Android Social Networking

Always be in touch with friends and family

The big difference between the internet today and that of ten years ago is social networking. Gone are the days when people would simply surf from website to website in complete isolation. Nowadays, it’s all about linking together with friends, sharing items with each other and keeping in contact. There is an ever-growing number of social networks around, but the big three are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, each carving its own niche. Facebook is the grandaddy of them all, pulling together pictures, videos, messaging services, games and a whole lot more. Twitter concentrates on microblogging, with messages limited to the now infamous 140 characters, while LinkedIn works as a cyberspace business networking event that never ends.

And when you run these popular social networks’ respective apps on your Android phone, you will find yourself hooked. For the developers of the apps in question have done far more than just take the websites and squash them onto a small screen – they have ensured that each of them is so easy to use that you will find it no effort at all to return time and again.

The beauty about having the apps on your phone is that your social networks go with you wherever you are. So you could check-in at a cafe and, as you sit drinking a latte, let everyone know exactly where you are in case they fancy joining you. That is made possible by the Places features in Facebook. You may have spotted a rare album in a record shop that you know would be of interest to the world. Take a photograph of it on your phone and, with a few taps of the screen, it can be shared on Twitter. And if you’re looking for work and want to call upon your contacts, then having them all stored within LinkedIn could prove quite lucrative.

Each of the apps enables you to speedily get in contact with others, sharing the fun and serious aspects of your life. They can also save you money. Rather than make a phone call, you could tap out a quick instant message. Or you may be searching through your Twitter feeds, reading the musings of others and see that someone has stumbled upon a bargain that you quite fancy trying. The Android phone is fully geared up for such networks too. The Gallery and Camera apps allow you to share your images via a wide variety of means, including Facebook, and it is this integration that means there is no excuse not to get involved.

Google+ Find your way around Google+

1: Download the app
Google+ is the American firm’s latest attempt at a Facebook killer. Android users were the first to be treated to a Google+ app. It’s a clean-looking thing. The key is the ability to form circles of friends.

2: Full Google integrationSince you use your Google email to sign into Google+, it’s very easy to get started. It lists suggested people from your Gmail account and all you have to do to get going is click the ‘add person’ icon.

3: Add people to circlesYou add people in circles. This means you can separate people into groups so that work colleagues, for instance, can be set aside from close friends. You can then target status updates to a certain circle.

What can I do with a geo tag within a tweet?

Tap on it. When you do so, a small map will open within the tweet. When you tap this map, it will bring up a full-sized and detailed map. It will show a timeline of other nearby tweets.