DATUM Mar. 2014 | Page 13

Datum 2014 dresses?" the company said in a blog ferring to a social networking service way you normally would. Once you're post announcing the feature. "You're that Google launched in 2010. Buzz done applying old-school filters, tag- in luck, because now it's easier for initially used its Gmail users' con- ging your friends and adding a cap- people using Gmail and Google+ to tact lists to create social networks tion if you wish, you'll get the option connect over email." that the rest of the world could see, to either share with "followers" or Google said that users who leading to an uproar and ultimately a "direct." Tapping the latter will bring did not wish to receive email mes- settlement with the US Federal Trade up suggested followers to send the sages from other people on Google+ Commission. photo to, or let you pick from your list could switch the settings so that they Instagram launches direct messaging feature receive messages only from people they have added to their networks of friends or from no one at all. Google said the new feature would not expose the email addresses of any Google+ users to strangers. Instagram has added a new fea of followers. Once you send the photo, a green check mark will appear if the recipient has seen it, replaced by a heart if they "liked" it. It is possible to send photos to people who don't follow you, but Emails from strangers on Google+ ture that it'll appear as a pending request and will be routed to a special section lets users won't go into their inbox. They can tap within the recipients mailbox that is share pho- "X" and they won't get a direct mes- separate from messages from friends tos and vid- sage from you again - or tap a check- and other contacts. If the recipient eos with up mark and it'll go into their inbox. does not reply to the message, Gmail to 15 people will block any future messages from rather than gram has more than 150 million us- that person. everyone ers - up from 80 million at the start A Google spokeswoman said The Facebook-owned Insta- who follows of this year - and more than half of the company planned to send an them. them use it every day, Systrom said. email to all Google+ users during the next two days alerting them to the change and explaining how to change their settings. One exception to the new ularity of messaging apps like Snap- Instagram CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Systrom The new tool comes as pop- chat and WhatsApp is growing. Twitter also updated its direct messaging Called Instagram Direct, the fea- tool to