Google+

Google entered the social networking game with Google+ to fanfare and high hopes. But only a third of the site's users ever make a public post, and those who do only post every 12 days.

Google+ seems to be inescapable. Everywhere you go on the Web, you see that little logo and a picture. (Heck, I get tired of seeing my own mug staring back at me, page after page.) And people who are responsible for traffic on many sites have worried that competitors will find ways to use the social networking feature to grab page views.

Zagat, the "dining guide" famous for its "quote-laden reviews," has been integrated into Google+.

A new "Local" tab in Google+ shows nearby places to eat, with Zagat ratings when available. For places that aren't Zagat-rated, Google+ generates a score from regular user reviews, employing the same 30-point scale that Zagat uses.

Facebook is now officially a public company, scads of new millionaires are on a Silicon Valley spending spree, and media outlets near and far have yet to pipe down about the IPO, likely one of the most anticipated in history.

But is the long-term viability and success of Facebook a slam dunk?  You’d think so, considering 900 million people on the planet use the social network now valued at nearly $105 billion.

Google+: No Comments?Google+ now has more than 100 million users, but data shows that once we’re signed up for Google's social networking site, we lose interest in it quickly.

The average post has less than one +1, less than one comment, and is re-shared less than once, says Business metrics firm RJMetrics. That means a majority of us post information that doesn’t get noticed, and that lack of notice likely is the reason why many of us don’t come back, or that we come back very rarely.

Listen, Google, we need to talk. You seem to be ignoring our green robotic friend. I know you've been battling lawsuits, getting your self-driving cars licensed, and focusing on Google+, but it might be time to show Android that you still care.

Google released an overhauled version of its Google+ app for iPhone, but Android users will have to wait “a few weeks,” said Vic Gundotra, the company’s Senior Vice President. The updated app has a new user interface with large photos and sleek animations, but not much new in terms of functionality.

Gundotra said: “We’re not interested in a mobile or social experience that’s just smaller. We’re embracing the sensor-rich smartphone (with its touchable screen and high-density display), and transforming Google+ into something more intimate, and more expressive.” The new Google+ app for iPhone actually delivers that.

Google+ is enabling live Hangouts broadcasting for all its users after the feature was available to a limited number of professional broadcasters. With Hangouts On Air, you can broadcast live video publicly from a Google+ stream, a YouTube channel or embed it on a website.

Hangouts On Air is more than simple video streaming. During the live session you can look inside the hangout to see how many viewers are watching and the show gets automatically recorded. Once you finished live streaming, the recording is uploaded to your YouTube channel, as well as on Google+ to keep for posterity.

Google+ now has a Share button, a less confusing and more straightforward version of its +1 sibling. Overshadowed by the launch of Google Drive, the Google+ Share button works like the Facebook and Twitter share buttons, so that you can post links directly to your feed.

The Google+ Share button works differently from the Google +1 button, which recommends links that show up in search results. Instead of implying your endorsement with “+1”, the Share button allows you to share an article with your circles or followers -- a behavior users are accustomed to when using the Facebook Like button or Twitter sharing.

Illustration: I Love DustStay on top of your social media with a few communication tools.

HootSuite is a Web app that helps you manage your Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts in the same spot. The ad-supported free version lets you add up to five social media accounts and two RSS feeds.

Last week I posted to Buzzblog a list of the 50 best "bragging rights" claimed by users of Google+.

Who says they're the 50 best? Only me. And while they're skewed toward those in my Google+ circles (a lot of techies and media types) and those in theirs (civilians, with a couple of celebs), I compiled this list over the course of a few months by looking at many hundreds of Google+ profiles, which in addition to containing standard biographical info invite users to claim "bragging rights."