Google+ is a social networking platform launched in June 2011, designed to facilitate both personal and organizational interaction, quickly amassing millions of users. Key features include profile pages, content sharing through posts and discussions, and tools like Hangouts, Sparks, and Ripples to enhance user engagement and information tracking. Despite questions of longevity and competition with Facebook, it remains a valuable tool for information sharing and professional networking.

1. GOOGLE + = ?
Scott Brown, Owner
Social Information
Group
January 19, 2012
SLA San Francisco
Chapter
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© 2012 Social Information Group

2. Google + = ?
What makes it unique
Some ideas on mining it for information
Tracking people, organizations, topics
Managing your own information
What’s next?
AGENDA 2
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3. GOOGLE + = ?
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4. • Google’s version of a social network
WHAT IS IT? • “Professional Facebook”
• Integrated with Google stuff – even
more so now
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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5. WHAT IS IT? A brief history
•
Launched June 2011
•
Quickly gained 40 million users
•
Originally focused on individuals
•
November 2011: Launched business
pages
• Estimates are 62 million users as of
December 2011, with hundreds of
Kindle for iPad/iPhone day
thousands joining every
• As of January 2012, results integrated
into search
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6. The latest – G+ results added to
WHAT IS IT? Google search results
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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7. Why do people keep “adding me to
WHAT IS IT? their circles”, dammit?
• Any G+ user can an add anyone
else to their circles
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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8. Why do people keep “adding me to
WHAT IS IT? their circles”, dammit?
• Any G+ user can an add anyone
else to their circles – see?
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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9. WHAT MAKES IT
UNIQUE?
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10. FEATURES • Profile
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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11. FEATURES • Posts/discussions (aka Streams)
• Photos
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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12. FEATURES • “Hangouts”
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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13. FEATURES •
•
“+1”
Circles
The special stuff
• Pages (as opposed to Profiles)
• “Sparks”
• “Ripples”
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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14. +1 = Endorsement
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15. Circles
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16. Circles
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17. Google + Pages
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18. Google + Pages
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19. Google + Sparks
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20. Google + Ripples
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21. SOME IDEAS
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22. SOME IDEAS • Use +1 as a new kind of social
bookmarking service
• Like Facebook with Delicious
capabilities
• Sparks as an alternative news search
• What’s being shared the most?
• Ripples to see connections and
influencers
Kindle for Find and follow people and pages
• iPad/iPhone
of interest
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23. • For sharing information
CIRLCES
• For finding information
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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24. How are companies thinking about circles?
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25. TRACKING
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26. • Thought leaders
PEOPLE• Industry leaders
• Organizational people
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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27. ORGANIZATIONS • Organizational page(s)
• Competitor pages
• Competitor employees
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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28. Tracking organizations
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29. • Thought leaders (again)
TOPICS• Saved searches
• Industry circles
Kindle for iPad/iPhone
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30. MANAGING YOUR OWN
INFORMATION unprofound - Jim
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31. MANAGING Settings and privacy
• Circle visibility
• Profile visibility
• Sharing options
• Include personal
search results?
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32. MANAGING Profile view
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33. WHAT’S NEXT? unprofound - Jim
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34. WHAT’S NEXT Recent developments
• Of course, G+ search results
• Multiple administrators for
organization pages
• Watch for new developments
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35. THE BIG QUESTIONS
Will it last?
Impossible to say.
Remember 35
Google Wave?
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36. THE BIG QUESTIONS
Will it kill Facebook?
Impossible to say.
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37. THE BIG QUESTIONS Finally:
Should I bother with it?
Yes.
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38. THE BIG QUESTIONS Finally:
Should I bother with it?
Why?
• Adoption is massive
• Information is being shared – and you
can leverage it both for finding and
sharing
• It’s still evolving
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39. TAKEAWAYS Next steps
• Check it out – without logging in.
• Sign up.
• Create some circles of interest to you,
and see how it works.
• Keep watching it.
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40. THANKS
Scott Brown
Social Information Group
Email: scott@socialinformationgroup.com
Twitter: @scbrown5 and @socialinfo
Google +: Scott Brown -
stevensource5@gmail.com
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottrbrown
http://www.socialinformationgroup.com
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41. SOURCES & READING • Google + : http://plus.google.com
• Google + support (including “how tos”:
http://support.google.com/plus/?hl=en
• Google + social network lets firms have their
own pages:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-
15625577
• With Facebook in crosshairs, Google + opens for
business: http://adage.com/article/digital/google-
open-business/230862/
• Google Plus pages for libraries:
http://joemurphylibraryfuture.com/google-pages-
for-libraries
• Is Google + a Plus for Information Pros? The
Information Advisor, September 2011
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42. SOURCES & READING • Google’s results get more personal with
“Search Plus Your World”:
http://searchengineland.com/googles-results-
get-more-personal-with-search-plus-your-world-
107285
• Google to provide personal search results:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/11/BUM81MN9J
V.DTL
• 3 successful Google + pages and why they
work: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-
successful-google-pages-and-why-they-work/
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