Google_ for Business_ How Google's Social Network Changes Everything - Chris Brogan [22]
Takeaway: Photographers are already using the site en masse. The sharing capabilities are giving people a nice way to present their work. I think where it will pick up is when photographers can set up business pages and invite people to engage and book new business.
The Business Executive
Time Used per Day: 30 minutes
Primary Goals of Usage: Reading, keeping up
Number of Original Posts per Day: 1 (if that)
Number of Shared Posts per Day: 7–10
Number of Comments per Day: 1–2 (I don’t comment much.)
Links to My Blog or Projects per Day: 0 (I don’t blog.)
Number of Off-Topic Posts per Day: 0
Typical Strategy: I use Google+ to keep up on interesting news and interesting people. I still use Twitter for this as well, and Google Reader, but I like the interface on Google+, and I’m getting a lot from my half hour of reading various links. I never EVER read the main stream or Incoming. It’s too unfiltered. I have a few trusted sources that don’t share animated gifs and cat photos, and I prefer their posts.
Special Uses: I’m using Google+ as an information hub and it’s suiting my needs quite fine. It hasn’t replaced anything (maybe someday, I’ll stop using Facebook), but it gives me a different view than what Twitter alone gives me.
Notes: One of my social media managers complained that I don’t post original content and that I’m not “joining the conversation.” I don’t want to join the conversation. I’m using it like a news reader. There is nothing wrong with this usage.
Takeaway: This executive is saying that she reads Google+ like a news feed. Depending on how she sets up her circles, this might give her targeted news that pertains to her business. Twitter can be used this way, as well, but the richness of what people can share gives her more interest in using Google+ at present.
Wrapping Up
This chapter looked at how others use Google+ for their own business pursuits and interests. You’ve read reports from busy executives of leading technology companies to authors, to fitness professionals, and many more. Including some of my “fictitious” efforts at the end, there are serving suggestions galore for you to start considering in building your own usage of Google+.
Chapter 4, “First Moves with Google+,” talks about the first moves you can make with Google+. This is a how-to chapter that gives you ideas about implementing some of what you’ve read about here and a lot of the nitty-gritty details for setting up and using Google+ for your needs.
4. First Moves with Google+
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You’ve signed up for Google+. Now what? In some cases, you’ve purchased this book because someone in the organization or a colleague told you, “You’ve really got to get on this Google+ thing, and you’ve got to start now, before everyone’s here!” And some part of you said, “YES! That’s exactly what I’ll do! I’ll sign up, get in there, and then I’ll... I’ll....”
Yeah, that happens. Don’t worry about it. Hopefully, Chapter 3, “A Day in the Life,” gave you some ideas by walking you through some of the day-in-the-life scenarios. Now, you want to dig in and start implementing some of what you’ve learned up until now. This chapter covers the steps and ideas of implementation at a higher level (with great detail here about your profile page and your privacy settings) and then Chapters 5, 6, and 7 discuss some more detail.
Consider profiles first, and then you can get into the other first moves.
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Profiles Matter for Business
Profiles might make or break most people’s immediate experience with Google+. Why? Because the profile is the first signal you have when connecting with someone. It’s the first chance to make an impression. It’s a lot like a business card blended with a peek at someone