- Circles/Connections
- Hangouts
- Education
Sometimes I think I might enjoy making these videos more if I had my own hair and make up team. Vanity thy name is Josh, but enough about that let’s jump into why I enjoy Google Plus.
I am not involved in social media solely for professional reasons. I am online and involved because I find people fascinating and I love to learn. Google Plus is a useful tool that helps on both counts.
Let’s start by talking about Google Plus Circles. Here are two clips from the link that highlight what I like most about them:
Share like you mean it
Circles make it easy to share the right things with the right people, just like in real life. Now you can share some things with close friends, others with your family, and almost nothing with your boss.
Choose who you hear from
It’s easy to see what the people in any circle are sharing. So you can catch up on news from close friends before reading about what your second cousin had for breakfast. Never miss a post, picture, or link with circles.
I like the increased control over who hears/reads/sees what and who doesn’t. It makes it easier to tailor your message to those who are going to be most interested in it.
Google Circles don’t have the same character limitations as on some other platforms so it makes it easier to have deeper conversations. If you are talking about something more complex it is easier to explain when you don’t have to do it in 140 characters.
That is not a swipe at Twitter. I use it daily and have found it to be excellent but smart people pick and choose the right tool for their projects or so I was taught by one of my professors.
Google Plus Hangouts
I love the hangouts, maybe not like Gini Dietrich loves Pinterest, but I love my hangouts.
Chat face to face, wherever you are
Catch up with the whole family — whether you’re on your computer, phone or tablet device.
Host virtual meetings
Increase your team’s productivity with meetings that hold up to 10 people and powerful tools like screen sharing and Google Docs.
As I mentioned in the video hangouts provide an excellent way to meet people and build connections. I have sat in my home in Los Angeles and talked to people in India, Canada, Israel, Switzerland and Chile all at the same time.
If you are my age or older you remember when this sort of technology was stuff we dreamed about. It was “I wish I was James Bond so I get cool stuff from Q too” and not something that anyone with a computer, webcam and an internet connection could use.
Heck, you can participate in a hangout with smartphones now, but I digress.
Ignore the social aspects of the hangout and focus on the business side and you have a simple and effective tool you can use to conduct meetings and presentations. That is just very cool.
Education
Technically there are more than three things I really like about Google Plus but I promised to focus on three and that is what I am going to do. I include education because I find it to be a constant source of interesting news and information about things that add value to my life.
The trick is to be careful about who you follow and or add to your circles. If you pay attention it is not hard to use it as a way to learn about all sorts of different things.
What about you? Are you on Google Plus and if so, what do you like/dislike about it? Let me know in the comments.
In the interim if you are interested in adding me to one of your circles I can be found right here.
This post was good timing for me Josh. I’m active on Twitter and never been partial to Facebook, so I want to strengthen my interactions on G+ next. I think it is so much more intuitive and pleasant to use than FB — I hope that one day the masses will flock to it.
I like the idea of Hangouts — you’ve inspired me to try one sooner than later. Good stuff!
@twitter-223833082:disqus The hangouts are a lot of fun and really easy to use. I have been a part of dozens and look forward to doing more.
The face-to-face component really works well. There is probably a good customer service function in it too. Would take some tweaking, but I could see a time when companies could use this to supercharge their existing CS efforts.
Hi Josh,
I enjoyed your video and had to laugh at what you said about wanting your own hair and makeup team. That’s why I don’t make more in person videos. I have a LOT of bad hair days. lol..
I understand what you’re saying about more interaction on Google+. I think that’s why I enjoy Facebook. Yes, I’m in a habit of using it more and need to do the same with Google+. But to me the interaction and the relationships are what it’s all about.
I do like being able to just chat with certain people in your circles and I definitely take advantage of the hangouts. I love that and have one posted just today from this past weekend. Lots of fun to interact in person.
Thanks for sharing your views and you did great with the video. Love to see more of “you”.
~Adrienne
Hello Adrienne,
It has been a few years since I was in Texas but I imagine the humidity might have an affect upon your hair. It certainly does upon mine.
Those hangouts are just such a good way to build relationships and to learn about people. To me that is a big draw and a large part of why I like social media.
Hope you are doing well.
Hi Josh, You make very compelling arguments for Google Plus. The platform keeps growing in members and in features. I really enjoy focused interaction with my circles. I always seem to discover something new and valuable when I visit Google Plus.
I haven’t really gotten into Hangouts yet, but maybe someday I will.
I’m glad your video doesn’t have a script or a hair and makeup crew! You’re a natural. 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for being kind, my hair is simply awful. Fortunately I only sort of care. 😉
Anyway, I highly urge you to check out the hangouts as I think you’ll enjoy them. It is nice to be able to put a face/voice to the words we read and I really appreciate being able to ask questions of some of the bloggers I read.
Hi Josh
I’m on Google Plus but I haven’t really got into it yet.
I generally just use it at the moment to pass on posts I like but as you’ve pointed out above there is so much more to Google Plus.
The Hangouts sounds like a great feature. I’ve heard people talk about this before but I’ve not used it yet. After reading your post I just downloaded the app for my iPhone so I’ll going to make an effort to get into using Google Plus more.
Thanks for sharing this Josh.
Tim
Hi Tim,
There is a ton to do on G+ and much of it is quite practical. It is part of what I really like about it,
The hangouts really are solid. It is a great way to get to know people and has been great fun. Not long ago I sat in on one and smiled at all the different accents floating around.