I recently went to my hometown and as my brother and I were window-shopping in the mall, we decided to grab a bite to eat. We barely entered the food court when my brother waved his hand in the air, acknowledging his friends sitting over in the corner. We moved a few steps ahead and his hand goes back in the air, this time to a different group of people. "Another set of friends", he tells me. He keeps waving at every alternate group of people and I begin to feel he's some kind of famous celebrity while I'm the umbrella-holding assistant of this star.

His network, he claims. But isn't networking something we all do? We network through various media, be it through the social forums of Facebook or the primitive Orkut, texting our friends through mobile phones, phone calls or Skype video chat - life is all about our networks and friends and family. Meeting up at the local coffee shops, or our college canteens, hanging out at the movies, malls or friends houses - various ways we choose to converse and enjoy with those close to ourselves. As I look back, I realize I have made a lot of friends on my journey to where I am today - classmates, colleagues, church friends, dance class friends, Toastmasters, the list is endless. And the World Wide Web is just one way of connecting them all together.

Google, with their new feature, Google+, helped make these social 'circles' a virtual one as well. You can create your own circles of 'Friends' and 'Family'. A different implementation of a common concept. Although many sites have offered the feature of creating groups, the visual imagery that Google offered was intriguing. Yes, it does have its drawbacks, but I do find the concept pretty fascinating. Though I haven't use it much, the new merger of Circles into Gmail makes for easy linking of various friend groups.

Looking forward to see what Google has to offer next....