Much like every other social network out there, Google+ means to shift its focus from general updates to photos.
The latest update is also meant to bring some peace of mind to the ones concerned about the future of this social network after Google+ chief Vic Gundotra’s departure from one month ago. Google+ Stories, as the update is called, works behind the scenes to make your photos and videos a lot more interesting, by adding context to them. Assuming that geotagging is turned on while taking the pictures, Google+ Stories will create timelines and e-mail you when the story is ready.
Anil Sabharwal, Director of Product Management, offered in a blog post some context for Google+ Stories:
“A suitcase full of dirty clothes. A sad-looking house plant. And 437 photos and videos on your phone, tablet and camera. This is the typically messy scene after a vacation. And although we can’t do your laundry (thanks but no thanks), or run your errands (well, maybe a few), we’d still like to help. Enter Google+ Stories, which can automatically weave your photos, videos and the places you visited into a beautiful travelogue.
No more sifting through photos for your best shots, racking your brain for the sights you saw, or letting your videos collect virtual dust. We’ll just gift you a story after you get home. This way you can relive your favorite moments, share them with others, and remember why you traveled in the first place.”
Google+ Movies, on the other hand, will create remarkable clips from the footage you shoot every day. The social network will take care of the effects, transitions and soundtrack so that the resulting video is memorable.
Sabharwal pointed out that Google+ Stories and Movies will roll out on Android and the Web version of the social network this week. While the features will also be available on iOS, the users of Apple’s operating system will have to wait for an indeterminate amount of time.
All in all, it’s great to see that social networks update their features, even though improvements are made in relatively small steps. Visual content seems to matter more than text nowadays, at least when it comes to updating your friends and relatives about your status. In this context, images really are worth a thousand words.
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