Useful Google Plus Tips and Tricks | Google+ Tips and Tutorials

Google+

This post contains some useful Google Plus tips and tricks or some useful Google+ Tutorials. Google Plus is now become the most growing social network and gains huge users in the short period of time while in the beta mode. A truth about this blog is that we have included some articles about facebook tips and tricks and found targeted visitors from major search engines but after lanuch Google Plus beta mode we have included Google Plus tips and tricks in this blog and look the major effect that my visitors from search engines increased as a rocket speed so this live experience shows users are searching more and more about Google Plus tips and tutorials in these days. 

The main thing on social networking sites is the privacy of their users which is easier in Google Plus to set what you want to show or hide of your data to the web. Facebook did many changes in their privacy setting and launch video chat with skype after launch Google Plus beta mode because if facebook don't take any action then for sure Google Plus reach to the top level with easiest ways but there is no doubt facebook is struggling to stand against Google Plus. By the way check out some most useful Google Plus tips and tricks listed below.

1.   Basic Definitions of Google Plus Features as Circles, Hangout, Sparks

Before starting about Google Plus Tutorials lets start with what is Google Plus Project and some basic definitions of its features. Just follow

What Is Google+?

Google+ is a tool you can use to organize your online contacts. You can upload your pictures and videos to share with friends, join in on a group video chat to plan your next outing, or just hang out!

• +Circles

Enable you to organize contacts into groups for sharing across various Google products and services. Although other users can view the list of people in your collection of circles, they cannot view the names of those circles. Organization is done through a drag-and-drop interface.

To understand Google Plus and Circles better, go to the Settings Gear and select Profile and Privacy. Look for "See how your profile looks to other users." Type in a user name from different circles and click Preview to see what your profile looks like from the specified user.

• +Sparks

A front-end to Google Search, enabling users to identify topics they might be interested in sharing with others. “Featured interests” Sparks are also available, based on topics others globally are finding interesting.

Sparks is a great way to find information to help in your professional development towards building your e-capability, all information is current and reliable.

• +Hangouts

Used to facilitate group video chat (with a maximum of 10 people participating in a single Hangout at any point of time). However, anyone on the web could potentially join the 'Hangout' if they happen to possess the unique URL of the Hangout.

• +Huddle

Huddle is a a group messaging feature available within the Google+ mobile app. Rather than sending text messages to each person in a circle the user sends Huddle messages to the group. This can be advantageous when trying to setup where and when to go out.

• Google+ Mobile

Accessing Google+ on one’s Mobile Phone or Device (Currently Android and Web Only)

Download the Google+ mobile application from the Android Market. Once you launch the application it will ask which account you wish to sign in with, select the account.

• Enable Push Notifications

Google+ mobile app -- Launch Google+ on your phone, press the menu button and go to Settings. Enable or Disable notification/vibration/ringtone for Google+ and Huddle notifications.

Google+ (plus.google.com) -- Click the ‘Options’ cog in the top right hand corner of the screen and select ‘Google+ Settings’. Under ‘Set delivery preferences’, add your mobile number and choose Push Notifications or SMS Notifications. Then in the ‘Receive Notifications’ section, choose which notifications you would like to receive by selecting the checkbox in the phone column for each item.

Getting Started with Google+

Tips

Google+ can be accessed from http://google.com/+ or http://plus.google.com or http://google.com/plus or, for mobile device, from http://m.google.com/plus.

To share Google+ posts click the “Time link” button and use the Google Shortener Extension for Chrome browser and share posts to Blogger, Tumblr, Facebook and others.

Creative ways to use Circles

Create an “*Inbox” circle and include the people you’d like to see every post from. The friends, family, and acquaintances circles are on top by default.

Create a "Read later" circle and include no other person (Google+ calls it an empty circle). When you see a post you want to read later, share it only with the "Read later" circle. Then when you have some time, open that circle and read through (and delete) the saved posts.

Similarly, create an (empty) "Drafts" circle. When you have an idea for a post, but no time to write it, draft a rough version and share it to the "Drafts" circle. Edit the draft by using "Edit this post" from the drop down menu. Then, when the post is complete, copy it to a new post that you can then share to your circles and delete the draft post.

Yet again, create a similar (empty) circle called “Bookmarks” so you can go back and find that tidbit of information to read and use again and again.

If you would like to mute future notifications on a particular post you can do so by opening notifications, then opening the particular notification you wish to mute. Look at the bottom right hand corner of the notifications box. There will be an option to mute that notification.

