1. Getting Started with Google+

The Google+ project is open to public signups now, so if you go to http://plus.google.com, you’ll see a nice Web page with a big red Sign In button. All you need to sign up for Google+ are a Google account and a desire to share interesting things with people.

This chapter covers how to get yourself a Google account (if you already have one, feel free to skip that section), set up your Google+ profile, and find some interesting people to follow.

Getting a Google Account

You may have a Google account and not even know it. If you use Google services like Gmail or Picasa, you already have a Google account. You can use the same login information for Google+, so feel free to skip this section and go straight to “Creating a public profile.”

If you don’t use any Google services, you need to get yourself a Google account. Luckily, the process is pretty easy.

Because this book is about Google+, you may as well set up your new account via the Google+ home page. Here’s what you do:

1. Point your browser of choice to http://plus.google.com (Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1. The Google+ landing page.

2. Click the Create an Account link below the Sign In button (Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.2. The Google+ login page accepts only Google accounts.

3. Fill in all the information that the form requires, making sure to enter a strong password.

4. Click the button labeled I Accept. Create My Account.

Your Google account has been created, and you’re taken to the Google+ profile-creation page (see the next section).

Creating a public profile

If you already have or just created a Google account, now you need to set up your Google+ profile (which will also be your Google profile).

Registering your Google+ name

After you’ve signed up or logged in, the profile page opens (Figure 1.3).

Figure 1.3. Create a Google+ profile here.

In the profile box, you must enter your first and last names and your gender. You can also add an optional profile picture, as I explain in the next section.

Uploading a profile photo

Your profile picture accompanies pretty much everything you post to Google+, so make sure that you choose a good one. It’s probably a good idea to use a picture of yourself, though that’s not required.

To upload a profile picture, follow these steps:

1. Click the Change Photo link in the profile box (refer to Figure 1.3).

The photo uploader appears (Figure 1.4).

Figure 1.4. You can drag a profile photo into the box.

2. Drag a photo into the photo uploader, or click the Select a Photo from Your Computer button to locate and upload a photo from your computer.

3. Crop the picture so that it will display correctly (Figure 1.5).

Figure 1.5. Make sure that your profile picture shows your face.

The box represents the section of the photo that will appear in your Google+ profile, so drag it onto the section of the photo you want to display. You can rotate the photo by clicking the rotation icons near the top-right corner.

4. When you’re happy with the image, click the Set As Profile Photo button.

Providing personal info

After you set a profile picture, click the red Join button. A new page appears, giving you the opportunity to provide more info about yourself (Figure 1.6). Listing your school and year of graduation, along with where you work and live, makes it easier for people to figure out whether you’re the guy they went to school with or some other dude.

Figure 1.6. Google wants you to add as much information as possible to your profile so that people can find you on Google+.

When you start typing a school or employer name, Google tries to guess what you’re typing and makes suggestions based on what other users have entered (Figure 1.7).

Figure 1.7. Many fields attempt to autopopulate with common values. Go, Lehigh!

Click Continue when you’re done.

Adding contacts

The next page lets you add contacts from any Yahoo Mail or Hotmail email accounts you may have (Figure 1.8). Just click the Yahoo or Hotmail icon and then log in to your email account with the proper credentials. Google searches the account’s address book and presents a list of contacts you can add to Google+ (see Chapter 2). If you don’t use either of those services, click the Skip button at the bottom of the page.

Figure 1.8. Google can search your Yahoo or Hotmail address book for people who are already on Google+.

Finding company

Finally, Google+ is a lonely place when you aren’t following anyone, so in the last setup page, Google suggests some famous and/or interesting people you may be interested in following on Google+ (Figure 1.9). Google recommends that you follow at least ten of these people to make your stream interesting, but I leave the number of famous people you want to follow on Google+ up to you.

Figure 1.9. Google suggests some people you may be interested in following on Google+.

These people are grouped in sections, such as Picks, Entertainment, and Music. Clicking one of the sections displays the users contained therein.

If you find someone that you’d like to follow on Google+, just click the Add to Circles button next to his or her photo, and you can add that person to any of the default circles (Figure 1.10). Don’t worry about what circles are at the moment; I cover them in Chapter 2.

Figure 1.10. Click the Add to Circles button to add a person to one of your default circles.

When you’re done, click the blue Continue button at the bottom of the page. You’re taken to your Google+ Stream, which is where most of the action happens in Google+.

Touring the Google+ Stream

Now that you have a Google+ account, a quick tour of the stream interface (Figure 1.11, on the next page) is in order. I expand on each of these concepts in later chapters.

Figure 1.11. This is what your stream will look like when you start putting people in your circles.

Plus bar

At the top of the page is the black Plus bar, which shows up on all Google pages as long as you’re logged in and allows you to switch among various Google services. The first link goes to Google+. The Plus bar also displays Google+ notifications in red (I have one in Figure 1.11), the Share box (more on that in Chapter 2), and your profile picture. If you click your profile picture, you get a few options (Figure 1.12).

