Google+... the next big thing {Hints, Tips, and Helps}

So I have had a google+ account for a bit, January of 2013 to be exact. And I would post from time to time. But nothing big, because no one else had really made the move - and because facebook was getting the job done. But as all good things come to an end, so has my love affair with facebook. This past year, I have spent thousands (yes, thousands) to promote my ads and sales on Facebook. It was no longer an interesting place to really get to know people or interact.  I saw my 'interesting' posts (like my coffee choices, or new recipes, or fun places I visited) drop dramatically. Everytime I logged on, I was bombarded with sales, and pushed content. No more cute babies, or photography I loved seeing. All the fun, personal content was gone--- Facebook became a giant, tacky billboard - one big push for sales. 

So the beginning of January of this year, I slowly started posting on google+ and researching how it worked. I am really excited about this new platform, and I wanted to share with you what I found. (and some hints and tips) 

Google Profiles and Pages are different. (Just like on facebook)

Google Profiles are just like your personal profile on facebook. {Customized or vanity URLs made available to any account that was 30+ days old, has a profile photo and at least 10 followers.} So you have to put in sometime before you get to name your google+ page.

Google+ Pages allows businesses to connect with fans. It allows entities which are not individuals (such as organizations, companies, and publications) to set up profiles, or "pages", for the posting and syndication of posts. It is similar to Facebook's Pages. Right now I have both a Devoted Knits page (that is linked to my email account and was created via that feature back in 2012 -- and a page I just made in February 2014.)

Cover Photo Size:

Google+ cover photos allow for flexibility. Which is nice because we are all used to being so restricted to Facebooks tiny 851 x 315 pixels. Google+ allows you to choose: Recommended size: 1080 x 608 Minimum size: 480 x 270 Maximum size: 2120 x 1192

The meaning of "+1" and "following"

+1 is how you signal your appreciation for anything that grabs your attention on Google+ or on your favorite websites. When you +1 a post, or page or photo on Google+, the creator of that post and the people the post was shared with can see your +1. However, your +1ing a page does not mean you are following the content of that page. It just means you are giving that content a big thumbs up. To be current with pages: follow them, or add them to your circles.

What are Circles and why to use them?

Circles are an easy way to organize the people you know. I have found it an amazing feature! They make it easy for you to share with just the right people. I am working on creating VIP circles for special offers and content that I want to share with an exclusive group. I am being very descriptive with my circles so that I can manage them well in the future 

Circle Limits: There’s a limit of 5,000 for the total number of profiles that can be included across all your circles. This includes +pages.  Also, there is a limit on daily use. If you add a large surge of people or +pages to your circles within a 24 hour period, the  system will temporarily stop you from adding additional people even if you’re under the total number of people you can have in your circles.

Google+ Helps with SEO.
Many articles I have read seem to suggest the following thoughts: It’s easier to measure social signals from Google Plus because Google owns it. Being active on Google+, will push your ranking higher. People should be driven to use Google Plus due to the fact that it will have more bearing in search engine social signals factor.

I know this is not an exhaustive article. But I do hope that it helps you to learn just a little bit about Google+ before you dive in. Google+ helps is an excellent resource and is easy to understand. I hope this article helps you to get started on your Google+ adventure. Follow my business page: google.com/+Devotedknits1 and my personal profile: https://plus.google.com/+DevotedKnits

I can't wait to connect with you!