Google+ is off to a good start: A clean interface that works, interesting and useful  features, a great Android app, and a curious community of early adopters. The screenshots at the bottom of this post will give you a taste of what Google+ is but they will also likely show you what it is not, at least not yet.

Google needs to go above and beyond itself to make this worth our time and theirs. Right now Google+ (or Google Plus) feels like Google Buzz +1 but also like Facebook -1. It’s exciting, but not that exciting.

Below are 10 things that Google can do to change their reputation in the “social” space and become a dominant player instead of an awkward one.

1) Don’t Focus on the Technology

Google Wave was the future… and then it died. Google Buzz might as well be. Google must truly learn from those mistakes and focus on use cases that make sense to people outside the Googleplex. Why do people go online (beyond search and YouTube) and why/how/when do people interact with each other?

2) Compete with Facebook

Google needs to stop saying that this is not about Facebook. It is. It’s time to compete and compete well. Twitter might not be trying to create a Facebook but its definitely competing by enhancing its own network and doing things that are either very much in line with what Facebook is doing, or completely different. A competition is a competition regardless of whether you can coexist or not.

3) Google Ads

A Google social network without ads? Really? For how long? Google must be brave and put some ads up there. If it doesn’t, I simply cannot take this seriously. It’s not that I love ads, but without ads Google is pretending to be something it is not.

4) Make Changes and Soon

Google Buzz looks the same today as it did a year ago. That’s embarrasing and quite useless in a web that evolves on an on-going basis. There must be a long-term strategy and that must involve changes, updates, and major enhancements and announcements. It also includes making mistakes and doing a thing or two that people don’t like. Just do something beyond launching and don’t wait too long to do it. If there are no changes in the next month or two, I’m not staying around.

5) Integrate ASAP (more…)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab was unveiled today at IFA in Berlin. As Samsung USA‘s Social Media Manager, I’m a bit biased about all things Samsung (and Android in general), but I’ve seen the Galaxy Tab myself and it is truly an impressive device. I’ll keep sharing my thoughts on Twitter @SamsungEsteban & @SocialNerdia, but here are links to initial reactions from around the web so you read some previews/reviews and watch some videos/photos.

Engadget: Samsung Galaxy Tab Preview
Engadget: Live from Samsung IFA 2010 press event
Android Central: Samsung Galaxy Tab photo gallery
Android Central: Samsung announces the Galaxy Tab 7-inch Android tablet
Android Central: Samsung Galaxy Tab Hands-On [Video]
CNET: Samsung Galaxy Tab Photos
CNET: Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet goes official
CNET: Samsung: Galaxy Tab has leg up on Apple iPad
Gizmodo: Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Runs Froyo, Has Flash and Measures 7-Inches
Into Mobile: Hands-on: Samsung Galaxy Tab Android – 7 inches of Android tablet goodness
Mashable: Samsung Officially Unveils Galaxy Tab
Mobile Burn Samsung launches new Galaxy Tab Android 2.2 tablet
Mobiel Review Samsung Galaxy TAB. First Look
PC Mag: Samsung Introduces Galaxy Tab
PC World: Samsung Galaxy Tab Makes Its Intriguing Debut
Phone Arena: Samsung Galaxy Tab Preview
Samsung Hub (unofficial): Galaxy Tab gets official
TechIt: Fringing has just become more awesome on Galaxy Tab
The Droid Guy: Samsung Galaxy Tab officially exposed to select members of the US Android/Mobile Media
The Next Web: Samsung Galaxy Tab goes official, gets mid-September european release
Twice: Samsung Galaxy Tab Targets iPad

Stay tuned to @SamsungTweets and facebook.com/samsungusa for the latest news about the Galaxy Tab in the U.S.

Disclaimer: While I am employed by Samsung, the views expressed on this post are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of Samsung.

The Galaxy Tab  is very real. I’ve personally played with this amazing device and it blew me away. Yes, I work for Samsung so I’m a bit biased, but as a geek and Android fan I can tell you that I’m extremely excited. And based on today’s hundreds of awesome tweets to @SamsungTweets, it is obvious that there are many out there who share the excitement.