Formatting

Google+ uses the follow character operations to perform italicizing, bolding, or striking through text:

_ italic text _ ➜ italic text

* bold text * ➜ bold text

- strikethrough text - ➜ strikethrough text

_*italic bold text*_ ➜ italic bold text

Formatting symbols only work when the formatted string is encapsulated by spaces, therefore surrounding the symbols by parentheses or brackets escapes the formatting.

[_ italic text _] ➜ [italic text]

** bold text ** ➜ *bold text*

_()(*- strikethrough text -*)()_ ➜ ()(*-strikethrough text-*)()

foo_*italic bold text*_bar ➜ foo_*italic bold text*_bar

**cough** ➜ *cough*

Shortcuts

Note: These shortcuts apply to the desktop version of Google+ only.

@Anil Mishra or +Anil Mishra ➜  (press @ or + to link to a person in a post or comment) but they must be a google plus member for this to work otherwise the hyperlink of their name just turns into plain text.

After you post, click the little drop-down arrow (▽) in the upper right of the post to disable comments or disable re-sharing (i.e., for things you don't want to spread beyond your specified audience).

Press “q” to go directly to the chat box

Press , then after writing a comment on a post to quickly submit it. (faster than clicking the Post Comment button every time)

Press twice and then to cancel writing a comment.

Press space to drop down a page. (Applies to all web pages)

Press +space to move up a page. (Applies to all web pages)

If you want to post directly to specific friends, just type the first letter of their name, a drop-down list will appear, keep typing until you see their name, then select the name and click to send message or begin chat. Alternative quick step, if necessary, click to remove existing “addressees” (i.e. Public, Circles, etc) so that the post is addressed to no one. The in the message area using the + or @ technique described above, start typing their name until you see it, select it, and it will then be included in the message as well as the addressees.

While moving through posts using ‘j’ (next post) and ‘k’ (previous post), you can start     a comment by pressing .

Use the mouse scroll wheel to navigate through photo slideshows

Privacy

A core element of Google+ is its privacy features, which have been integrated deeply into the product. Google+ gives users extensive control over these features.

Click edit in your profile to change which circles can view what personal details. Your name, gender, and profile picture have to be public, everything else can be restricted. You can also opt out of appearing in the search results here.

If you would like to send a message to another user, just put their name into the destination field of your posting. If the recipient is not a user of Google+, enter their email address. To save typing the email address every time, you can add them as a contact on the circles page.

If you want the permanent link to a post, click on its timestamp to see the single post. You can copy the URL from your browser to share the permalink (alternatively, you can select “Link to this post” from the drop-down menu at the top left of the post)

You can link directly to your profile using http://profiles.google.com/.

There are also non-official shorteners that use the profile number you can find when viewing your profile. (For example go to http://gplus.to/)

To understand Google Plus and Circles better, go to the settings gear to Settings -> Profile and Privacy. Look for "See how your profile looks to other users." Type in a user name from different circles and you will be able to see how your info is shared according to those circles.

There is a shortcut for this under the EDIT PROFILE button on a user’s profile page. It’s a greyed-out “View profile as....” box. Click on each section to see how each person or circle will view each area: About, Posts, Photos, Videos, +1s, Buzz

1.   Google+ Tips for Send/Receive Tweets in Google Plus

If you want to twitter integration as sending tweets and showing your twitter updates into your Google Plus account then you can easily integrate your Google Plus account with twitter. you don't need to leave your Google Plus account for sending tweets or showing your updates of your twitter account. Just follow Send/Receive Tweets or Show Twitter Stream in Google Plus.

2.   Google+ Tutorials for send/receive facebook updates in Google Plus

Now after twitter integration you can integrate your facebook account in your Google Plus account. You don't need to leave your Google Plus account if you want to post any update in your facebook or you want to see your facebook stream updates. Just follow Show Facebook Stream and Updates Facebook Wall from Google Plus. 

3.   Google Plus Tips for Bold/Strikethrough and Italic Text

 Different text formatting are always eye catching for your friends and for your customers so get noticed to some words for making it bold/italic or strikethrough. Just follow Make text to Bold/Italic/Strikethrough in Google Plus.

4.   Google Plus Tips and Tricks for Sending Private Messages

Did you find any option for sending private message to your Google Plus friends? No. Ok some tips is required for sending private messages in Google Plus to your friends. If some one send you private message then you will got these messages into your main stream page and the message will be seen only by you. So just follow Sending Private Messages to Friends in Google Plus.

5.   Google Plus Tricks To Get Google Plus Notification Updates on Mobile Phone

Do you want notification if some added you to in circle or if some one write comments on your updates or anything what you check options to getting notification on your mobile phone. Just follow Google Plus Updates Notification on Mobile Phones. 

