Seven Tips about Google+ ?

© Google Inc.

Hey Everybody!

I want to make a post about the new 'wild-fire' topic that's having the internet a buzz like crazy.

I was meaning to do this post but its been a crazy weeks for me at work and other important matters to taken care of.

If you haven't heard the news about Google creating this free service called "Google+", then this article is for you!

Google+ (plus.google.com) is the new social network created by Google which is like a combination of Twitter and Facebook. Some people are having a hard time wrapping their head around it so I’m here to give you seven tips to help you wade into the pool that is Google+.

1) Circles are your Friends

The main advantage Google+ has is Circles. When you join Google+ you place people in different circles you create. For Example, I have different circles for family, coworkers, church family, former classmates, members of the media, and people I’ve met thru social networks. If I’m attending a wedding for a church member my coworkers wouldn’t really care to hear about it. So when I decide to post an update or pictures from the wedding I wouldn’t include the coworkers circle in the group of circles I’m sharing that update with. If you’ve placed someone in a circle that isn’t on Google+ it will give you an option to send them an e-mail with the update you’re posting. You can also choose an individual person or people to send an update to. This is how Google+ handles privacy. You can’t set your profile to private but you can limit what you share.

2) The Megaphone

When posting an update you can go beyond just choosing circles you created and go full megaphone and choose public. This is similar to posting to Twitter with a public account. Anyone can see these posts in Google searches and it will appear in activity streams of people who have placed you in a circle of their own. I should note that even if you limit visibility a post with circles as I described above, your posts can still be re-shared by people in the circles you shared with. The only way to make sure it’s not is to “Disable Reshare” in the post.

3) Your Streams and How Circles Impact them

When you login to Google+ the first thing you see is your “Stream”. Items currently appear in your “Stream” in two different ways. Both involve the people who you put into your circles. The first way is if a person you placed in a circle has shared something publicly. If this is the case it will say Public at the top of the post.

The second way is if a person you placed in a circle shared an update to a circle that the person who is posting placed you in.

As I mentioned above, unless a post has resharing disabled you can reshare any post. The catch is if you try to share a limited post, Google+ will say…”This post was originally shared with a limited audience – remember to be thoughtful about who you share it with.” Lastly, on the sidebar, is “Incoming”. This is a stream of posts, being shared with you, from people who have placed you in a circle, but you haven’t returned the favor. It’s a good idea to check this occasionally just to see what people are sharing with you.

4) Sparks

Below Incoming on the sidebar is “Sparks”. Currently I haven’t seen them doing much. Google says the following… “That’s…what Sparks does: looks for videos and articles it thinks you’ll like, so when you’re free, there’s always something to watch, read, and share”. You’ll need to populate the “Sparks” list with your interests and if you click on one it gives you a Google news rundown on that subject. I suspect we’ll see them insert news items from sparks in your Stream at some point, similar to the way updates from pages you “like” on Facebook show up in your news feed there.

5) Hangouts

Last but not least is “Hangouts”. Hangouts are essentially video chats for up to 10 people at a time. Once a user starts a hangout it can last as long as two people remain in a hangout. In other words, if one person starts a hangout, it will not end when the originating person leaves. To help conversations flow, the person who is speaking will appear in a larger viewing window while the remaining people will be in thumbnail boxes below the main viewing window. If someone continues to interrupt, or just annoys you, you can mute individuals for any length of time.

Like any social network Google+ was built for people to connect and have fun. Remember though Google+ is in an early invite only stage right now. It will have features added, tweaked, and killed before the “Official” public launch. Have patience and an open mind and you’ll be fine. For more info and videos of what I discussed above check out http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/

6) What is the 'Google +1 Button'?
Yea i know this is a huge steps adding the social aspects to the search results. So you guys, let’s discuss anything needed to know Google +1 button including the step by step guide to adding in your WordPress blog or site.

It is similar concept as Facebook Like button for search results. But in Google +’s it’s your mates way to say “this is pretty cool” or “you should check this out”. Another webmaster words it’s a public way to stamp something with your own approval, so your guys and peoples on the web get the best results when they search.

TWO MOBILE BONUS TIPS: If you are on an Android phone you can download the Google+ app. It allows for instant uploading of all photos you take with your phone when you’re in the app or not to a private Picasa Web album (Picasa is a photo sharing service like Flickr but from Google. It’s been reported that the service will soon be renamed to Google Photos). Don’t worry though; they aren’t instantly posted to your Google+ account when they are uploaded. You have to approve which photos are posted while in the app on your phone, or when you get back home and login from your PC or Mac. Secondly the Google+ app has a feature called “Huddle”. Huddle is group text chat for up to six people. If you are on an iOS device, I can comfort you by noting that the Google+ was approved on July 19^th and is now available HERE. I haven’t had time to put it through its paces but I’ve already noticed it does have Huddle.

7) Want to join in? (*Special Invite): Well, currently Google is holding off on invites to their new service as its brand new and its limited since there's a lot of beta testing on this still.

Well have I got news for you, as a special for my readers/Themagical community/Dorneyonline.com community/Blog Readers I'll be giving out invites to those who respond to this post! You'll be in IMMEDIATELY once you get my special email of an invite to 'Google+'!!

How can I get an invite from yours truly?:

1.) Please email me your email address so you can get the invite! Email me: sdt@themagical.nl (*NOTICE: Your email will not be shared to third parties, or be stored for my personal use. This will be used on the guidelines on Themagical's 'Terms of Use/Disclaimer' legal copy document.)

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I trust this reading has been helpful! I know it did for me as well!

Special Thanks to http://evolvedmommy.com/2011/07/19/google/&http://www.aming.info/add-google-1-in-wordpress/ for writing this article. :)

Until then,

Reighard