Google+ circles allow users to categorize people into private lists for customized sharing, distinguishing them from public groups. This asymmetric sharing model enables privacy and control over who sees content, as opposed to platforms like Facebook, which operate on symmetric sharing. The document highlights the benefits and drawbacks of this system, emphasizing user management and connection options.

1. A
visual
guide
to
Circles
in
Google
+
By
Ross
Mayfield

2. Circles
in
are
confusing,
but
are
at
the
core
of
what
Google
Plus
can
do
for
you
By
Ross
Mayfield

3. Google
Plus
Circles
are
lists
of
people

4. You
can
make
lots
of
circles
to
list
your
people

5. You
can
give
your
Google
Circles
names
or
lables

6. The
names
you
give
your
circles
are
private,
nobody
can
see
how
you
label
them

7. A
circle
is
not
a
group
• Groups
have
membership,
can
be
public
or
private
and
discoverable
• Note
how
you
can’t
learn
from
the
circles
other
people
create
• Google
this:
Ridiculously
Easy
Group
Forming
and
Reed’s
Law

8. Facebook
is
symmetric
sharing,
based
on
confirmed
Jes

9. TwiKer
sharing
is
based
on
asymmetric
follow

10. Google
Plus’s
Circles
are
Asymmetric
Sharing

11. Google
Plus
lets
you
share
publicly,
extended
or
limited
to
your
circles

12. What
you
see
in
your
stream
starts
with
people
you
share
with
and
they
share
back.
You
can
see
menJons.
Incomping
is
everyone
who
shares
with
you

13. You
only
see
the
comments
in
threads
that
someone
is
enricled
with
you
started

14. Good
things
about
asymmetric
sharing
in
Google
Plus’s
Circles:
privacy,
management,
version
your
profile,
disable
reshare,
latent
connecJon

15. Minuses
of
Asymmetric
Sharing