Getting Started on the Google+ API | Hacker News Reader

Getting Started on the Google+ API

googleplusplatform.blogspot.com

175 pointsschlichtm25 comments

Just this past week I've finally stopped checking Google+ because I only ever saw posts from my Google employee friends. Am I the exception or the rule here? Is Google+ getting any traction?

I prefer it to Facebook and hoped it would take off, but, based on my anecdotal personal experience, I fear it's going the way of Buzz and Wave. If their new platform is on a sinking ship, it's hard for me to get excited about writing apps for it.

Let's be fair though.

1) It's still in preview.

2) It has been somewhat primed with members, but has yet to reach the tipping point where everyone wants to (or even can) try it out.

3) The feature set is almost certainly not what it will be when it goes public.

My take on the field test is that it focused on bringing out the features most wanted by the technical crowd, who are crucial early adopters (and people paying attention to Google). The service will be refined until it is deemed ready for public consumption.

Finally, as with every social network, who is using it is more important than what it can do. We'll see if the "right" people take to it and bring everyone else with them.

1) It's still in preview.

If this is just a preview they should not have opened the gates to everyone.

3) The feature set is almost certainly not what it will be when it goes public.

How is it not public now? Anyone who wants to join can get an invite. Or am I mistaken?

I don't think these are valid excuses for google+ floundering. I think they executed well at the start, but failed to follow through.

At the start it they were all like "Facebook is anti-privacy, we're going to respect your privacy" and then their handling of the "real names" affair brought the cynic out in everyone and we all saw that it wasn't a real alternative to facebook.

Well, they might ramp up advertising when it officially starts. Maybe it's different in other areas, but in Germany there was Chrome advertising everywhere for a while, and they might try doing the same for Plus.

Though I suppose that reeks of desperation, since a social network should kind of advertise itself, so they might not even do it.

No, it's not technically public yet. It's pretty easy to get in, but you can't simply just sign up.

The hardest thing for me to understand is why the expected timespan for "success" is so short for products. Chrome got the same bad rap for not taking over the web 8 weeks after it had been released. These things take time.

I haven't seen that it's dead, myself. Not sure what others are seeing. I've been doing Android development, and I sort of formed a bit of an Android dev community on G+. Some people post more than others, sure, but I've made some friends out of strangers, and I see a good bit of variety in my stream. Not all dev stuff, understandably, but I've been able to interact with some cool people.

I guess it has quieted down a bit since the beginning, but I also haven't made a huge effort to expand the number of people I follow either. It's active enough that it wouldn't occur to me to stop checking it.

I do follow some Googlers too, like you, and recently I got in on a game of Diablo 2 with one of them. A G+ organized retro gaming night (sort of in preparation for the release of Diablo 3).

Maybe I'm in the minority?

(my Android developers post that started all that is here for the interested: https://plus.google.com/104570711580136846518/posts/CECXy1zg... )

I agree. I stopped checking about 2 weeks ago because there were only about 3 people that ever posted anything. I like the concept, but it needs to hit critical mass and I'm wondering if the hype they received is going to be the thing that ultimately kills them.

The java api access was already published[1], however ruby will probably need a few more minutes[2]

[1] http://code.google.com/p/google-api-java-client/updates/list

[2] http://code.google.com/p/google-api-ruby-client/updates/list

There's also a GWT sample app: http://gwt-google-apis.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/apis/samples...

The code for which is here: http://code.google.com/p/gwt-google-apis/source/browse/trunk...

There's also a PHP sample app here: http://code.google.com/p/google-plus-php-starter/

And Python, Obj-C, and .NET

All listed here: http://developers.google.com/+/downloads

No easy way to extract the number of times something has been +1ed?

There's an unofficial way (basically, grabbing it the same way their widget gets it); here's a rough gist of how you do it in Python: https://gist.github.com/57028738e649c15c3b15

I extract it for use in http://SharedCount.com

You can see the number of times an activity has been +1ed (assuming the activity is public and you can find your way to it in the first place), but you can't get any information on who +1ed it.

This is great news. Now Googlers can use their own API to create apps for other Googlers to interact in unique ways with eachother.

Seriously, someone else has mentioned it, but 90% of the activity I see is from Google employees. The whole thing feels so artificial at this point. I would be really surprised if G+ goes anywhere from here, but best of luck to them.

Well, it's a start. Kudos on using existing standards.

Courtesy limit: 1,000 queries/day ?!

Yep. It sucks. Apparently it is going to be upgraded.

I registered an application and put in an upgrade request, will let you know what happens!

I think I was asking for too much when I wanted an app marketplace.

They have the chrome web store, I suspect apps will go there too.

Read only? Disappointed

I'm really curious to see how they sort out making a usable API for dealing with all the privacy settings (circles) on different posts.

RESTful API from Google?

Social graph?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com