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If you do have a security code set up for SMS posting (Text Messages), you’ll need to enter that code somewhere in your text—anywhere is fine, as Google+ will automatically remove it before posting your message. If you want to share your post with a particular circle, type + and then the circle’s name, like so: +foodies. You can add as many circles as you’d like, but remember that you’re limited to 160 characters, minus any security code and your message itself. To post publicly, add “+public” to your post; to share with your extended circles (Writing a post while viewing your main stream), add “+extended.”

You can share this post with specific Google+ members by adding their first and last names after a +: How was that mountain bike trip? +devon kurdy. And if you want to share the post with someone who maybe isn’t signed up for Google+, add their email address after a +: Missing you here in salmon-soaked Alaska! +someone@somewhere.com.

If you’ve done everything correctly, you should receive a text back from 33669 that says something like, “Google+ SMS: Your update is successfully posted to your profile.”

TIP

Google+ treats @ symbols and + symbols the same way, at least when they’re sitting right in front of a name or email address. But you’ll probably want to stick to the more official + symbol, in case Google+ changes that. Keep that in mind, then, if you’re thinking about referring to a Twitter user in a post (Twitter usernames all start with @), since the person’s username would disappear and Google would try to share your post to a Google+ user with that name.

Sending Things to Google+ from Other Apps (Android Only)

We’ve covered how to send photos to Google+ from your phone’s gallery, but it’s also good to know that the Share button lets you share stuff to Google+ from many other apps on your Android phone. If you come across a neat page in the Browser app, for example, press your phone’s Menu button, tap the More option, and then select Share Page. The list that appears includes a Google+ option; tap it to hop over to a post-composing window in the Google+ app, with the link and the web page’s title automatically inserted.

The same thing applies if you find a funny tweet in Twitter, draw an interesting doodle in an art app, or discover a ridiculously good recipe in a culinary app. Most anywhere you can send out text or pictures from your phone, you can usually share with Google+, too.

Chapter 9. Playing Games

IT’S FUN TO WRITE DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS; share photos, links, and videos; and comment on others’ creations. But sometimes you just want to stack blocks and make them explode, or totally thrash your cousin in a game of Scrabble. The Games page of Google+ is where you can go to get a bit more interactive and competitive with your Google+ contacts. The games are free, easy to set up, and many of them don’t require a huge time commitment. You can start a game, play a few rounds on a break, then get back to your offline life. You’ll be notified when another player in the game makes their move so you can head back to that game, or any other, at your leisure.

Google+ games are pretty easy to start playing, as they should be, but there are a few tips and tricks that can make them easier to manage, and prevent their notifications from getting annoying. This chapter explains everything you need to know to start gaming on Google+—but you’re on your own when it comes to defending yourself against zombies or learning poker strategy.

NOTE

Games are the one major part of Google+ that hasn’t made it over to the mobile version yet, so you can’t get start or join games from either the Android or iPhone app, or the mobile-browser version. That may change, but for now, you can only play Google+ games in a computer’s web browser.

Getting into Games

YOU CAN GET TO the Games page right from the gray taskbar near the top of every Google+ page.

You can also get to the Games page by clicking a notification from another Google+ member who