Here’s a glimpse of the awesomeness that’s soon to come… Get ready.

http://galaxytab.samsungmobile.com

Lisa Murphy is the Product Marketing Manager for Metaio, a company that develops software products for visual interactive solutions between the real and the virtual world.

Metaio is responsible for some of the coolest augmented reality implementations and they recently partnered with Time Out New York Kids to bring P.S.22′s famous YouTube video to your phone through mobile AR (via their Junaio browser). It’s a brave new AR world and Metaio is one of the companies leading the charge.

1) From movie posters to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, augmented reality marketing is generating a lot of buzz. However, the usage and awareness of AR is still not very high. Is buzz the ultimate goal in AR marketing today?
 
Buzz is definitely a goal for brands and it sometimes is the ultimate goal. But for many others, brands are looking beyond the buzz to deliver an interactive brand engagement experience or help drive sales of their products. For example, LEGO, a partner of ours, created the LEGO Digital Kiosk installation at their retail stores. The LEGO Digital Kiosk allowed shoppers to see a 3D model of the actual LEGO toy with animations and sound right on top of the product package when held to the kiosk. ( )In this execution, LEGO not only created a buzz, a great brand experience, but also sold more products as a result of the experience. (more…)

There are two apps that make most of the other apps on my phones (I have both a Samsung Moment and a Palm Pre) seem almost useless. One is Stitcher (which lets you stream podcasts) and the other is Pandora. This is because audio is essential to me. Without something to stream on the way to work, while walking in Manhattan, or simply while relaxing at home, I would go a little crazy.

I’ve heard some people say that some of this year’s SXSW Interactive presentations were too “101.“ All I can say is that I attended some presentations/sessions/panels that were solid good. Some were technical in nature and others were more about the stories behind-the-scenes.

One of my favorite stories was that of Pandora, as told by their CTO Tom Conrad.

I opted not to go to Gary Vee’s presentation, the live Buzz Out Loud (I’m a huge fan), and many other ones at the same time because I wanted to learn more about Pandora. It was worth it.

I had the great pleasure of talking with Loic Le Meur, a French blogger, serial entrepreneur, and founder / CEO of Seesmic for The Social Nerdia Show! last night.

I didn’t only get to ask Loic a few questions, but I also got to do it on his 37th birthday and Le Quatorze Juillet so I am very grateful for the time he took to chat with me. I had no idea that it was Loic’s birthday (or Bastille Day for that matter), but I quickly found out through Twitter.

If you’ve ever used Twitter, chances are that you’ve heard of Seesmic and its very popular Seesmic Desktop (or its Twhirl predecessor), which is not only a fantastic Twitter and Facebook client/app, but also “a tool to manage your community,” as Loic explained to me. Seesmic has been working hard to launch a brand new web-based in-browser app called Seesmic Web that is not yet as good as its Adobe Air brother, but is catching up (in terms of features) and will do so probably sooner than later.

Loic told me about the importance of “not rushing things” and the value of Team Seesmic, a group of 52,000 members that provides Seesmic with feedback. “We build as much as we can, obviously based on demand.. but we have a lot of surprises coming that no one suggested.”

A Seesmic iPhone app is coming soon (and Loic said it has surprises as well) so I asked him about a potential Palm Pre app. Loic didn’t give me a clear yes or no, but he did say they are “doing other platforms.”

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Cali Lewis is the producer, writer and host of GeekBrief.TV, a video podcast about tech, consumer electronics, and web 2.0. An influential person in the tech community, Cali is also quite down to earth and recently did an awesome job as an organizer of WordCamp Dallas 2009, where I was able to ask her some questions.

In the two videos below, you’ll learn about Cali’s real (but not very googleable) name, her geeky roots, and her transition from self-storage manager to full-time video podcaster.

Cali also told me about having friends not “fans” (with one exception), the exciting future of AR and 4G networks, and the threat that bloggers pose to journalists. Cali is aware that “the internet is not going to wipe out TV, just like TV didn’t wipe out the radio, and the radio didn’t wipe out the newspaper“, but it’s clear that online productions of high quality like GeekBrief.TV are  transforming the way we watch and think of content on the web.

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