Google+ Public Launch

Google+ (or Google Plus) finally launched its new social network to the public on September 20, 2011. Google+ beta was initially made available, on June 28, 2011, to a select few beta testers and required G+ invites.

Quickly, beta testers piled up and in the very first month, Google Plus attracted over 25 million users. If you're new to Google+ and wondering what's the buzz (no pun intended), well, it's a social network similar to Facebook in terms of its "look and feel".

Having said so, it's got unique features like Google Circles, Google Hangouts, Google Sparks, Google Huddle and many more. Initially, it may take a little while to familiarize yourself with the platform and features, however, once you do, you will enjoy using it.

To learn more about Google+ features, visit Google+ Project which also includes video overviews of the platform. I would suggest that you take the time to understand how this new social network works in order to use it effectively.

Also, I've created a Google+ Setup Guide which will walk you through, step-by-step, on how to setup your Google+ profile and social network. In case you have any questions or need any help, feel free to contact me.

9/11 Tribute & Reflections

The events of 9/11 changed the world forever and time seems to have flown by so quickly with the 10th anniversary less than a day away.

I wanted to take a moment and pay tribute to the thousands of victims and their families who experienced tremendous loss. As well as pay tribute and thanksgiving to the thousands of heroes who bravely put their own lives on the line.

I've put together a Squidoo web page titled "9/11 Tributes & Reflections" with touching video tributes. Take a moment to remember all those affected by this tragic event and share your thoughts on how the events of 9/11 touched your life.

May the victims' souls rest in peace and may their families be comforted as they remember their lost loved ones. Peace, blessings and love!

Google Chrome Review

Google Chrome is Google’s open source internet browser which was launched 3 years ago. Since its launch, Google Chrome has risen rapidly in comparison to its rivals, Internet Explorer and Firefox. In terms of overall usage share of the 3 web browsers, IE remain at the top, followed by Firefox, with Chrome gradually inching its way up.

I’ve used Internet, Firefox and Google Chrome extensively and have to admit that Chrome is very impressive mainly because of its speed. I’ve pretty much dumped IE, though still use Firefox for most of my web browsing. However, I’m starting to use Chrome more and more.

Some of the key reasons I like Google Chrome are as follows:

Speed: given that I do a lot of work online including blogging and building Squidoo web pages, I need a browser that is fast. I found Firefox quite sluggish in the past little while so turned to Chrome and I haven’t been disappointed with its performance.

Simplicity: I like my browser to be clutter-free and Google Chrome’s simple interface provides just that. In fact, when browsing web pages, you won’t even notice that you’re running Chrome. If you’re an Internet Explorer user, it may take a little while to get used to not seeing the menu items at the top.

Add-ons and Extensions: when Google Chrome first launched, they didn’t support any add-ons and that’s where Firefox had a huge advantage. However, that has now changed with thousands of Chrome extensions, though it may still take some getting used to if you switch from Firefox.

Tabbed Browsing: in Chrome is designed to withstand crashes. That is, if one tab hangs up or slows down, it will not drag the whole browser down, that because each tab is run independently of the other. However, this feature takes up more memory so if you have a slower computer it may not work as effectively.

Other Features: like the Omnibox allows you to use the browser address bar as a search box. Chrome allows private browsing, ability to translate web pages to over 50 different languages, cool tools for web developers and much more.

To get more detailed information on Google Chrome and video instructions on how to download Google Chrome, feel free to check my Squidoo web page on Google Chrome: Pros and Cons.