Google takes another stab at Facebook, plus a way to 'Takeout' your data

Search engine giant Google is testing a new social networking service, called Google+, to compete against the likes of Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and other popular sites.

Google+ is designed "to fix" the awkwardness in online sharing, wrote Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President, in a post on Google's official blog. The key features of the new service, currently in limited "field trial" among invited users, that may appeal to heavy online socialites include:

• +Circles, which allows users to organize online friends, family and acquaintances into separate, distinct groups so personal updates aren't shared with co-workers, for example.
• +Sparks, which pulls online content based on personal interests and allows users to find and share with others of similar hobbies and likes.
• +Hangouts, an area that includes video chat capabilities with multiple online friends simultaneously.
• +Mobile, which enables users to instantly upload images from the cameras on Android-powered smart phones or, if desired, share their location as determined by the phone's GPS to enable physical gatherings, for example.

Rival Facebook, which counts more than 600 million users worldwide, is said to be working on similar features and new offerings, including a social music service. A Facebook spokesman told the Wall Street Journal: "We're in the early days of making the Web more social, and there are opportunities for innovation everywhere."

Still, one area of social networking Facebook continues to address—and Google has also capitalized on—is online privacy.

In a separate announcement, Google also launched its Google Takeout which allows users to remove personal data from Google's cloud-based services. Right now, the capability is present only in five Google online offerings: Buzz, Contacts, Picasa, Profile and Stream. However, ZD Net notes Google Takeout can be accessed from Google+ "indicating that part of the timing of this announcement has to do with ensuring that users know data isn't trapped within the new social network."

Currently, Google+ (not to be confused with Google +1) is available by invitation only and won't become widely accessible until later this year.

What do you think? Is Google+ a Facebook-killer? Would you try it if you were invited? Or have concerns about online privacy with social networks already turned you off? Weigh in.

Introducing the Google+ project: Real-life sharing, rethought for the web [Official Google Blog]
The Data Liberation Front Delivers Google Takeout [Google's Data Liberation Blog]
Google Takes On Friend Sprawl [Wall Street Journal]
Google Social Network Attacks Facebook And Foursquare [San Francisco Chronicle]
Leaving Google Apps? Have some Takeout [ZD Net]
Google Takeout lets you easily export your data from Circles [ExtremeTech]

—Paul Eng