Google__ The Missing Manual - Kevin Purdy [1]
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Introduction
DESPITE WHAT YOU MIGHT think based on its name, Google+ isn’t a super-charged version of the search engine we all turn to for answers. And it’s not a paid upgrade for businesses, or an exclusive club for people who are really, really good at searching Google. Nope, it’s actually a big, daring move by a company primarily known for search, advertising, and making millionaires out of computer geeks into the relatively new field of social networking—websites, like Facebook and Twitter, that let you link up with friends, acquaintances, and maybe even celebrities and brands you like.
Since its launch as an invite-only site in June 2011, Google+ has picked up an estimated 40 million users, and it’s being integrated into more and more of Google’s other services, like Gmail and Google Docs. So Google+ is more than just a way to connect with friends, family, and acquaintances online. It’s a smarter way of sharing online that’s tied into all the other Google services you might already use. And this book explains how to get the most out of Google+, whether you’re using it for fun or business, on a Windows computer, a Mac, an Android phone, iPhone, or just about anywhere you can get on the Web (or even just send a text message).
How Google+ Works
DESPITE WHAT YOU MIGHT have read about it in the press, Google+ isn’t quite Google’s version of Facebook. Google+ does let you do some of the same things you can do on Facebook—and Twitter, and even LinkedIn. You can use Google+ to find people you know, people you used to know, friends-of-friends with whom you share common interests, and even—if you’d like—complete strangers. It’s especially easy to build that network of connections if you’ve been using other Google tools like Gmail, the web-based email program, but it’s not hard for complete newcomers to the Google-verse to use, either. Once you create a network of people on Google+, however big or small, you can share all kinds of things with those friends and acquaintances: thoughts and updates, photos, videos, links to interesting websites, your location, and even a round of poker or some other game.
But Facebook (and in some cases, Twitter) offers most of those same features, so how is Google+ different? For