As people have asked questions, I've tried to answer them and eventually found that most of the questions had the common theme of how do I use this. So, thanks to many amazing people on Google + I have compiled some of the best tips and advice I could find. This will be a multi-part post that will continue to build as more is learned. If you have tips you would like to share, please leave a comment below and I will include them.
Comparisons
I keep hearing the service compared to Facebook and Twitter. Hell, I've done it myself but I think this is wrong.
I liken Facebook to the TMZ of the social world. It's a lot of gossip with little substance. The Facebook social world is like a horse walking down a road with blinders on. All you see is what is in front of you with no ability to reach beyond and explore new vistas. Facebook was great for reconnecting with high school and college friends (and not so friends. You know, the ones you are now pretending you were friends with). There is no real engagement in the News Feed. Then there is the privacy issues with Facebook. Thankfully I've never been one to use any apps/games, etc. Beyond that...every time Zuck and his team rolls out a new feature, they change the privacy settings on you. Facial scanning is one of the most recent incidents.
I hate Twitter. There, I said it. I may be in public relations and expected to be all over the social scene but there is nothing more annoying to me than Twitter. For personal use, I just use it to track news. Most of the people I follow I don't really follow. I just did a courtesy follow. They don't really care what I have to say and I don't want to know what they have to say in 140 characters or less. Twitter, to me, is a news ticker. Quick bits of information that scroll by at lightning speed.
I am going to throw LinkedIn into this post because I see a lot of potential for Google+ to take some of the wind out of the business network's sails. I've been on LinkedIn for quite some time and the most useful part of the site is the Groups. The company I work for has a closed, customer only group great for sharing ideas and best practices. There are thousands of open groups where people ask questions and share ideas. The status feed in LinkedIn is where it is very weak. I don't believe this is the fault of LinkedIn, in fact I don't think the service was designed with that in mind. It is more about making connections and asking questions. The online version of the evening networking event. The use of Circles and upcoming Business Pages in Google + has the ability to be a more dynamic place to network with business colleagues.
Now that we have some background out of the way, let's move forward.
Google +
What is Google +? In my eyes, it is whatever you want it to be. It can be a closed social experience a la Facebook and LinkedIn or it can be a completely open to the world conversation a la Twitter. Or, even better, it can be a combination of the two with a heavy dose of exploration and collaboration. One of the first things to do is exactly what Christina Trapolino says in her post, "Stop Treating Google + like Facebook."
Before you go any farther in Google +, here are my steps to make it a success. (Please let me know if you would add or remove any of these.)
2) Circles. Circles are how you interact, learn and experience things in Google +. Start off by creating a few circles. Again, Christina has some great advice for those stuck on the FB crack for how to create a Facebook Feed circle. Vincent Mo of Google + has 3 easy tips for Circles (read post here). Face Reality, Make Circles for Sharing and Make Circles for Reading. I have found this extremely helpful. I have circles of people that I am following (who I don't know but find their content interesting) in Circles grouped by subject matter that I just read. Then I have 4 circles (so far) just for people I want to share with. Each circle is a different level than the previous. For example I have a basic Friends Circle where I share most content. I then have a Circle for those following me and I follow but we don't know each other. We share similar interests so I figure they don't mind some of my posts. Then I have a Work Circle. This ensures people I work with don't see the majority of my posts unless I want them to. I do have a tendency to get a bit vocal about some topics...
3) People. Now it's time to add people to your Circles. This is actually very easy. Click on the Circles button at the top. Right away you will notice Google has integrated your contacts (if you are a Gmail user) and will let you know which of these are already on Google +. If someone you know isn't on Google + yet, you can invite them here or by clicking the Invite button on the right side of the homepage. You can also search by typing a person's name into the search field. Once you find a person you will be taken to their profile. Click the red box to the right and you will see all of your Circles appear. Simply click which Circle to include them in. This is the easiest way to add people you know. The beauty of Google + is the ability to add people you don't know to your Circles. The simplest way to do this is to start reading posts from other people you are connected with and see who they are connected to. Also, try searching for topics in the search box I mentioned before. Using this method you will find people with similar interests.
OK. That's it for Part 1. Next I will take a look at Sparks (aka Google News in Google +), +1, Huddle, as well as the mobile integration. In part 3 I will start to explore the integration with other Google services and what I would like to see. Along the way, I'll add in additional resources to people's posts I find very interesting and helpful.
Additional Resources
Google + handbook: A community driven guide up on Google Docs.
Google + Guide: 15 Tips for Newbies
Google +1 Button
Google + Steers Clear of Privacy Missteps
