I was lucky enough to get an invite to Google+ (Google’s new entry in social networking) before they put a temporary stop on the invite process (thanks, Tony!). I’ve only had a little time to play around with it, but I do find it intriguing in a lot of ways. Here are a few very early thoughts.
Starting Over
On one hand, Google+ a lot like starting over on Facebook with all the knowledge you have now about what you like and don’t like in your FB experience. No, Google+ isn’t Facebook… but it is in some ways.
As I’ve been adding friends/connections/whatever you call ‘em into what Google+ calls “Circles,” I’ve been giving thought to how I want to group people from the start of a process, something that I didn’t do with Facebook. Yes, Facebook has lists, but Google+’s interface seems more intuitive to me.
It Feels Like Control
I also like the control I have with how I share information on Google+ – it’s built in rather than something I have to think about. For example, if I have a circle of Children’s Literature fans, I can share my Children’s Lit links with only them and not annoy my family members who simply don’t care.
I can also make an update viewable to everyone I’m connected with AND the public at large. Nice options… and I have to make a choice which makes it part of the process rather than an added on afterthought.
I haven’t played with the photo sharing yet, but it looks great – instant uploads and full interface with Picasa (also owned by Google). Again, the settings about what you share where seem to make sense to me, too.
I See Clearly Now
The “Hangouts” area is another place I think is gonna be great. Think of it like a video chat room: you can invite people or just see who comes by. If you imagine using this for work collaboration – interfaced with Google Docs, perhaps? – you can see the potential.
Imagine an editor, author, and illustrator having a brainstorm session (yeah, yeah, I know: authors and illustrators don’t talk. That’ll disappear as we all get more connected). And if there are language barriers? translate.google.com works with the chat, too. Fabulous.
Marketing? Promotion? Well…
So far, from a marketing/promotion/platform building point of view, it’s a bit early to say. Certainly, the potential to connect and build relationships is there. Sharing of content will likely become easier and more integrated, too. With that all in place, anything can happen.
I did a small experiment on Monday of this week, a day with admittedly little traffic. I had posted a new poem on my blog, so I shared it on Facebook (five likes, no shares, and 7 blog visits), Twitter (one retweet and 6 blog visits) and Google+ (three +1′s (Google’s version of FB’s like), one share and I believe 4 blog visits).
Considering how few folks I was connected to on Google+, that was a surprising response, I thought. It certainly proves that it already does what other platforms do. Over time we’ll see if the +1 action helps in my search rankings. While that’s not strictly a part of Google+, it is right there and so easy to do.
A Fun Work in Progress
Anyway, it’s early days, but I’m enjoying the time I spend on Google+, and I think there’s lots of potential. Now, I’m off to read the dozen or so “Google+ tips and tricks” posts I’ve been saving so I can learn more.
Are you on Google+? Feel free to share your experiences so far – likes, dislikes, and surprises. And if you want to add me to a circle, you can find me here (and if you’re on, feel free to leave your Google+ URL in the comments).
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Just being able to set it up the way I need it to be NOW, as opposed to when I went on FB and never gave it a thought, is worth the price of admission as far as I’m concerned. What I’ve found is that despite having set up an author page, everyone friends me as a person, and it makes it hard to keep the personal and the author lives separate.
I think Google+ will be helpful in controlling the different parts of ourselves – separation is built in. While I know a few authors who love their Fan Page on FB, until you’re exceedingly well known, it seems like most everyone will connect via regular profiles instead of the Fan Page. Google+, with its ease of controlling what updates are public, private, etc., allows you to communicate what you want to different groups. Anyone can follow you/friend you/put you in a circle… but you control what they see. A good compromise.
Greg, this sounds like fun. I had never heard of it!
Hmmmm. Did you set up an “author fan page” type thing on Google+ or just do the circles?
So far as I can see, there’s no way to set up a fan page or anything like that. You have a profile and that’s it. I don’t think, for now, a fan page would make sense anyway, but there’s no mechanism for doing one.
Thanks, Greg. Seems that the bonus is being able to designate updates for anyone (public).
Now that sounds pretty cool. I’m one of those luddites, as you know, who rarely posts cause I can’t get the hang of who I’m posting to and who doesn’t see it. This, it appears, would solve that problem by asking me! THANKS for the info.
What does Google do with the information that you give it? Do they give that info to advertisers?
Also, are the defaults for displaying on Google + set to “private”/ “don’t display this unless I tell you to”/ the equivalent?
I know these were 2 big issues with FB.
Excellent and helpful article — as always! Thank you. Have passed on to others…
Still getting my feet on the ground with this…thanks for the tips. And Google URL…um…yeah. Maybe this? https://profiles.google.com/u/0/111179307838791071138
For easier G+ profile address:
http://gplus.to/
Add short username the that long number to get something like
http://gplus.to/surazeus
Oh man, you’re really lucky to have gotten into Google+. I still can’t wait until it actually goes live to the public. But my question is, will it beat Facebook? I actually think it might since Google is already such a powerhouse. Still a little on the fence though.
This is a big advantage:
“For example, if I have a circle of Children’s Literature fans, I can share my Children’s Lit links with only them and not annoy my family members who simply don’t care.”
The Hangouts sounds good, too. That is one of the great things about Twitter, the opportunity to find people with common interests.