(CNN) -- For two years, Google has pushed its Google+ as more than a social network or cool video-chatting tool. This week, it is working to hammer home that point with a spate of new features. Google+ isn't an answer to Facebook or Twitter, Google says. It's the connective tissue that more and more is tying Google's most popular products together -- and it will not be ignored. Since it debuted in June 2011, Google+ has seeped into all other parts of the Google ecosystem, tying into other Google offerings like search, Gmail and YouTube. Sometimes the product feels like an invasive species, especially when using it is required to benefit from the coolest features in other Google products.
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Google Senior Vice President Vic Gundotra explains the real goal behind Google+
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All the big Google product announcements tied into the social network in some small way
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The social network is Google's attempt to clean up fragmented user accounts
But the reality is that many people still have multiple online identities and @placeholder addresses.