An unofficial blog that watches Google's attempts to move your operating system online since 2005. Not affiliated with Google.

Send your tips to gostips@gmail.com.

March 2, 2011

Google Profiles Has a New Interface

Google Profiles has a new user interface that emphasizes the profile photo, includes many new sections and uses encrypted connections. You can now click on a section of your profile to edit it, add "10 words that describe you best", bragging rights, relationship information, structured information about your education and employment, a scrapbook with your favorite photos. Another change is that you can now hide the Google Buzz tab from your profile.




The new Google Profiles is closer to a social networking feature, but it's just one piece of the puzzle.

53 comments:

  1. ...and Google Apps users are once again left out of all the sweet Google goodness...oh well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Why would you want to use this with an Apps account anyways? Apps are for work. Get your own personal Google account if you want to use the social features, it isn't that hard.

    Anyways, this is a massive leap forward. Congrats Google! As mentioned though, it's just one piece of the puzzle. Looking forward for the other pieces falling into place.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Is it just me, or it really looks a lot like the FB profile page ? :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Liviu Indeed it does. Add a bit of blue and they might have a lawsuit ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Man and I just got done making my old profile look all nice

    ReplyDelete
  6. fyi.. it only shows up when you're logged in.. If you're signed out of your account, you see the old interface!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Please keep feature to show photos from any photo service (picasa, flickr or rss) not just picasa web.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Andrew, I want access to Google Profile and Google Storage because I use Google Apps for my personal account (e.g. name@surname.com).

    However, I do understand that Google needs to create control so that admins can enable / disable profiles and other services.
    -levis

    ReplyDelete
  9. @Levis with you on using Google Profiles for personal domains. Looking forward to the feature rollout of these profiles to Google Apps as well.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'd wager it's not an insignificant portion of Apps users who are Apps users because they want the power of Google tools, but the convenience of their own domain name/email address. Perhaps the solution is to add an option in the Apps control panel to allow the domain administrator to opt for the Apps domain to be treated as a "Private" apps account so that we don't continually have to be left out of new feature rollouts.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I kind of liked the other profile setup, though I didn't really use it much. The questions about Google can and can't find was fun.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I use the Google APPS for personal use: contact@myname.com and I can't use Google profiles.

    ReplyDelete
  13. It looks much much smarter that the old profile page. But indeed, it's still not public : you only view it when you are logged on.
    The structured information about your education and employment is really a great improvment ! Now it has to be "linked" between all GProfiles users : I 'd like to see all the student of my school when I click on it on my profile :) !
    Also, we can now add photos from private albums of Picasa. THAT is just WONDERFUL IMPROVMENT !!! REALLY. I 've waiting for that for years...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mhm, new profiles are visible on the web. But they still aren't visible in Google Search Profile.
    You can see new profile like this : https://profiles.google.com/YourGoogleName/about

    Could Google add new profile on GG Profile Search AND Google.com (my profile is only searchable on the first one, on google.com my viadeo and linkedin profiles are on top...)

    ReplyDelete
  15. co cweet...co cweet...
    its cool \m/

    ReplyDelete
  16. I get "Your Browser is no longer supported" even after upgrading FF to the latest version and disabling AdBlock Plus, Flashblock, NoScript and a few other extensions.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Problem solved - FF first updated to the latest version in 3.5 branch.

    ReplyDelete
  18. An other piece of the puzzle slots into place.

    ReplyDelete
  19. First impressions: it's too formal and staid for my tastes, like I'm filling out a resume for the most boring corporation on earth... the old profiles - and orkut, for that matter - felt a little more fun and frivolous. I'm a little weirded out that something that isn't a social network (at least for the time being) is asking for my relationship status and what I'm looking for. Also, if you add your instant messager [sic] screenname(s), it doesn't tell people what service(s) you're using. The "Buzz" tab looks a lot nicer, I'll give it that.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The Profile now integrates with Buzz, which integrates with Twitter and Reader (and Facebook? and lots of other stuff) - basically: if more people were using their Profiles, this would be all you needed... This Buzz-stream contains more of my socmed-channels than my Facebook-wall, ánd gives me a Profile like Facebook's - yet also gives me access to all my other Google-stuff, like Maps. It might be just one piece, but it's quite a big piece.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I can't grasp why you changed the profile URL?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Because it's becoming a real Google service, where it was a google's joke before that update...
    However, we're still waiting for Google Me update :)...

    ReplyDelete
  23. There's a nice little easter egg on the profile picture: you can set more than one and though there's no visual indication you can then click to flip between them.

    ReplyDelete
  24. All these comments show us that "Google +1" / "Social Google" is really expected !

    ReplyDelete
  25. Fun new feature: You can now choose more than one avatar, and everyone can see them all by clicking!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great move. Will update my google profiles now.... [",]

    ReplyDelete
  27. This looks good, but I don't like Scrapbook and Profile Pictures albums appearing in my otherwise uncluttered Picasa. I don't like that at all - please Google can those albums be hidden?