Figure 1.12. The Plus bar gives you a few options when you click the small profile image.

Google+ toolbar

Below the Plus bar, you’ll find the Google+ toolbar. Next to the Google+ logo are icons for the different aspects of your Google+ account (Figure 1.13): Home (also known as the stream; see Chapter 3), Photos (see Chapter 5), Profile (see “Editing Your Profile Page” later in this chapter), Circles (see Chapter 2), and Games (see Chapter 8).

Figure 1.13. The Google+ toolbar is home to all the Google+ tabs.

Right next to the navigation icons is the search box, which I cover in “Finding People to Follow” at the end of this chapter.

Personal information

Your profile picture and name appear at the top of the leftmost column, which includes the following items:

• A Welcome link. Click this link to read some information about Google+.

• Stream list. You can view each of your circle’s streams individually or see everything in one place. Clicking a circle’s name shows only items from the members of that circle in your stream. Clicking Stream shows all the people you follow in one stream. This list includes a special circle called Incoming, which I mention in the next section and explain fully in Chapter 3.

• Saved-searches list. You can save your Google+ searches for one-click access. Chapter 6 shows you how to do this.

• Chat list. If you have one, your Gtalk contact list is integrated with Google+. Check out www.google.com/talk for more information about Gtalk.

Stream lists

The middle column is all about the stream, offering the following elements (Figure 1.14):

• Share box. This box is where sharing starts. Whether you want to share a message, a video, or an image, you do it here. For more on sharing, flip to Chapter 3.

• Incoming section. People can share things with you on Google+, and if you don’t follow them back, they show up in the Incoming section of the stream. The most recent additions to the Incoming group are displayed here.

• The stream. The stream itself displays everything you’ve shared and whatever the folks in your circles are sharing with you and/or the world.

Figure 1.14. The Google+ Stream is where you’ll spend most of your time.

Networking details

The right column displays the following:

• In Your Circles section. Click the View All link to see all the people in your circles.

• Suggestions list. Here, Google+ lists people you may want to add to your circles.

• Invitations section. Even though Google+ is now open to all, you can still send invitations to your friends, encouraging them to join in on the fun. Click the Invite Friends button to invite other people to Google+. Above this button, you see the number of invitations you have left. (Every Google+ user can issue 150 invitations.)

• Hangouts section. You can start a hangout—basically, a video/audio conference—by clicking the green Start a Hangout button. I explore hangouts in Chapter 4.

Editing Your Profile Page

Now that you can find your way around Google+, you really should take a moment to fill in as much profile information as you’re comfortable sharing. This information helps people be sure they’re following the person they want to follow and allows them to find you on the service more easily.

You have several ways to get to your Google+ profile:

• If you’re logged in to Google+, just go to https://plus.google.com/me.

• Click the Profile icon on the Google+ toolbar.

• Click your profile picture in the left column.

• Click your profile picture on the Plus bar and then click the Profile link.

No matter which method you use, you’re taken to your profile page (Figure 1.15). This page has six tabs: Posts, About, Photos, Videos, +1’s, and Buzz. With the exception of About, each tab lists all the content of that type that you’ve posted on Google+.

Figure 1.15. The profile page lists information about you.

The About tab lists all the profile information you’ve entered about yourself in Google+. Click it to see what you have listed. Figure 1.16 shows my profile page, and as you see, I’ve filled in a good bit of profile information.

Figure 1.16. The About tab of your profile page contains information that describes you.

What if you want to change something or add more details? The good news is that almost everything you see on your profile page can be edited. Click the blue Edit Profile button to add or subtract information and to change who can see it (Figure 1.17). When you click that button, you see the options available for each section. In the following sections, I discuss these options, starting with the left column and working my way right.

Figure 1.17. All the fields on the About tab are editable.

Left column

The left column of Google+ is all about you. Your profile picture is listed there, along with your circles, your saved searches, and your Gtalk contacts (if you have any).

Profile Picture

You can change your profile photo in this section. To delete your current photo, click the white X in its top-right corner (refer to Figure 1.17); then click the Change Photo link to upload another profile picture. The process is the same as described in “Uploading a profile photo” earlier in this chapter.

Send an Email

Clicking the Send an Email section opens a pane that allows you to determine who can, or can’t, send you an email via your Google+ profile (Figure 1.19, on the next page). If you want people to be able to send you email, check the box titled Allow People to Email You from a Link on Your Profile. (By default, this box is unchecked.) You can also set your privacy levels; see the nearby “Privacy Settings” sidebar for details.

Figure 1.19. Email privacy settings make sure that you don’t get unwanted email.

When you finish, click the Save button to save your changes.

