[ cross-posted from Zenpundit — backstory of Google+ ]
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Herrad von Landsberg seems to have corralled seven of his best friends — the Septem Artes Liberales— into his “Hortus deliciarum” on Google+ back in 1180.
Here’s a larger version, for your viewing convenience:
I think the point of Google+ isn’t who you include but who you can exclude. On Facebook you can’t easily isolate (for instance) your leftist family members with whom you avoid talking politics from your nonpolitical tennis-playing friends from your libertarian/conservative blogging acquaintances. Google+ seems like a thoughtful attempt to transcend FB’s limitations in this regard. Maybe it will become popular, though there have been numerous examples (FB, eBay, financial exchanges, etc.) of flawed first-mover networks who have been able to remain dominant merely by being minimally responsive to users’ needs.