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News: Skype Introduces GroupMe - Similar to Google+ Mobile Features?

On the same day that Google+ introduced mobile hangouts to the world, I received an email from Skype introducing GroupMe, which sounds suspiciously similar to Google+'s messaging feature on mobile. GroupMe allows you to do group messaging, have one-on-one conversations with your contacts, and also ask "Questions", which is currently in beta. These new features are all supported in Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7.

News: Do Cats & Boobs Belong on Google+?

While using Google+, it's been apparent that there are two types of posters. There are the people who post thoughtful, serious posts about everything from tech to dealing with cancer. And then there are the meme propagators, the people who decide to rick roll others (ahem, +Bryan Crow), and constantly put up animated gifs. Sometimes they are the same people, and this is where it gets a little controversial.

News: 10 Chrome Extensions to Jumpstart Your Google+ Wishlist

Are you finding that the Google+ features you've been waiting for are still not rolling out quickly enough for you? Although we've provided many solutions to Google+ issues with different Chrome extensions, it still seems like it's not enough. Now that we've been using Google+ for almost two months, our priorities have changed, and we're finding that we want and need different extensions to make Google+ work better. From filtering to circles, these Google+ Chrome extensions will solve many of...

News: My Pics from the Google+ Photowalk in Venice Beach

As with +Kimberly Lau, I also had the chance to meet up with all of the Googles and Googlers for the Photowalk in Venice beach on September 1st. I'm still getting used to the idea of another social network, but hanging out with a large group of pro and amateur photographers helped me to jump right into Google+, where I made an album of all the pics I took that day. Even though I had my DSLR on me, I was a little intimidated by the others just as much as Kim with her Samsung Infuse smartphone,...

News: Google+ Pro Tips Weekly Round Up: Google+ Community Projects Take Off

This week seems to have gone by in a flash. Maybe it was the three day weekend, but I don't think it accounts for the flurry of activity I've been seeing on Google+. Updates, debates, and new initiatives are unfolding every day, and the best part is that most of them are coming from outside of Google. People love Google+ so much that they want to evangelize to others about it. What more could Google+ ask for?

News: Cooking on Google+ with the Social Skillet: Interview with Eric McKee

On Google+, one of the very first creative projects using the popular hangout feature revolved around cooking. Foodies +Lee Allison and +Eric McKee decided to start their own "G+ Cooking School", which has now expanded into the Social Skillet. Although neither have formal training, they're both quite accomplished cooks and skilled instructors. Using hangouts, they've taught their students how to create dishes like margherita pizzas and chicken marsala.

News: G+Me Makes Google+ (Almost) Perfect: An Interview with Huy Zing

G+Me is one of our favorite Chrome extensions here at Google+ Insider's Guide. We love it because it's one of the most comprehensive extensions out there. It attempts to address the "noisy streams" issue, with list mode, and collapsible posts and comments. The creator, +Huy Zing, is very responsive to feedback, and he's been quick to address any issues that arise, including privacy concerns. He's even created a G+Me (Paranoid Edition) extension, for the extra careful Google+ user. And if you ...

How To: How Businesses Can Prepare for Google+

WonderHowTo welcomes guest contributor, +Ryan Crowe - formerly the man behind GPlusTips. Crowe will be providing tips and tricks on how to use Google+ in interesting and innovative ways, and the self-proclaimed Google+ User Experience Enthusiast is nearly ready to launch a website examining social interaction on Google+ called SocioloG+.

Google+ Pro Tips Round Up: Week 8

It's been an eventful week for Google+. Facebook decided to up its game and start rolling out several major updates intended to address privacy concerns. We got a glimpse into the future of Google+ via an insightful discussion between +Bradley Horowitz and +Tim O'Reilly. And Google decided to integrate the +1 button more fully with Google+ by allowing users to share directly from the +1 button. That's not all, though—scroll down for more news & updates that occurred in the past week.

How To: Subscribe to Google+ Users with Google Reader

If you're like me, you don't do a lot of web browsing anymore. I subscribe to my favorite blogs' feeds and read them via Google Reader. It's one of my favorite Google products, for a lot of reasons. I can keep up with most of my web activities in one tab, and follow along with my favorite blogs, Flickr photos, and Twitter. I can share instantly with people who follow me, and see what other people have shared with me. I hope that Google+ will integrate well with Google Reader, because it alrea...

News: Facebook Takes Cues From Google+ and Adds Better Privacy Controls

After the launch of Google+ and its ensuing attendant fanfare and rave reviews, Facebook seemed to undergo an identity crisis. On July 6th, Facebook failed to make waves with its "awesome" announcement - the new group chat and video chat features felt lame in comparison to the Google+ hangout and huddle features. Facebook also faced ongoing criticism for its perceived lack of privacy controls. Over on Quora, workers confirmed a lockdown of sorts at Facebook, for employees to work harder on fe...

News: Google+ Knitting Request

Google+ Profiles Product Manager +Frances Haugen is working on a simple roll brim baby hat inspired by the Google +1 button. It looks like it'll be very cute. She's looking for advice on what to knit the hat out of, and whether she should do it differently. Check out the pattern below:

News: 30 Days With Google+

An interesting take on Google+. Follow along as PC World editor Tony Bradley uses Google+ for 30 days, and read about his (mis)adventures. I really, really wish that the PC World's articles were less cluttered, though. It was really difficult to find the first post.

News: Google+ Finally Improves Comments

One of the biggest complaints people had about Google+ was comments on popular people's posts taking over their streams. Today Google addresses those issues by rolling out the ability to collapse and expand comments. +Jonathan Terleski explains the simplicity of the function - click once to expand, click again to collapse. Check out how the collapsed comments work in the screenshots below. It's as simple as clicking an arrow.