Apparently, there are two constants in the Social Media ‘Verse. Number One, Facebook will regularly change our timelines and mess with us. Number Two, Google will regularly change how comments and comment notifications work and look.
And it’s happening again.
Just a couple weeks ago, Google changed all YouTube video comments to an integrated Google+ system. That means that now, in order to comment on a YouTube video, you must have a Google+ account, and then when posting a comment, that comment may be posted to Google+ as a status update, along with the corresponding video.
And today, I am noticing more changes to the comment notification system within Google+ itself. Again.
Last June, Google+ made some major adjustments to how the Notification system works and a lot of long-time Plussers hated it. What will the reaction be this time?
Here’s what I’ve noticed so far:
Viewed Notifications
When you click the red bell to view your notifications, you’ll see them appear just as before. If you choose to do nothing and click back to to Google+, when you return to your notifications, only brand new notifications will be bright. Your previously viewed notifications will be greyed out.
Cleared Notifications
This is where it gets more significanty different.
First, whenever you click on a notification to view a post, then return to your notifications, the notification card will automatically go away.
And note that when that happens, or when you dismiss a notification yourself, there’s a cool animation of the card falling away.
Second, if you want to view a notification that has been cleared one way or the other, there’s a Previously Read button at the bottom of your notification window that will slide up all of your older comments.
Clicking on the “Google+ Comments” link at the top of the window will still open all of your comment notification posts in a full screen for those that prefer to manage their activity that way.
Additional Changes
First, in case you hadn’t noticed, a couple of weeks ago Google added the option to share posts directly from the Notification window. If you click a notification to view a post or comment, you now have the share button as well as a +1, which is a great time-saver.
Also, related to sharing, note how cool the new share option is. Instead of using a new modal window, your share dialogue appears above the post you’re sharing, making it far easier to reference the shared post while you’re typing.
If there are any more changes related to today’s update specifically, I will update this post. Currently, I am noting some slight lags and notification indicator bell issues that will likely work themselves out as this update is rolled out. If you find any other changes of note, please share them in the comments below.
What do you think so far? Do you like the new Google+ Notifications?
