1. Build Your Circles (and Privacy Settings)
Though Facebook eventually caught up with the ability to share content with some while hiding it from others, Google+ developed a simpler, cleaner interface for their privacy settings. Whenever you connect with a person simply add them to a circle of your choice. Circles labeled ‘business contacts,’ ‘acquaintances,’ ‘close friends’ or ‘social media experts’ will prove helpful when you decide to share (or hide) content from your followers.
2. Share Appropriate Content
Just as in any other social media platform, your content must engage your followers. By categorizing your users into the circles mentioned above, you’ll be able to share appropriate content with a variety of followers while hiding that same content from others.
3. +1 A Post
You’re no longer hitting a “Like” button, you’re now choosing to “+1” a post you like. Just like other social media platforms, show some love by engaging with people in your Google+ circles by hitting the “+1” button.
4. Hangouts
“Hangouts” really shine in Google+. Hangouts allows you to, yes you guessed it, hangout with people in your Google+ circles in a video chat. Think a hipper, cleaner version of GoToMeeting/GoToWebinar. Up to 9 other people can video chat at once, and Google even developed some snappy little hats, spectacles, beards and even scuba gear to make your Google+ Hangouts even more fun. Many people using the Google+ Hangout feature have completely abandoned Skype and other video chat platforms.
5. Broadcast Live
Want to take Hangouts one step further? Google+ allows you seamless integration with your YouTube account allowing you to do two tasks simultaneously: broadcast your video live to anyone on Google+ as well as record the live broadcast and automatically post it to YouTube. This feature is one of my favorite features as the interface and usability is second to none.
6. Customize Your Account
As Google+ continues to develop and grow, a variety of add-ons enable users to customize their account colors and designs to fit their personal or business brand. A favorite of ours is the Hangout Lower Third add-on that superimposes a news-style banner across the lower third of your screen while on a Hangout or live broadcast.
Question: What do you think of Google+?