Google+ : A Basic Walk-through

So you've signed up! Now what?


Google+ is clearly Google's answer to FB and is designed to get a piece of the phenomenal social networking market. Having said that, I think G+ is a neater, cleaner and more elegant platform than FB and it won't take long for more people to jump on board. Sign-up is still invite-only as Google tests each feature with a limited database of users (how 20+ million users can be "limited" is beyond me) but "sometime soon" G+ will throw open its doors to anyone. I like it because from one place I can access my G+, Gmail, Calendar, Documents and other Google services.


But how do you actually use it? Read on for a basic tute...


HOME SCREEN
Below is the home screen you'll see once you've logged in.

You can see 3 general columns: the first under the Google+ logo, the second (widest) in the middle and the third starting with the people in your circles and finishing with a green box saying "start a hangout".


VIEWING OPTIONS
You can filter what you see in your stream (equivalent to FB's News Feed) by choosing a group to view. Under the Google+ logo, your profile  pic and the Welcome, you can select Stream to see all posts, or posts just from Family, Friends, Acquaintances, etc.


SHARING (Status Updating on Steroids)
G+ uses the "Share what's new" box at the top of your stream for what FB calls Status Updating as well as for targeted messaging (FB = inboxing).

As the pic above shows, simply click in the box and start typing. You can add photos, video, a web link or location to what you share, or remove it by clicking the X in the top right of the box. To share what you've typed, click the green Share box.

Above the Share box is the green Public box. This post is currently visible to anyone on G+. To remove the public box, click the X to the right of the word Public. Once Public is gone, click "+Add more people" (see below)...

Once you click "+Add more people" a dropdown box will appear. You can choose to share your post with:

• one or more groups (circles), or
• one or more individuals (just starting to type the name of a contact), or
• a combo of selected individuals and circles.

Your post will only be visible to those listed.

SENDING A PERSONAL MESSAGE (FB = inbox)

This is done by sharing something in that same box (see above), then selecting one individual with whom to share it:

I've typed something to share, then started typing "mel g" as my recipient. "Mel Graham (providencede..." has been suggested (along with Mel Gibson!) so if I click Mel Graham, my post will only go to her. This post will appear in her stream as "Aj Graham - [TIME] - Limited" and then the message, and she can click Limited to see who else this message has gone to (if anyone).

CIRCLES

This is not a feature of FB. Circles are the groups into which you have placed your contacts. What it means is that you can share (or see) information with or from certain groups very quickly and simply.

At the top of the page, click the Circles button. This will take you to the page where all your G+ contacts are listed. You can put your contacts into one or more circles, create new circles or have contacts that aren't in any circles. If you search for new contacts, you can then add them to your circles. People will be alerted that you have added them (in FB your Friend Request has to be accepted), but they can't see which into which circle they have been added (if any).

I chose not to add any pics here because they'd be of people in my circles, some of whom may prefer I didn't put that info out there publicly. Besides, I thought it looked straightforward enough with the instructions on the Circles page not to need pics here.

PRIVACY/PUBLICITY

G+ is, by nature, more public than FB. However, you can set how public or private you wish to appear. This is done by clicking "Aj Graham" - do I need to mention it won't say Aj Graham for you? - (in the black bar, top right of page) then Account Settings.

Select Profile and Privacy and set your preferences. There are heaps of fine-tuning options, so I'll just share one.

Clicking the above button will take you to your profile information. Scroll to the bottom and set your Search visibility. This determines whether or not people will be able to see you when they search for you on G+.

OTHER ASPECTS

• Chat. Fairly self-explanatory. To chat with someone for the first time, you will need to send them an invitation to chat.
• Sparks. This is basically made up of interests you specify (edit Sparks when you first click on it). You can share these with others and pin your sparks categories to your profile page for quick access later. Others can also see your sparks (I think) and so begin conversations about your (and their) interests.
• Hangouts. This is like Skype. Start a hangout and chat face-to-face with your contacts...up to 10 at a time!

That's pretty much it for now. Comment if you want more or different info!

Cheers, and see you somewhere in G+!