    ReplyDelete
  28. For those of you saying you can have more than one avatar ... how? When I click to change my Profile pic I can only pick one as far as I know.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Please add this to google apps. I want social search too!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Congrats, the new profile interface is awesome. all google products should sort of match this style if possible

    ReplyDelete
  31. yes please add to Google Apps. I'm missing out!!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. I do like the new Profile interface. It is nice to have the About, +1's & Buzz. It would also be nice to have Google Reader Shared Items, Youtube Liked & Shared Items, Google places (What we have rated) & Latitude check-in's. If there were some open areas/"Tabs" so we could add something like Foursquare check-ins, Twitter post's & a different photo sharing site.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I have missed a lot from my Google account after I recently switched to my Google Apps account. Now I can't +1 a website and I miss my Google Profile too because of it.
    We are truly missing out on this.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Profiles really do need to start supporting Google Apps even if its just for Personal Apps domains (since those are what everyone who wants this feature has) - or the other way round Apps needs to support profiles one of the two.

    Android makes it almost too perfect if you use Apps for your personal email as you can sign in everywhere (except profiles and very few other annoying googly places that are less important)

    ReplyDelete
  35. One more user asking for Apps accounts to be included. C'mon, Google. We're your biggest fans. Let us in the club house!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I'm a Apps user who is also sick of being left out of the new google services.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I agree with Steve, Jeremy and a whole lot of other people. I'm an Apps user who is tired of being 'left out of the loop'.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Another "Apps" user who essentially uses (and PAYS for) an apps-level account for use with a private personal domain, who feels left out of the new social features appearing on Google now. You know, Google did us right when they did the transition that gave us apss users all these great "regular" Google features, but one of the major features they left out of the transition was the upcoming social apps life enhanced profiles and +1=and surely they knew this was coming down the pike, and they know that at least a sizable percentage of apps users are simply using them for personal domains and not corporate use! C'mon Google! Stop treating Apps users like second class citizens...yet again!

    ReplyDelete
  39. One more request for Apps integration here. I use Apps for Business for my one-account personal domain and find it to be worth every cent, especially compared to the Exchange service from my hosting company that I used to use instead.

    ReplyDelete
  40. +1
    I'm a "Apps" user and I feel left out too...

    ReplyDelete
  41. I would like Google to have Google Profile added to Apps Users ...

    ReplyDelete
  42. Same here, I'm really ticked off at this profiles issue because I was basically lied to.

    Last year we were told that Apps users would be treated as First-Class users just like everyone else. So I made the switch and started using my Apps account. Yet here we are again being told, oh you're an apps user, sorry we can't serve you. It was no Google Voice, then no Buzz, and no Profiles, and now no Plus.

    It took them a whole year to get Google Voice enabled for Apps.

    Why the whole hoopla last year about a new Account Scheme and converting us over? I'm done with this tomfoolery. Not because I can't use anything tied to profiles, but mostly because I was foolishly recommending Google Apps to others and now I put them in the same stupid situation I'm in. Thank you Google.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Here's another +1 for getting profiles working on Google Apps. Google Reader, Google+, Youtube - I wish my Apps account wasn't a second-class citizen with all these toools...

    ReplyDelete
  44. Another +1 for Apps access to Profiles and Google Plus.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Admaster was pretty spot on there. I use Google Apps for my personal domain, and have recommended it to friends (and helped setting it up for them). Now they're asking me about why they're being left out from Google's new services over and over and over.

    The biggest problem with Google is their inability to provide information on development for end-users. If they actually told us the reason why it is so hard to have the Apps-account act like a "real" Google account I am absolutely positive people would be a LOT more patient.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Agree on the complaints, but let's be real here. Google is providing these services to us because it helps them sell more ads. Your personal preferences and relationship status are merely a way to get more targeted ads to you. I'm willing to look at a few in exchange for the great services Google provides, and I agree that google apps users shouldn't be left out of the new services. I also understand that Google is not a charity and that all of their services must serve the ultimate goal of earning more ad revenue for the company. And no, I'm not a stock holder. Just some guy who'd like to use google plus on my name@surname.com google apps account.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Another one here for apps for a personal domain. First buzz (a year and a half ago and still not available), and now +1 and G+ we don't have. Yeah I know... we will get it... in a few weeks or months or whenever they see fit. Apparently it now is a high priority, but c'mon guys... buzz has been around for a year and a half and in that time you couldn't get Profiles to apps? I really love using the google stuff, but this is getting really REALLY inconvenient. I now have a temporary G+ account and have to switch everything around once Apps DOES get G+. And now I'm just hoping they don't make it some business-only profile and forget about all the private account that are on Apps.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Another post asking for Profiles for Google Apps, personal domain. I'd actually pay,and have thought about switching my 3 users to paying Apps account. Then I find some other new feature I can't use, why would I pay. There should be a way to allow the Admin to control yes/no on Profiles. It's been 3 months since suggestion by Google in March that Profiles would be coming soon for Google Apps. Update??

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.