If you aren’t a developer, this is still good news because an application programming interface (API) is typically a necessary tool for anyone looking to build interesting third-party apps. Much of Twitter’s success was made possible when the company offered an API that developers could use to interact with the company’s data. That led to new third-party clients, search engines, and other features that improved Twitter’s usability faster than the company could do on its own. Introducing API’s for Google Plus will allow developers to build new products for G+ or integrate it into their existing apps. For instance, it should be easier for Klout to add Google Plus support.

Developers will still be limited even with this new access. The G+ API’s only allow access to publicly shared data, so posts shared only within a circle or limited profile information may not be completely visible (that might throw a wrench in Klout’s influence measurements).

Even with these limitations, this should go a long way in allowing creative developers to contribute more to Google Plus. We’ve already seen useful browser add-ons, so there’s no telling what is possible with greater access to public information on Google Plus.

Visit the Google+ Platform Blog and the Plus development center for more information on Google Plus API’s.

Since Google Plus debuted, Sparks has been the least talked about but potentially-important feature. Considering that Google wants to make people share content on its upstart social network, what better way to do that than to encourage adoption of a well of articles and videos ready to broadcast to your circles?

Sadly, Google+ Sparks is not being adopted because it’s current form is lackluster and has room for improvement. Here are five critical steps I think Google should take in order to make Sparks a more compelling asset for Google Plus.

1. Make the news chronological or timely

The Women’s World Cup ended July 17, 2011; so why was a video of the Japanese celebration, posted the day after the final, still appearing towards the top of Sparks results on August 7th? Sparks should be about timeliness and fresh content. The main Stream of Google Plus moves at a constant refreshing rate, so don’t let the stale content bubble to the top so long after it debuts. It’s understandable to highlight content that multiple people have shared in a trending section, but allow fresh content to rise to the top.

2. Make it easier to filter

I created a spark to keep tabs on the island of Jamaica, yet i get plenty of results from Jamaica, Queens or Jamaican people in Boston. A trick to get around this is to subtract keywords from the search. So instead of creating a [Jamaica] spark, I look for search term [Jamaica -queens -"new york"] (search terms with two words should be put in quotes if you want it to be exact).

However, this solution is neither easy nor elegant. Google should build filtering options into Plus so users can have a more narrow focus on their interests. It would be better to have a spark on Jamaican sports or politics and not have music stories dominating the stream. And while we’re at it, please ditch the YouTube videos in my Android spark that have nothing to do with Android, other than the fact that the video was automatically tagged “Record on my Android phone” when uploaded.

3. Integrate Google Reader & News to find better sources.

A few of my Sparks pull-in information from college newspapers and gossip blogs, neither of which are sources I’m interested in reading. Google is master of algorithms, so it should be better capable of learning which outlets appeal to me and deliver higher-quality articles. I have dozens of feeds in Google Reader and search for the same kinds of things in Google News. That should give Google enough clues as to figure out which types of stories to present.

4. Let me go local.

I have seen only one suggested article from The Miami Herald, my hometown newspaper. The nearby South Florida Sentinel has never popped up when I browsed Sparks. Shouldn’t Google give me the option to focus on my community?

My politics spark would be more relevant if it had more stories about City Hall and less about what happens on Capitol Hill. My football spark would be more interesting if it alerted me on local teams and major events nearby, so Sparks could get a boost though an option to see articles within 20-50 miles of my location. I’d also be more likely to find articles of interest for the people in my South Florida circle with such a feature. Google makes location a priority in shopping and search results, so it should do the same for news.

5. Be more social.

The most simple rule is also the most important, yet Google hasn’t done a very good job of making it relevant. The whole point of “Sparks” is to spark a conversation, right? The idea is that I see something of interest, share it to a circle, and then we talk about it. Despite that goal, Google is missing a golden opportunity in revealing what sparked my friend’s posts.

I can’t see every item added to the Google Plus Stream, especially if I don’t use a computer until hours after the content is shared. It would make more sense for Google to introduce a feature that shows when my friends have shared something from Sparks. Then I could click the link to see the content and add a comment to my friend’s post. Google already tells me when my friends use the +1 button in search results and in the Android Market, so why not in the news source that is designed to increase social activity?

Conclusion

These are just a few of the ways in which Google could enhance the usability of Sparks. Google Plus is still in its infant stages and some of these changes may actually be in the pipeline; however, it’s important that they arrive soon. Sparks in its current form misses the mark in key areas of interest. Google must address them if it hopes to make Sparks and Google Plus must-visit destinations.

