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Writers, photographers, artists, and other creatives have a lot of potential with Google+. It’s not necessarily as deep a niche as several other sites that cater to a group. Flickr, for instance, has millions more passionate photography users. deviantART has a huge art community. There are many writing communities. And yet, people explore Google+ as an interesting crossroads between those more single-serving communities and the more general public. (Not that I consider Google+ a decent representation of the general public yet, but I think it is more general than niche sites.)

Posting to Build Connections

One point not covered is the notion of posting and sharing simply to build connections. For instance, perhaps you use Google+ as a way to meet with interesting people because those types of people drive your own creativity or fuel your own vision. People can fall into this category in many different ways: investors, artists, analysts, writers, journalists, and so on. In all cases, my advice is the same:

• Share interesting posts from outside of Google+ and from sources that aren’t as typically sourced. For instance, if you’re into technology, sharing something originally posted on Mashable or TechCrunch won’t likely get you noticed on Google+. However, pointing out an interesting gadget you saw on uncrate.com might get you some interesting new followers.

• Post original content that takes a completely different view than the norm. For instance, on the day I wrote this sentence, people were giving their thanks and praise to Steve Jobs upon hearing his announcement that he was stepping down as CEO of Apple. If your post wrote up a dissenting view, it would no doubt receive a lot of traffic. (Perhaps all of it angry, but you’d certainly get attention.)

• Find off-topic posts of interest. Curiosities are most definitely what help someone connect. Perhaps you have a knowledge of interesting cover songs, so you share Karen Souza’s rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep” via a YouTube video. It’s a heck of a lot more interesting than sharing the Richard Cheese version and might lead to a new connection—or ten.

And why would you want all kinds of connections? Some people find value in a lot of eclectic connections because they lead those people to a more diverse network. Others like more connections because they seek to do something with the value of the volume. (That’s how advertising works, for instance.) Still others just like to find connections for all the varied interests. If you’re into bird-watching, yodeling, and mixed martial arts fights, it’s going to take a little work to find and create those circles, so you might as well post eclectic and varied content to try and connect with those who share your interests.

Value Your Audience’s Attention

Above all else, value your audience’s attention. The more “junk” you throw at them, the less they will pay attention. Cherish their interaction. Comment back when they comment. (Not necessarily for every comment you get, but be the #1 commenter in your own stream.) The more you value your audience, the more value they can bring you. It’s as simple as that.

8. The “Warm” Sell

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All along, the secret of this book has been this: It’s not about the technology. Lance Armstrong said it first: It’s not about the bike. What he meant was that his determination, practice, focus, and preparation drove him. What I mean is simpler still: Using Google+ for business is about understanding how to build human relationships; it is not about this specific technology.

In this case, you can “paint” in this medium called Google+ because it gives you access to millions of potential new clients, has benefits for how people can find you using Google’s search functions, and affords you a way to create interactions that can (hopefully) lead to sustainable business.

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This requires something called the “warm” sell. If you’ve picked up this book with the