My best advice for Twitter users has long been this:
Follow smart people.
I’m sticking with that advice as I spend more time working with Google +.
What makes G+ different for me: Conversation.
The setup invites conversation with threaded comments. I’m seeing lots of questions, followed by plenty of back and forth discussion. This works well for expected things like crowd sourcing. (I got tons of recommendations of photo book printers by asking.) It also works for the Brag Basket. (I’m getting more comments on the Brag Basket in G+ than here.)
I’m finding my photos, especially of ranch life, draw a lot of attention.
Lesson: share what’s different or unusual about your life. What in your business or life is different from most of your contacts?
There is good potential for networking. Using circles, you can organize who you share with. I haven’t made much of circles yet, because I’m a believer in sharing my diverse business and life. And I am making lots of new connections, so it’s working for me.
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| Don’t notify others on G+ of your every post. |
Hangouts are group video chats. I’ve enjoyed conversations for fun, for business, and one to shop for jewelry. (No I’m not kidding. Oklahoma jeweler Dan Gordon showed me some cool rings by Hangout.) It’s easy to use, and works well with small groups. Sheila Scarborough suggested getting together a group of your peers as a way of introducing them to the tool.
Resources to get you started
- Chris Brogan is writing extensively on Google Plus. Start with his Getting Started post, and stop by his site for updates and new articles.
- Rex Hammock wrote an excellent guide on Google Plus for the non-obsessed. It’s available free. An Early Overview of Google+ as a Content Marketing Platform.
Bottom Line
Google Plus is still in a field trial. If you’re interested in networking beyond geographic boundaries, and you’re interested in learning from following and interacting with smart people, it’s worth a bit of your time right now.
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Hi Becky, great post! I’m really digging Google Plus so far because, like you said, the conversation seems to be better. I’m hoping that will continue to be the case. I’ll be sure to add you there.
Dave, thanks! Keeping the conversation going is up to those of us who use it. :)
This is a great post. Truly breaks down the service & love your tip about the notifications. We all get so many these days. Really love the network for the main reason it is so easy to target whom we wish to message. Thanks very much for the mention & really enjoyed seeing it broken down the way you did here. It’s one of the best designed social networks thus far, in my humble opinion. Will be very interesting to see what the future hold for G+. Not expecting to see it go by the way of wave or buzz anytime in the near future. Thanks again, Becky. Really enjoyed it!
Well done Becky! For me, I’m still trying to figure out circles… I’m doing some by content — things I may just want to look at to read and catch up quickly on a specific topic — less screening about what I’ve got going on but now and then it does help to see things from all my Memphis folks if I’m looking for what’s happening in town, etc.
Thanks for the explanations and links, Becky. Learning G+ slowly. :))
Best, Lori
Thanks Becky. After getting three invitations, I will likely take the plunge this week – since resisting this shiny new object doesn’t look like an option.
One question: with the group video chat is it possible to text chat,like with Skype? Just wondering if this is an option for our Random Twitter People meetings?
Glenda, there is a text chat feature in hangouts. Now if we can get everyone to get a webcam! ;)
Thanks Becky, adding “join G+” to this week’s to-do list. That counts as networking time, right?
We’ll need to work on the one without a webcam. ;)