Google+ Take Two

The social network gets a massive redesign. It's equal parts Facebook circa 2009 and Twitter circa, well, now.

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Google has redesigned its flailing social network for the first time since launch, revamping the interface and slicing it up into discrete "apps," much like Facebook. The feed has been given a facelift and various modules — the Gchat friends list, the status update panel — have been repositioned and redesigned. The profile pages look like this now:

It makes Google+ more recognizable as a social network, rather than an odd and unwanted outgrowth of the Google homepage, but does so chiefly by imitation. While it looks much better than it used to, it looks better specifically in that it looks more like Facebook and functions more like Twitter. I mean, you even get to choose a "cover" photo for your profile. And that "Trending" box! Oh, that trending box.

This is nice news for people who already actively use Google+. It doesn't change anything for people who don't.

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