6.   Google Plus Wall Status Updates By Mobile Phones via SMS

Now if you are an Indian users then you can send Google Plus updates via SMS from your mobile phones and also you can send updates to individual circles. Hope this features will be launch word wide soon! So for Indian users just follow Get Google Plus Updates from Mobile via SMS Text.

7.   Google Plus Tips for Adding Google+ Widget To Blogs

Are you a webmaster? Have you any blog? If your answer is yes, then by adding Google+ widget to your websites or blogs you can increase your Google Plus connections so for adding Google+ widget for your blogs just follow Adding Google+ Widget To Blogs. 

8.   Google+ Tutorials:Sharing your wall updates to directly facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr

You can now share your Google Plus wall updates directly to facebook, twitter, linkedin and tumblr. Your each updates will contain a button of "Share on..." and if you click on then you will see option to share. This is all have done by a chrome extension so you have to use chrome browser if you want this option. Now if you are on chrome browser and want to enable this feature then just follow Share Google Plus Wall Updates To Facebook/Twitter.

9. Downloading Google+ data as friends contact, albums, videos to desktop

If you want to secure your Google Plus data as your albums, your uploaded videos or your friends contact, your stream data and your profile data to your desktop hard drive before being hacked by some one. Just follow Download All Google Plus Data To Desktop Hard Drive.

10.    Google Plus Tips To Move Facebook Album Photos To Google Plus

Have you many photos in your many albums and want all photos in your Google Plus Profile. It is very difficult to save all photos to your desktop and then upload these to your Google Plus Profile. A Chrome Extension is there for easily move your facebook photos to your Google Plus account with some clicks. You have to be on chrome browser if you want to move your facebook albums to Google Plus by just simple clicks. Just follow Move Facebook Photos To Google Plus Account.

These Google Plus Tips and Tricks are regularly updated so get back after some days to this post you will see some more Google Plus Tutorials. If you want to get updates on Google Plus then you can get noticed by bookmark this page, Add me in your Circle on Google Plus and you can Be My Fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter or simply get updates directly to your email address just verify your email address with us for SubscribeMy News Later.

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Social Media Vs Email : Email Is Still Important- And Here Is Why?

Social media is more than a buzzword. It’s now a lifestyle decision for a lot of companies. Many individuals and organizations have abandoned a traditional Web presence (which used to mean a website and email address) in favor of a Facebook page coupled with a Twitter account.

So, where does this leave email? Has the @ symbol lost its meaning as an address, and instead become the signifier of a Twitter name? I think that we need to radically reconsider our approach to email in this changing landscape and understand that it can be a powerful tool when leveraged correctly.

Changing Habits

While I disagree with the assertion that “social is killing email,” evidence shows that email use among the younger generation is declining: a 59% decline among US teens between December 2009 and 2010, according to comScore. In the same study, only the over-55s had increased their use of email. This is especially significant if it represents a long-term shift away from email and towards social media and SMS as preferred methods of communication.


Losing Faith In Email

Email has been around forever (it predates the Web), so it’s not surprising that, for some, it has lost its lustre. For one, it’s not exciting enough; other social media platforms have come with fanfare. Twitter has hosted world headlines, and Facebook has been the driving force behind many campaigns. In 2009, a Facebook Group even succeeded in getting Rage Against the Machine’s single “Killing in the Name” to the UK’s “Christmas number one” spot ahead of the X Factor single.



This level of drama appeals to business types who like their social media “sexy,” and for this reason Twitter and Facebook push all the right buttons around the boardroom table. By comparison, an email marketing campaign may seem tired and old fashioned.



For another reason, it lacks tangible value. Valuations of Internet companies (and particularly social media giants) have skyrocketed. In May of this year, LinkedIn was valued at $10 billion (roughly 41 times its 2010 net revenue). Facebook is still a private company, but rumors of a public offering in 2012 include a valuation that could reach $100 billion. While many in the industry see this as a portent of a second dot-com bubble, for a lot of businesses it is simply a compelling reason to invest in these services.

Email is non-proprietary, which means that no one is pushing its agenda, and, unlike the LinkedIns, Groupons and Facebooks of the world, it cannot attract a market worth. Value theory tells us that if something has no market value (such as air, water, etc.), it is often taken for granted. I think email has suffered a similar fate.

Finally and perhaps most significantly, it lacks the pack mentality that most of social media thrives on. Despite the growth of marketing, email is still mostly private. No one knows which lists I am subscribed to or who I write to from the privacy of my inbox, even if by virtue of Facebook they know what I ate for breakfast. In stark contrast to the insidious evils of “like” culture, my email behavior does not broadcast itself all over the Internet, which for marketers is a decided disadvantage.

