I innocently navigated to Google Plus today to update ApogeeINVENT's page, when I stumbled into a scene of destruction.  Ok, that is an exaggeration. Really, I just discovered that Google has made some significant (in my opinion) updates to the platform.

After two crashes of Google Plus, which also took down my other Google Apps, I finally made it in to explore the crime scene. You can see my crime scene photos below. Viewer discretion is advised.

New home. The new home now has larger photos, and LOTS of white space. My theory "“ Google is leaving space for ads that they will no doubt be rolling out sometime in the near future. Lots of available real estate in the new Google Plus.  

New profile. Google came up with this really nifty idea they are calling Cover Photos that go with profile photos. What? It isn't their idea? Oh, that's right, that OTHER social network already has something called cover photos. I do like how you can choose a long cover photo, or a series of smaller photos. 

Navigation. The navigation is now horizontal on the left side.  Instead of static icons at the top, there's a dynamic ribbon of applications on the left. According to Google, this approach comes with lots of perks, but some favorites include:

• You can drag apps up or down to create the order you want
• You can hover over certain apps to reveal a set of quick actions
• You can show or hide apps by moving them in and out of "More"

Other changes include bigger photos, an entire page for Hangouts, and there's a new Explore page that shows what's interesting and trending across the network. And a new profile with much bigger photos. And a new chat list that puts your friends front and center. And (according to Google) a whole lot more. 

Could the new Google Plus be the precursor to ads that will be on the social network sometime soon? The company will also be adding Google Analytics to the platform, which could attract more business use.