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First Look at the Google+ social network: The Top Secret Demo

One thing that’s clear about Google is that they’ve mastered the art of subterfuge.

At a time when leaks about product launches, acquisitions and potential hires are rife, Google resorted to extraordinary measures to ensure that word of its new social network, Google+, did not slip out ahead of Tuesday’s official announcement.

The company reached out to Reuters late on Friday about a special briefing related to some undisclosed YouTube news, even tasking a YouTube PR-man with a curious sartorial style to coordinate the meeting, to complete the red-herring.

So it was surprising to discover a grinning Vic Gundotra, Google’s head of social , and VP of Product Management Bradley Horowitz, in the meeting room at Google’s headquarters.

Clearly we weren’t here to talk about a new YouTube media partnership.

The pair quickly revealed what they had up their sleeve and proceeded to give a tour of a new social networking service that’s been one year in the making.

So what is Google+ like? And why would you want to invest the time and effort to create another social network if you’re already using Facebook and Twitter?

Google is betting that its approach to privacy and extensive controls over who you share information with on the network will set Google Plus apart.

The service revolves around a concept of “circles,” (presumably not the same circles that Dante visited ). You can create as many circles as you like, for whatever categories you want: for example family, co-workers or biking friends. Above the circles are a slew of thumbnail images of friends and contacts which Google suggests you might want in your social network. To add a person to one of your groups, drag the name into a circle.

If you decide to remove someone from a circle, you simply drag their image out of the circle, at which point the image will explode into a cloud of smoke – one of several whimsical touches in Google+.

To use Google+ you need to create a Google profile. At the very minimum, Google requires that you use your real name and include a photo. Beyond that, you can furnish the profile with as much, or as little, detail about yourself as you want.

You can control how much of your profile is visible to other folks on the network: your name and occupation for some folks; relationship status for others.  Type a person’s name into a box, and you can see what your profile looks like through their eyes.

Maicon - Vegas Sports Betting

Brazilian international says winning Copa America comes before he sheds light on Serie A future following consistent links with Jose Mourinho’s Spanish giants

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Maicon has said his club future will become clearer after the Copa America when he will speak about Inter and Real Madrid.

The 29-year-old, who is tied to San Siro until 2012, has long been linked with a summer move to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he would reunite with former coach Jose Mourinho.

Inter President Massimo Moratti has always said his defender is not for sale, but the Brazilian is keeping his options open.

For now however, his focus is solely on the Copa with Brazil who play Venezuela on Sunday.

“I am happy at Inter, but we will speak about Real Madrid and Inter after the Copa,” he is quoted as saying by Il Corriere dello Sport.