Plus Comments; a new Chrome extension

Posted by jimblackler on Feb 25, 2012

Often I’m browsing the web, and I’m curious as to what others have thought about the article’s I’m reading. Many pages have comment sections but these are usually mostly occupied by that site’s regulars rather than a cross-section of internet users in general. For a while I’ve wanted to make an app that lets you view comments about an article that have originated elsewhere.

So here’s my third Chrome app (after the solitaire game, and an earlier web-dev tool URLGuide, thatI didn’t blog about). It’s an extension that lets you see which Google+ users have shared pages you browse to. You can read the comments on the shares and their replies, and there’s nothing stopping you from joining in the conversation, or circling the other users who may share your interests.

As you browse the web, an icon will appear in your Chrome address bar linking you to discussion between Google+ users about that page. If the icon is red it means it’s a ‘hot topic’ with a number of replies from G+ users.

Like all Chrome apps it’s JavaScript and HTML. It’s pretty standard stuff; you can view the source on the extension using developer mode and it’s not encrypted. I’ve taken care over privacy. The app uses a direct, secure connection to the Google+ API; this can’t be eavesdropped, but I also take care to only make queries about public sites.

I hope you enjoy the extension. You can find it here.