Golden View is a Chrome extension that can end the wait time for four often-requested features on Google Plus. Once installed, the extension can:

• Mute users
• Select a default Circle stream
• Hide Comments, images, or video
• Search with Google

In some ways, Golden View is more trouble than it’s worth because users may have to actively click to Show shared content. This extension is designed only for people who don’t mind putting a few extra clicks in exchange for a cleaner, free-flowing stream. Plus users who grow tired of scrolling through long comment threads or seeing a long line of graphics will be able to focus on the words people say and save on loading time. (The recent addition of collapsed comments built into Google+ also makes that particular feature unnecessary.)

Keep in mind that there are options to control what is hidden by default and what is shown. Here are the options that users can set:

Enable User Mute will temporarily block over-sharers. If someone in your circle posts too frequently in a given period, their shares will be muted until you restore their status. This feature will even block a re-share of a muted user’s post.

Hide Comments turns G+ into a more Twitter-like experience and only shows the updates. This comes in handy becomes Google+ shows several comments on updates, which clouds your stream. Users can have comments disabled completely, set to only be seen when clicked, or show updates when new comments are added. An added benefit is that a red “Recent” link will call attention to new comments.

Hide Images is similar to Hide Comments. Users can set always be seen, not be shown, disabled completely, or show/hide a particular image.

Set Default Circle makes it possible to jump specifically to one specific stream. Rather than see posts from all circles in the default Stream, you jump to Tech Friends or your Sports Friends circle. To do this, click the star icon that appears next to your circle. Click on that star again to unset and return to the stream.

Enable Search With Google will allow users to perform a Google web search of Google+ content. It can only search publicly-available information, so you’re not really searching Google Plus (privately-shared content won’t appear).

Download Golden View from the Chrome Webstore and change your settings by clicking the wrench icon. Then click Tools > Extensions > and click “Options” under Golden View for Google+ to change which settings appeal to you.

The +1 button has been around for several weeks, appearing on more than a million websites without much social activity. Google and that website knew that you +1′d, but friends wouldn’t unless they also visited the page. There was never a direct link to Google+ for sharing – well, at least not until now.

Google has just announced that it is rolling out a new feature of its +1 button that will make it much easier for users to share interesting web content with their circles. Similar to how many Facebook and Twitter Like/Tweet buttons make it possible for someone to pass along an interesting article, the revamped +1 button layer will open with sharing options. The widget will let users add comments and choose which circles or contacts to share.

There’s also a new feature called +Snippets, which reveals choice information from articles. The snippets include images, headers, and links, very similar to those automatically-generated when sharing a link on Google Plus. The snippets provide a quick look at the contents of a post which helps people decide if they should click the link. (Google’s even providing webmasters with options for what to include in snippets).

Not everyone will see the new +1 button right away. Google says that it is rolling out to users over the next week, so be sure to check back periodically to see if your account has been updated. To trigger this and future Google+ innovations right away, join the Google+ Platform Preview user group and await your email confirmation.

via Google

Stilgherrian, who legally changed his name to a monomer over 30 years ago, has written a blog post about his experience with Google+. I’ll warn you now that this is an R-rated post with strong language. Click through to it at your own risk.

Basically, he signed up for Google+ using his real information. When he reached the end of the form, he was told he had to put something into the ‘Last Name’ field. He used a period, despite not actually having a last name. His profile was suspended a short time later, with Google claiming he wasn’t complying with the Names Policy.

Here’s where it gets interesting: He was in complete compliance with that policy. The policy says that you have to use the name that you are commonly called. He did that, and they still kicked it back. It seems like Google is using an algorithm (go figure) to analyze who’s name is real.

The most upsetting about this story is that he has tried to tell them that he is using his real name. Google has not bothered talk to him about it, instead sending him form emails stating that if he “wants to change his name to fit the policy,” they would be happy to have him on Google+.

This is just outrageous. While Google has the right to defend its policy, they have to consider those whose names are outside of the “standard” model. I know many people who legally have only one name, like Stilgherrian, and thus cannot use Google+. Shame on you Google. Shame on you.

Earlier today, a YouTube video was shared on +Vic Gundotra’s Google Plus profile claiming that the easy-share links that Google recently unveiled were not being posted to Facebook. In the video originally posted by Google employee Randall Safara, a side-by-side image is shown of a user’s Facebook feed and that of a friend. When a standard message is posted, it appears instantly on the friend’s feed. However, when a Google+ invite link is posted to Facebook, the link does not appear instantly and is not shared with the friend.

Gundotra claims that Google has been getting reports of the share links not working beginning on Friday, August 12, 2011. I just attempted to post a share link with my Facebook friends and made a follow-up status update asking if they are able to see it. None of my friends reported being able to see the original link, and it also did not appear in my Most Recent feed. (The “Did you see that link I posted” status update does appear, however.)

