Three Reasons Why I Love Google Plus

  • 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.

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By Joshua Wilner

Hi, I am Josh Wilner and I am happy that you have decided to visit my corner of cyberspace. I am a writer/marketer/friend and family man. My professional background includes more than twenty years in working with businesses to help them do a better job of connecting with their existing and prospective customers. More specifically I have worked with companies of all sizes from the Fortune 500 to the new start up to help them build, develop and grow their social media and marketing plans. I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy music, reading, writing, playing sports and laughing.

8 comments

  1. 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!

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Josh says:

      @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.

      Reply
  2. Adrienne – Houston, TX – Adrienne Smith's passion has always been to help others. She started having tremendous success with her blog in early 2011 and over time she's built an awesome community. She teaches others how to do the same in her course, “Build a Blog Community”. She currently consults with entrepreneurs to help them understand what's missing and why they aren't succeeding.
    Adrienne says:

    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

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Josh says:

      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.

      Reply

  3. 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. 🙂

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Josh says:

      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.

      Reply

  4. 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

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Josh says:

      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.

      Reply

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