Google Plus: Some Key Components You Need to Know

I just wanted to give you an overview about the new Google+ service that was launched Recently on June 28, 2011. Google has introduced a brand-new social networking platform Google Plus to the world seemingly saturated with ways to connect and interact with people online.

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I apologize to those of you who haven’t been able to gain access yet because,

Google+ is in limited Field Trial Right now, Google testing with a small number of people, but it won’t be long before the Google+ project is ready for everyone.

The whole purpose behind Google+ is to improve the experience of ‘sharing’ information. For my taste, I like it. Although Google haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire with their recent new product and service releases, Hello Wave and Buzz!  However, I’m pleasantly surprised at how well Google is tying all your information together.

Let me explain some of the key components of Google+:

1. Circles

Understanding Circles is essential to mastering Google+. The search giant has opted not to let you simply ‘Friend’ your friends, like you do on Facebook, or ‘Follow’ different people as you would on Twitter. Instead, Google+ gives you more control over who sees your content.

Circles allows users to ‘drag and drop’ their friends into different friend groups, which categorizes them. This allows you to put your mom in your ‘Family’ circle, your boss in your ‘Business’ circle and your best friend from college in your ‘Friends’ circle. You can create as many circles as you’d like.

So why should you create circles in the first place? The answer is simple: You want to share different things with different friends. Google+ Circles gives you the ability to have this kind of control over both what you share and what content pops up in your stream.

Google+ Circles Video

2. Hangouts

Hangouts are the best way for you to say, ‘I am online and want to hangout!’

Lets you:

• Chill with friends that are scrolling through the web, just like you!
• Use live video chat that puts you in the same room together!
• Coordinate plans, whether it’s working on a project or meeting up for coffee.
• Maybe you’re bored. Start a hangout, invite your circles, see who’s around!

Google+ Hangouts Video

3. Sparks

Use Sparks to get a constant feed of stuff you’re really into, and share it with friends. It finds the most relevant and interesting articles and videos on almost any subject you can imagine.

Google+ Sparks Video

4. Streams

Google Plus has its ‘Stream’ feature which is a direct function adaptation from Facebook’s ‘news feeds’ which shows up comments and photos shared by your friends. Like Facebook, Google+ automatically detects the content of the links you share and allows you to choose a thumbnail from that link.

Google+ Streams Video

5. Huddle

It is a group messaging service where anybody in the group ‘circle’ can view each other’s SMS and Google+ app is already available for android market.

Google+ Huddle Video

Google Plus: Shortcuts/Hotkeys

• Space bar = Scroll down your stream
• Shift + Space bar = Scroll up your stream
• Q = Moves the page down or up so you can see your Chat peeps
• Enter = Start a comment
• Tab, then Enter = Submit a comment
• J = Go down one post
• K = Go up one post

Conclusion

In the end, I simply to say, “On Facebook I overshare. On Twitter, I undershare. If Google hits that spot in the middle, we can revolutionize social interaction.”

In Closing

So what does Google+ mean to you? Are you yet to get access? Yet to start using it regularly? Let me know in the comments below!