Google Groups 2 Gets Moved To The Front Page
Google has changed the Groups link on its front page (not yet, but it is happening later today) to point to the Google Groups 2 Beta. Groups 2 has been testing for a while now, and Google must have decided it was ready for prime time. The differences between the two versions? While the original was little more than a Usenet archive containing 1 billion searchable posts, Groups 2 is a fully functioning community, like Yahoo Groups. It uses your Google Account login, so if you have a Gmail account or several other types of Google accounts (not advertisers, though), you already have a login.

The new Groups has a look very similar to Gmail's, with similar page layout and coloring and the "Starred" system. It keeps track of where you've been recently (although you can clear it if there are any "inappropriate" Groups you visited and don't want your boss knowing about. Google, because it shies away from being considered a portal, recommends Groups be used as an extension of search, as a way of finding expert opinions on what you're searching for (although the press release does talk about social Groups).

One of the most interesting moves? The Google Press group, which sends out press notifications, is now a Google Group, not a Yahoo Group. I think once a week I would notice somebody making fun of that, so thank god that's fixed.

UPDATE: The Google Blog announces it.
- posted by Nathan Weinberg @ 12/02/2004 11:01:00 AM