The only record of me ever posting the Google+ share link appears to be on my Facebook profile. The link appears in the standard list of status updates that I have shared on Facebook, but not in either my News Feed or that of my friend. I distinctly remember such links appearing in my News Feed previously.

While Facebook is well within its rights to prevent people from advertising a competing product on its website, it’s surprising to see the company stealthily get in the way of end users encouraging their contacts to chose another service. Here’s a look at the video showing what appears to be G+ share links being blocked on Facebook.

Google+ Games are launching today. Rolling out in stages to all members of the hot new social network, Games will introduce the ability to play Angry Birds, Bejeweled, Poker, and much more from the comfort of your browser.

But before you reach for that “Delete My Google+ button,” settle down and realize that Google+ Games will not be as intrusive or annoying as the gaming experience on Facebook.

My biggest complaint about Facebook – besides the unwanted “friends” pestering me to add them – is the persistent game spam that I simply cannot escape. Facebook Games spam pops up in my News Feed every time someone does anything in VilleLifeThingwhateer, and I constantly receive invites to play things I despise.

Google promises it will not make the same mistake with its Google+ Games component, and I pray they remain true to that promise. Games will be a contained environment to prevent the aforementioned intrusions. Games will only be accessible when a person clicks a Games button to activate them, invites will only be viewable in the game center, and monitoring the activity of friends cannot take place anywhere but – you guessed it – the +Games section.

If you’re not interested in games, it’s easy to ignore them. Your stream will remain focused on conversations with the people you care about. – Vic Gundotra, Google SVP, Engineering

Here’s a look at the games that will appear during the launch period. Gundotra promises that more will follow.

via Google Blog

However, detractors will eventually fall. Break.com has posted a comedy music video that illustrates what I like to call the 3 Stages of Google+ Acceptance – Denial, Intrigue, and Acceptance. People hear about Google+ and immediately say it’s unnecessary because Facebook or Twitter already meets their online social needs. Then they are drawn in by a few ways in which Plus is different; eventually, detractors come to love it.

That’s what happens in “The Google+ Song,” a video directed by +Andy Signore and starring +Ashley Pitman. Set to the melody of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” the Google+ song shows how many new users view Google Plus in the early stages. The allure of Circle controls, having fun in Hangouts, and being able to control or edit what you share with ease proves too tough to resist.

Here’s a video showing off Ashley’s early experience with Google Plus and why she loves the site. Let us know if you share her feelings or accepted Plus with open arms. Be sure to visit the Break Originals YouTube channel to read the “Google+ Song” lyrics.

Version 1.0.2.1966 is rolling out now and should appear in the Appstore throughout the day. The latest update puts the Google+ iOS update closer to having equal footing to the Android version. It supports the ability to set a specific circle to viewed in the stream, set who is allowed to huddle with you, and start a 1-to-1 huddle that can be hidden until you are ready to communicate with that person again.

In a video posted on Google Plus, a member of the mobile team hints that Google has a secret way to bring up secret screen selection menu. Based on comments in that post, the app also appears to work on iOS5, something early adopters previously complained about.

It’s also worth noting that the iPad version is really just a scaled-up version of the G+ iPhone app rather than a tablet-optimized app. We’ll just have to wait to see if and when Google builds an iPad-specific app for Google Plus. In the meantime, have fun trying to track down that new streams feature hidden within the app.

[Download from iTunes]

Google+ iOS app changelog

• Support for iPod touch & iPad devices
• Hide one-on-one Huddles
• Customize the main stream view to show streams from individual circles
• Start a new Huddle from profile
• Set permissions for who can start a huddle with you
• Fix for +mentions
• Various speed and performance improvements

Google+ has been more enjoyable to use thanks to a few developers who have created exciting Google+ Chrome Extensions to add features or change user elements. Less exciting was the trend last night that all G+ extensions suddenly stopped working, leading many to wonder if Google was blocking them.

No, what actually happened is that Google updated the Chrome Browser and changed the naming structure for certain browser elements. That’s a problem when virtually all of the Plus extensions use the naming structure from the previous day. As a result, Google Plus Chrome extensions stopped working on the evening of August 2, 2011.

Many developers of the top G+ extensions have already updated their creations to be compatible with the latest version of Google Chrome, but some users are not seeing the change. That’s because Chrome extensions do not auto-update as quickly as the browser. Here’s how to force your extensions to update now and get your Google Plus customizations working again. (Note: this trick only works if a developer has already updated the code to his extension, so not all G+ mods will work.)

1. In Google Chrome, click on the wrench icon near the top right of the screen
2. Select Tools > Extensions
3. Click the “+ Developer Mode” link located on the right side of the screen
4. Click “Update extension now”

Within a few minutes, your Google Plus extensions should work again (if the developer has updated the code).