Google Plus

Big changes are on the way for the Google+ platform, which is rolling out a redesign and new social engagement features over the next week. Unveiled at this morning's Google I/O conference in San Francisco, the new Google+ will deliver a modernized stream and new social discovery experience to its 190 million active "Plus-ers."

For current Google+ users, the changes are certainly something to be excited about. Streams are about to become more dynamic and beautiful, and Google is getting smarter about helping you discover more content you'd be interested in based on what type of content you're posting. Plus, the platform is introducing powerful photo editing and photo storage tools to manage your media.

Even if you're not on Google+, take notice because the platform is playing an increasingly important role in search, website log-ins, and other Google products like Maps and Gmail.

See how Google's relatively new social network is about to look totally different (in a good way) after the break.

Google is, slowly but surely, building up its Google Plus social network, having just introduced larger cover images on profiles, built-in photo editing tools for mobile, and (our personal fave) Harry Potter-style animated GIFs as avatars this year. Last December, the search giant unveiled Communities, a forum-like feature where Google Plus users can join groups based on their hobbies and interests.

Communities act as a home base for people who find common ground on, for example, an obsession with Doctor Who. Group members can video chat face-to-face in Hangouts, plan events, share interesting links, or participate in discussions. There's no shortage of geeky communities on Google Plus (including our own page) — join fellow meme-obsessed, space-enthusiast, cat-loving, photography fanatics after the break.

Google is giving users another reason to go GIF hunting: Google Plus is now accepting animated profile photos. The social network announced that users can use animated GIFs as their Google+ avatars, "like newspapers in Harry Potter," according to Google employee Matt Steiner.

The GIFs, unfortunately, only move in full profile view. Google has decided not to bombard its users with moving profile photos in comments, friend listings, etc. (phew).

You can make your own mini motion picture in a pinch with this mobile app or save Vine videos to your camera roll. So, what are you waiting for? Get moving!

Google+'s app updates for iOS and Android are right on trend, with more photo-centric features than ever before.

Powerful photo-editing tools from the desktop/mobile application Snapseed, which Google acquired last Fall, are now built into the Google+ iOS app for iPhone and iPad. In addition to selecting filters for their photos, users can adjust saturation, contrast, brightness, filter strength, and more, before sharing the images with their circles.

Google+ hasn't added photo-editing functionality for Android users yet, but the Android app did get a redesigned stream today that puts more social features up front and gives image galleries more visibility.

The +1, reshare, and comment buttons are now more accessible at the bottom of a post. Instead of cropped image previews, the entire photo will be displayed. When a gallery is posted, users can now swipe through the entire album from the stream.

Both the iOS and Android apps have a new profile design that reflects the recently introduced large-and-in-charge cover photo size.

While the new photo tools and updated stream are certainly an improvement over the existing app, Google+ is still trailing behind Facebook and Twitter, which have already introduced similar features. But with Google+'s more prominent role in other Google services, like search, Gmail, Drive, and even non-Google sites like Zagat, it might be only a matter of time before online users feel compelled to sign up for the company's social platform.

Do you use Google+? Will the latest update draw more users to the social network?

In a policy revision announced this week, Google will be instituting one blanket privacy policy across their many web products with the reasoning that they're building a streamlined user experience. The data from your activity and habits on one Google-owned site will be stored in their servers and shared across all their sites. The legal speak details for Google's new Terms of Service are available on their website, but we've broken down what you need to know and how the changes affect your digital life below.

• When logged into any Google product account, the personal information provided will be shared among all of Google's products. Searches and text provided in Google Search may pop back up in YouTube as recommended videos or Gmail as targeted ads.
• Those ads across Google services will be more finely targeted than ever, thanks to your activity across the company's network of products, after all the servers see your most visited websites on Chrome and your recurring destinations on Maps. If personalized ads aren't for you, the function can be turned off with the Ads Preference Manager.
• Google says your data privacy is secure. They will not sell your personal information or share it without permission, unless with a valid court order.
• Google social search elements are still happening. When applicable, Google+ personal results will continue to appear in a search query, with the thinking that a friend's recommendation or recent article share on the social network ties closer to what you're scouring the Internet for.
• The Google products policy change goes into effect March 1.

Tell us your feelings on the Internet giant's changes in the comments and watch Google's video explanation of the new policy after the break.

Last night President Obama shared his State of the Union address and is now giving the American public their chance to chime in by taking questions on Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m. EST in the first ever White House Google+ Hangout.

Through Jan. 28 at midnight EST, submit your own questions on the state of the nation to the White House YouTube page and vote on those you find most important for the president to answer. Several people who submit questions will be selected to join the video Hangout and interact with the president live. Since only 10 attendees are able to participate directly in the Hangout, the rest of us will just be watching the 45-minute live video feed of the president discussing the top-rated questions from the public.

The official Google+ White House page is the president's latest push in an integrated social media presence as his staffers also recently set up an Instagram account (@barackobama) in preparation for the 2012 campaign.

Source: The White House Flickr

ICYMI, Google aired its first Google+ TV ad over Thanksgiving. The one-and-a-half-minute spot makes the case for sharing certain information with certain people and shows how easy it is to create new circles in order to keep your work, personal, and "epic bro" lives separate. Check out the video below and tell me — are you still using Google+?