For anyone who is newly jumping into the social media world, that jump can be an extraordinary and overwhelming experience. The sheer volume of social media that has inundated our internet can be intimidating, and leave a timid beginner with questions and doubt.
Of course there are the big guys: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn, and WordPress, but what about all of those others?
Well one site that I know my circle has yet to get on board with is Google +. I know that a few of my friends wanted to use it, got started and stopped. And now I never hear about it, is Google + for professionals only? Well, I recently read an article on Digiday which explains that Google + has over 150 MILLION users, and there are groups thriving with 1 million + followers via that social network. I decided it was time to learn a little more about this site.
Google+ started as an invite-only social networking site that was designed to compete with Facebook. Since I had no other Google accounts, I was not invited, however my brother was. We were able to explore some of the cool features that Google+ has to offer. Very shortly after the site was started HUGE demand led to getting rid of the invite-only process, and any person over age 18 could get a shiny, new Google+ account. There were some caveats to signing up though. One could not simply have an account with any email address. Any new user needed to sign up with an email account that had an existing Google Profile, while simple to get, not everyone has or wants one.
Once you’re in, Google+ has a lot to offer. The features seem endless and awesome. One of the most attractive things about Google+ is the “Circle” feature that lends itself to more privacy. A user can compartmentalize all friends into different circles, and interact with them independently. This allows one to be far more decisive as to who sees what when it gets posted. Another great feature that Google+ has over some of the competition is its privacy setting interface. Customizing your privacy, and the way your info is used has been made surprisingly easy and available to the Google+ user.
Since there are so many features, it can get a little complicated to learn it all at first. But like anything else, once a user is used to it, being able to contact all your friends about the Big BBQ and not the distant family by simply selecting the circle you want to communicate to, is a very appreciated feature.
What do you think? Is Google+ worth investing time in?
For more information check out these great pieces:
http://www.digiday.com/platforms/dont-sleep-on-google-plus/
http://searchengineland.com/google-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-83630
Thanks Everyone,
Paul
pmartell 