Editor-in-Chief Kelly Werder’s look at the newest social media craze.
When I first got an invitation to Google+ (thank you My Wedding Concierge!) I thought, “Cool!” My immediate next thought was, “I don’t have time for this!” I’m already overwhelmed keeping up with Facebook and Twitter (and I almost never go on Linkedin), how in the world am I going to find time for one more thing?
Since I’m writing about social media as part of WedBiz Journal (and in a new eBook/coaching program), I needed to bite the bullet and at least explore Google+. And it’s been interesting.
I wasn’t an early adopter of Facebook and Twitter – I got on Facebook after some prodding from family and friends – and really didn’t fully use Twitter until I launched WED and WedBiz Journal. Both have been ex- tremely beneficial to my business.
But it’s a bit strange to be a pioneer on Google+. My first posting was: “Hmmm - think it's going to be lonely here for a while” but it didn’t take too long to find a few other lonely souls on there I knew, along with a couple celebs (Ashton Kutcher of course, and surprisingly, Mark Zuckerberg).
But it’s much quieter than Facebook and Twitter – it’s colonial in a way. Most of the postings I read are actually about Google+ - how-to’s on surviving in the wilderness. So here’s my report from the new world.
About Google+
The new social media toy on the block, Google+, debuted in a test phase in July 2011 and within one week had 10 million users. To access Google+ in this test phase, a user must send you an invitation which then brings you to the Google page to either access your
current Google account or create a new one. Essentially, Google took the best of social media, addressed some of the downsides, and put it all together in one fun tool.
Pluses
At first glance, Google+ is similar to Facebook and Linkedin with a touch of Twitter thrown in but it does have some great distinguishing features:
Circles – Google+ allows you to group your “friends” into different “Circles” and then share postings, photos etc. with only the Circles you select. You can also “Follow” people similar to Twitter – they do not have to Follow you back to see what they share with the “Public” circle.
Hangout – this group video chat allows you to video conference with up to nine friends. Haven’t had a chance to try it out yet since I don’t have eight other friends on Google+ yet.
Sparks – a feed of news stories that connects to your interests. You can select from pre-determined topics or search for your own and then save the search. Reminds me of Stumble Upon.
WedBiz Journal
+1 – you know that +1 Button you’ve been seeing on websites? It’s Google’s “LIKE” button. And when you are logged into Google+ and click the button, the article or item you +1’d is saved in your profile for easy access and shar- ing. (By the way, others can see these so be aware of what you +1.)
YouTube videos – Because Google owns YouTube, they created easy sharing of YouTube videos from within Google+. Just click on “Share” and the video icon, then “YouTube” and it gives you options including sharing any of your videos from your YouTube Channel. (But, there is no easy way to share on Google+ from within YouTube yet.)
Minuses
These are all great features so what is the downside to Google+? No one is there. Your friends aren’t there yet, your co-workers aren’t there yet, your brides aren’t there and don’t even try to find your classmates from high school because you can’t (there’s no search feature for that – strange, huh?) Right now, if you’re not in the tech industry, you won’t find many people you know on Google+ so it’s really just adding one more thing to your social media to do list.
One of the first things I did on Google+ was look for a way to share on Twitter and Facebook. I found a “Share On” Chrome extension which can help streamline if you are using Google+. The Mashable Google+ Guide has been a godsend!
Summer 2011
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