Dear Google, I'd like to take a moment and express a few joys and displeasures at some of your recent changes to Google Reader, Gmail, Google+, Google Voice, and Picasa relative to Google Contacts Groups and Circles. They are inexorably linked, and I'll do my best to show the linkages and why they are causing such grief.
Since of course, the extensive portfolio of services you provide are generally free, I'm your product. And since I willingly give up some of my privacy to use your products which generate advertising revenue for you, I hope you'll listen to my pain points and attempt to remedy them. I'll submit these via your approved feedback models, but web forms are too constricting in terms of length and HTML formatting, so you'll read them here.
How an individual manages one's Contacts and Circles across your various applications is incredibly confusing. I realize that you wish to push the Google+ social networking capability to compete effectively with Facebook. However, let me count the ways you're making this incredibly difficult, and confusing to have to think about managing my contacts in both Groups and Circles.
Gmail Contacts:
There are both Groups and Circles. However, I cannot manage Circles within the Contacts information, only individuals and Groups. This is important, as I have extensive filters set up to apply Labels based upon incoming criterial. Google/Gmail has taught us for many years to "label, don't file". But I can't apply labels or filters to Circles. And I can't manage Google Voice settings from within Google Contacts. For me to manage Circles, I have to go to Google+.
I can't send a message to my Google Circles, the way I can a Group.
From the Department of Redundancy Department, there is significant overlap and extra work to manage both Google Circles and Google Contact Groups.
Google Voice:
I've ported my mobile number to Google Voice and use it extensively. However, Google Voice uses Google Groups for forwards, Greetings, and Call screenings. Google Voice doesn't do anything with Circles.
Google Reader:
Oh, the changes you made here have caused me great distress as the carefully built up lists of trusted curators is now gone. And my ability to post via the Google Reader widget has been removed, which was important to selectively share content behind the paywall with my Google Reader friends. I have some workarounds now with Safari Reader and Posterous, but it adds another step to a clumsy process. I realize that you wish to push the Google+ social networking capability to compete effectively with Facebook. But now I can only share with Google+ Circles, NOT Google Groups. Lastly, the Google Reader widget allowed me to share what I could select within my browser. Now I'm restricted to sites that have implemented the Google +1, and that's annoying as a good majority of the content I wish to share with my Contacts is often behind paywalls which I pay for, my perhaps my colleagues do not. I realize that you wish to push the Google+ social networking capability to compete effectively with Facebook.
Picasa:
Sharing photos appears to work the same way as Google Reader. I can still share via email, but I realize that you wish to push the Google+ social networking capability to compete effectively with Facebook.
Google+
Your permissions model is based upon Circles. But your email filters/labels are based upon Groups.
From the Department of Redundancy Department, there is significant overlap and extra work to manage both Google Circles and Google Contact Groups.