Google launched the Spaces application right before the Google I/O Developer Conference earlier in the year. Spaces is designed as a small group sharing service, similar in some ways to the Google+ Communities service, but users do not need a Google+ account. It is perhaps seen as another way Google is potentially withdrawing from Google+, or at least relaxing the requirements to have an account. In other ways, Spaces is similar to Pinterest in that it can be used as an online scrapbook service. Users can invite friends or family to use the same Spaces using a mobile link. Once in the Spaces, customers can use the Google Search, Google Chrome, Google Photos and YouTube services to build content, which can be commented on by all members of the Spaces. And as this is a Google service, it is integrated with the Google Search product so customers are able to easily find existing content. Google’s ideas for Spaces including putting together house hunting lists and planning trips away from home but with a little imagination, there are many different ideas: it could be used for collaborative projects involving pulling together information from many different sources around the Internet.
When Google released the product, it came with an Android application plus the web interface, but shortly afterwards they released a Google Chrome browser extension. The extension makes it much easier to create a Space and share content found whilst browsing the web – it’s easily installed into the Chrome browser on either a laptop, desktop or Chromebook computer. Once installed, the extension makes it considerably easier to pin links into a Space to share with other members.
As a product, Spaces is interesting because it meets a need that has already been met by other applications and services from different providers. Where Spaces has an advantage is in the deep integration with Google’s other products and services. It is yet to be seen if the service will gain much traction or if Google have grander plans: Pinterest and Instagram have become the de facto standards for sharing images, but for the time being if you are using Spaces, or interested in trying it, the Chrome extension should make life easier.