Google+ Digest of Primers, Guides and Resources

What a week for Google with 20 million new G+ users at last count!  Below you’ll find a reference list of usage tactics, guides to help you come up to speed, and some apps to help you work efficiently.  Welcome to the revolution – follow me at ScottGooglePlus.info.

The Future for Google+

• Is Google the Next Big Thing?  Find out what some thought leaders think.
• How will Google Plus change your Business Game? Take a new Poll on that and watch this one to see how your colleagues (at LinkedIN) vote.
• On Phones:  Huddles… the wedding of Google+ and Smart Phones (never forget the Android factor)
• Discuss Usage, Marketing, and the Future of Google+  in a new LinkedIN Group — Business with Google Plus

Google+ Usage Tactics and Techniques

• Been Invited?  How to get the elusive Google+ invitation.
  
• Very usable  Google+ Directory: Scroll down on left to find people by Occupation, State and City.  You can drill down by city, then profession if you like, or do a general search, for say — WordPress — then drill down from there.
• A real-time list of Google+ “Hangouts“, and you can list yours there.
• Great article on using G+ for your job search: Includes 5-slide overview of Circles is another good visual primer.

Google+ Articles with a Marketing Focus:

• Interesting take on G+ marketing strategies…Reshared post from +Carri Bugbee BruceClay – Google+ Profile Optimization: Branding, SEO and Social Media Marketing
• Is G+ the best Content Marketing Tool?  My own take is that because G+ emphasized Conversation over Content, that while it will serve many purposes of Content Marketers, that should be secondary to making authentic Connections.  Conversation, Content, and Connections are definitely three things that G+ enables.
• Excellent set of tips on using G+ for marketing, market research and other tactics.
• Here’s an excellent post about how to use Social Media to circle around your prospects (used “circle” on purpose… G+ is ideal for it) by +Chris Abraham — on Biznology.  Mr. Abraham not only reveals how to “smoke out” prospects, but also notes the huge organic SEO benefit.
• Wait a minute… what has Google been doing while we all are focused on Google+? +Steve Rubel has some excellent thoughts on that from an advertising and social signal perspective.

Google+ Guides & Primers

• Another good primer on Google+, this time from Sitepoint — thanks to +Joel Falconer
• I have a simple one-page PDF for download showing Google+ integration with other networks (Twitter, FB, and LinkedIN), and also with WordPress.
• Another great visual guide (it’s a series of images you flip through on G+)  The Google+ Start-Up Guide
  

  From the G+ Startup Guide by Saidur (Cy) Hossain

• Flip through Mr. Wong’s slides – excellent strategic overview of what Google+ represents  (Click first slide to open larger and get navigation arrows)
• And here’s a short You-Tube video with ways to adjust G+ Settings:

Google+ Browser, Phone and iPad Apps

• Chrome Browser App: Let the G+ app enhancements begin… this one, G+ me,  does look nice, but I have to agree with +Danny Sullivan that adding too many browser apps have been known to slow things down.
  
  
• iPad Hack:  If you can’t wait, here’s how to Get G+ on your iPad (remember… you do the first 5-6 steps on your desktop or laptop Mac BEFORE hooking up your iPad to the Mac)
• iPad App Coming Soon: I’m waiting for this iPad app — there’s no name given, but it comes from the Google team itself (it’s waiting for approval from Apple)… read article about it and keep watch
• SmartPhones: Here’s how to get Google+ on SmartPhones (iPhones and Android)… go to: http://www.google.com/mobile/+/ Notice carefully the “Huddle” feature, referenced earlier — it’s specifically to help mobile people coordinate get-togethers.