Digital Week in Review: Google+, Facebook Skype and More!

Google+ More Right than Wrong. For Now; Information Week
After several fizzled attempts at social networking — from Buzz to Wave — Google at last is getting it more right than wrong. Via its on again off again beta, Google+ is generating a ton of interest.
The Takeaway: So far, so good for Google. What’s less clear is whether Google can build this into a lasting impression product that gets long-term, engaged use from current Facebook users. There is a lot Google is going to have to do to get there.

Technology: Facebook, Google duke it out over video calls; IndyStar
Video calling isn’t new technology. But it is new to Facebook and is perhaps the most compelling feature in Google’s upstart Google Plus social network.
The Takeaway: Video calling via social networks is going to vastly change the way people approach and use them. How quickly they catch on and how they will be able to be individually branded and used is a completely different thing.

Twitter Analytics Firm DataSift Picks Up $6 Million In Series A Funding; PaidContent
DataSift, a UK startup that aggregates and analyses data from social media sites like Twitter, has picked up $6 million in a Series A round of funding.
The Takeaway: Although Twitter is how DataSift has made its name, it also works with the likes of WordPress, Facebook and LinkedIn to crunch and syndicate data, so expect an analytics expansion across many social media fronts.

Yet another eReader launches, this time for Google; GigaOm
The crowded e-book market just squeezed room for one more contender as iriver has created an eInk reader that works with the Google Books store. Available on July 17 at Target’s online and retail stores, the iriver Story HD costs $139.99 and has access to more than 3 million free titles through Google via Wi-Fi.
The Takeaway: It’s worth noting that Google says any eReaders that support Adobe’s eBook platform can already use Google Books.