The Google+ bar, which appears at the top of Google products, is your connection to Google+. You can share what's on your mind, view your Google+ notifications, access your profile, or jump to a variety of other Google products. For instance, to get to Google+, all you have to do is click +[your first name].
When you're signed in and look at the Google+ bar, you'll see your full name or email address displayed with a photo or avatar next to it. This helps you identify which account you're currently signed in to. You can sign in to multiple accounts at once and switch between them using the Google+ bar.
One of the most interesting feature of the bar is notifications:
When you receive a notification, the notification area in the Google+ bar will turn red and show the number of new notifications. If you click the notification area in the Google+ bar, you’ll see a summary of your recent notifications. When you click a notification, a preview of the event that generated the notification will appear in the drop-down menu. You can take action on each notification right from the notifications menu, like commenting on a post or adding someone to a circle.
The navigation bar has been morphed into the Google+ bar and it should be more useful. Maybe at some point the bar will include notifications for Gmail, Calendar, Google Docs and other Google services.
nice one Alex..
ReplyDeletei was just reading about the Google+ project and i just saw a new post in the feed :)
Great update regarding google bar.
ReplyDeletemmmm Melissa
ReplyDeleteI'm very looking forward this new feature from Google (hate Facebook...) but a blue transparent bar would have been much more appreciated !!! My eyes hurt with this black bar, it doesn't fit any standard Google colors...
ReplyDeleteFrickin hell. I wont use Google+ simply because they tried to screw the the interface on purpose to make me use it. HATE this bar. HATE Google right now.
ReplyDeleteI didn't liked this move by google. This is really like facebook like button. Google is nowadays copying all the ideas from others.
ReplyDeleteCould somebody invite me to Google+ service? at/nedywest71ATgmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance!
I really really hate how the black bar looks, especially on google reader! UGH! It reminds me of how websites looked in the late 1990's before graphic design was a priority. I hope that they at least make the color customizable.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which is dumber: showing a white background toolbar over a background image or showing a black background toolbar over a background image (or thinking a black bg is more "social" than a white bg). (Personally, I just make it transparent--you know, so I can see the image.) Google: more evil? or just more stupid every day?
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! I was really excited to try Google+, but my experience so far is negative. Instead of letting me crawl in to check it out, Google+ instantly spreads its goo around and invades maps, calendar, search, and gmail (all utilities I rely on) with its chunky bar.
ReplyDeleteMy first dip into actual Google+ land was a futile attempt to remove the bar (with flashbacks of Digg bar in mind), but there's no clear way. I'm tempted to delete my Google+ account just to be free of it. I don't want to be constantly distracted with new social media notices in these former safe spaces, plus I just don't like how it looks. Also, Google+ replaces Rapportive in gmail with a suckier version, which is annoying, gives far less information, and seems like a petty grab.
And so, while I'd still like to try Google+'s actual features, I already don't like it. I see the tackiness of Yahoo, feel the claustrophobia of AOL, and smell the scent of Microsoft. Not a good sign.
i like it. How do i download it?
ReplyDeleteI wont be using Google+, any more than facebook, so why can't I have my nice clean white search interface back, which made the bar at the top more invisible - and with no grey search boxes on the results page or useless Everything columns on the left. Stuff I can't turn off in IE at work the way I do with Firefox at home. Google's arrogance just annoys me everytime I open it now.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Do they read this stuff. Do they care? Wonderful, some people want all this faster, sooner, I'm Tooh-tally competent stuff. They spend their whole day with the latest, coolest "whatever" morphed to thier arm. Oh yeah. It's there. You're pocket, in your bag, under the covers. I get that this is the new social norm and all but com'on folks, at least give us a choice. Some of us just want to able to get in and get out. Hell Yes we noticed!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else have an issue with the Google+ bar covering up the search bar in Google Reader/Firefox?
ReplyDeleteHow irritating, this google+ bar, which, as far as I know, can not be disabled!
ReplyDeleteI haven't found a way to hide, move or disable the google+ bar...anyone else found a way?
ReplyDelete