some small scale farming helps me appreciate agriculture and agribusiness. My apartment in Santa Barbara is now hosting a small garden with tomatoes and avocados alike!

Unfortunately, tending a small garden may not translate to all people. In this case, using references or guides can offer insight to the practices and sheer size of domestic agriculture. This specific reference from FindTheBest is actually pretty interesting. You can compare different commodities and filter results based on several variables (state, county, practice, yield, etc)

Agribusiness oils the wheels of commerce in America and offers a crucial service present in daily life. I intend this post to be a well deserved ‘thank you’ to Nate and all those involved with agriculture, and shed light on a service and product that should not be forgotten in our everyday routines.”

Thanks again to Woody for the post and his support of American Agriculture. You can find him on Twitter @Find_The_Best and on Facebook FindTheBest.com

How to: Photo Zoom in the Google+ Stream

Image by Neil Judges

There is a handy little extension for Google Chrome that allows for the easy quick zoom of photos and profile avatars while still working in the Google+ stream. It allows for the easy view of interesting photos. Navigate to here: Google Chrome Photo Zoom Extension.

Naturally you will have to use Chrome as your browser.

After you install the extension it appears here:



To toggle it on and off, all you have to do is click the little icon.This also works when you navigate to the photos section on Google+ as well.

So, this is what it looks like when you hover your mouse over an avatar:

You should go ahead and add Travis to one of your circles

Here is what it looks like when you are in the photo section:

Thanks for reading everyone!

Have you sent feedback to Google about Google+ yet?

So one of the things that irritates me about Google+ is the inability to collapse comments! I really need this functionality. I have tried muting a post, but then the original is now gone from my stream. You can come back and unmute it, but I am slow on the uptake and just can’t remember all the posts I want to check out later if I happen to run out of time and need to focus on something else. Given my ADD tendencies, I am always circling back around to previous posts. I’ll be happy if I can just get this quick blog post complete before I drift off to thinking about something else.

2.5 hours later….

So I thought I would submit feedback to Google and man do I like the way it is implemented. After you click the feedback button located on the bottom right hand side of the screen



You get this nifty little box:



From there you can highlight the screen showing exactly what you are reporting on. Nice! After you enter in a description of the problem and hit preview, you are then taken to this screen that shows you exactly what you are sending in to Google:



I don’t know how you feel about providing feedback, but given the current crowd on G+ (yes I know I am too lazy to type out Google+, or am I?) I imagine Google is getting bombarded with enhancement requests.

Have you submitted feedback to Google yet? What do you think of this little piece of functionality?

Now, back to spending entirely too much time on G+.