Email Is A Currency

Everyone Has It

It’s true that email is fighting with other services for online communication, but it is still ubiquitous in a way that other social media networks are not. As of May 2010, 39% of US Internet users had never used a social network, compared with only 6% who had never sent or received an email. If you want to reach the majority of your audience, email is still the safest bet.

It’s a Unique Identifier

It’s worth noting that people tend to be members of multiple social media websites simultaneously, with varying degrees of involvement, but they usually have only one or two active email addresses. The email address remains the unique identifier online; you use it to log into almost everything, so it would take a lot for it to become obsolete.

It’s a Coveted Resource

According to research conducted by the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing is expected to generate an ROI of $44.00 for every dollar spent on it in 2011. This is due in part to the fact that more customers are engaging via email: 93% of email users have opt-in relationships with a consumer brand, as opposed to 15% on Facebook and 4% on Twitter (according to Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs).

This value has been recognized by most social media networks. Facebook launched Messages, which provides each user with an @facebook.com email address, because it understands the importance of email in the social graph. Google+ is also tying email more directly into social media activity, blurring the distinction between the two.

Overcoming Obstacles

Spam

This incarnation of junk mail is relentless. It plagues users, who must be cunning to distinguish genuine mail from hoaxes. Email clients require elaborate algorithms to sift the wheat from the chaff. And perhaps most vexing, Internet marketers have to struggle to get anything commercial through to their subscriber lists.

Unfortunately, Twitter and Facebook are not safe havens either. Business folk are not the only ones taking a bigger interest in social media; scam artists are, too. As of April 2011, spam alone occupied seven full-time employees at Twitter. This is a drop in the ocean compared to email (over 73% of all messages sent are spam), but it might be a relief to hear that we are experiencing the lowest levels since 2008; at least things are looking up!


 Broadcasting

Social media networks encourage multi-way conversations between many users. Even those who are not involved directly in the conversation can often “overhear” what is happening. Email is much more direct; it is usually between just two people and does not invite additional participants. Understanding this limitation of email will make it your greatest ally. Unless an email is personal, it will not get a response; however, it is one of the best ways to deliver direct messages, such as newsletters and alerts, which do not invite discussion so much as action.


Presentation

HTML email is far more effective than plain text for marketing, but you’ll need to know the tricks to make it look good across different browsers. Writing code for email usually means going back to 1998, which is enough to put most people off it entirely. Luckily, Campaign Monitor and MailChimp offer some great templates to get you off on the right foot. But make sure to use a tool to test the email across different clients before clicking the “Send” button, or else you could do more damage than good.


Making Email A Part Of The Conversation 

Email is difficult to ignore. Unlike social media streams, in which content is disposable, an email demands your attention until it is read. Use this to your advantage: write newsletters; push your most engaging content in front of your users; adapt your offers so they match your audience.

Also, email is a much calmer medium. Inbox zero is a difficult (yet achievable) goal, whereas staying on top of every stream, tweet and status update is not only stressful, but well nigh impossible! With email, you can take time and give thought to your words; you can dedicate some time to the person you are communicating with. Email not only gives your thoughts some room, but gives you time to write them down clearly.

If you’ve heard of the Slow movement (which advocates a cultural shift toward slowing down life’s pace), then you might want to consider how email fits into Slow Marketing. Is it possible that cultivating brand advocates over time who have more than a fleeting interest in your product could bring long-term benefits? Could you talk to these customers in a more respectful way, one that leads to substantial, meaningful conversations?

Think Twice Before Hitting “Send”

If you’re not put off by the shortcomings of email and you find 140 characters more limiting than liberating, then you’re well on your way to incorporating email in your social media campaigns. Chances are your email subscribers are your most loyal audience, so treat them with respect (which means offering valuable content, and not too often), and they could become your greatest advocates.

While reams of articles are devoted to creating social email campaigns, here are just a few tips to get you started:

Have something to say.
Sounds simple, but while your daily musings are permissible on Twitter, your email audience will be less forgiving.

Make it digestible.
Email doesn’t limit your word count, but you’ll need to apply some editing of your own. If it’s a long article, include an excerpt and link through to the website for the full story. This has the added bonus of enabling you to track the most popular items.

Be regular.
Set a schedule of emails that you know you can keep to. A monthly or quarterly newsletter can be a good guide.

Be personal.
Tailor your tone to the audience. Most email services offer invaluable segmentation tools. You wouldn’t speak to your spouse the way you talk to your bank manager; neither should you address your entire audience the same way.

Don’t forget that email is only half of the conversation. Find out where your readers hang out (you can use their email addresses to locate them), and continue the discussion there! 

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