Circles

Circles are covered fully in Chapter 2, but by now, you’ve picked up on the fact that they’re groups of people. Your profile has a circle-related display right below your profile picture. That grid of other people’s profile pictures represents two things: the people in your circles at the top and people who have you in their circles at the bottom (Figure 1.20).

Figure 1.20. People in your circles, and who have circled you, are displayed on your profile page by default.

By default, your profile page displays grids of people in your circles and people who have you in their circles. To change this display, click the grid itself or the Change Who Is Visible Here link. You can display only people from certain circles in your profile and also turn off the option to display people who have you in their circles (Figure 1.21).

Figure 1.21. You can choose whether you want your profile page to display the people who are in your circles and the people who list you in their circles.

Center column

Moving on to the center column, I’ll start at the top and work down.

Name

Yep, you can change your name in Google+ just by clicking it while you’re editing your profile page and then typing a new name (Figure 1.22). Click the Save button when you’re done. This change affects your name on all the services that you access with this Google account, including Gmail.

Figure 1.22. Change your name by retyping it here.

Tagline

Click the tagline below your name (refer to Figure 1.17) to change it to something else.

Photos

You can add photos to your profile by clicking the Add Some Photos Here link (refer to Figure 1.17) and uploading some images. The photos will appear on your profile page but won’t replace your profile picture (Figure 1.23, on the next page).

Figure 1.23. Additional photos spruce up your profile page.

Introduction

Your introduction can be much longer than your tagline. Write a paragraph or two describing who you are, and don’t be afraid to get a little creative!

Bragging Rights

This section always strikes me as being as odd, as it’s straightforward: List things that you brag about. Perhaps you can hold your breath for a really long time, or maybe you own every Kindle model ever made. Either factoid, or both, would be great in the Bragging Rights section of your Google+ profile. (Only one of those things is true of me, by the way. Can you guess which?)

Occupation, Employment, and Education

I’m grouping these items because they go together and are self-explanatory. When you’re entering your company or school’s name, Google suggests existing names based on what other people have already entered, to save you some typing.

Places Lived

One of the first questions people ask when they meet someone new is “Where are you from?” This section of your profile page (Figure 1.24) asks that same question. You can list as many places as you’ve lived; just enter their names and click Save. When you’re done, a map showing all the places you’ve listed is included in your Google+ profile (Figure 1.25).

Figure 1.24. List all the places that you’ve called home.

Figure 1.25. Google+ plots your Places Lived entries on a map that’s displayed on your profile page.

Home/Work

Want people to know your home phone number or your work email address? List them here. Be sure to set the privacy settings to include just the people you want to have accessing this information.

Relationship

Just as you can on Facebook, you can list what kind of relationship you’re in. I’m married (sorry, ladies), so I chose the Married option. Other options include I Don’t Want to Say and In a Civil Union.

Looking For

This section (Figure 1.26) lets people know why you’re on Google+. You can choose any combination of Friends, Dating, A Relationship, or Networking. Just check the boxes next to the items you’re interested in. Set the privacy level (I’ve picked Extended Circles in Figure 1.26), and click Save.

Figure 1.26. If you’re looking for love on Google+, make sure that people know!

Gender

The options in this section are Male, Female, and Other.

Other Names

This text box that allows you to enter your maiden name or an alternative spelling of your name.

Nickname

Blankbaby is my nickname (on the Internet), so I added it to my profile in this section.

Search Visibility

In addition to making Google+, Google offers a search engine. By default, your Google+ profile is indexed by search engines, meaning that people who are searching for your name may find your Google+ profile in their results. If you don’t want your profile to be indexed in Google search results, you can change that setting in the Search Visibility section (Figure 1.27). Clear the check box titled Help Others Find My Profile in Search Results, and click Save.

Figure 1.27. By default, all Google+ profiles are indexed by search engines, so people can view and find them without being logged in to Google+.

Links

As you might expect, the links on your Google+ profile page point to other you-related places on the Internet. The links are separated into three groups:

• Other Profiles. Other Profiles is where you should list your profiles on other Web sites (Twitter, Facebook, and the like).

• Contributor To. Contributor To is great for the writers and photographers out there, because you can list all the places where your work is featured.

• Recommended Links. Recommended Links is the place for semirandom links that you want to be associate with your profile.

To edit any section, click it. Figure 1.28 shows the form that appears when you click Other Profiles (with your own profiles listed, of course). To edit a link, click the blue pencil icon next to it. The resulting form (Figure 1.29) allows you to change the URL of the link as well as its descriptive text.

Figure 1.28. Add links to your other Internet profiles here by using a custom link or connecting an account to your Google+ profile.

Figure 1.29. A link consists of a name and a URL.

You can add two types of links in the Other Profiles section: custom links and connected accounts.

Custom links

Custom links can point to anything on the Internet. To add one, click Add Custom Link in the Links section (refer to Figure 1.28), and enter the name of the link and the URL.

Connected accounts

Clicking the Manage Connected Accounts link (refer to Figure 1.28) actually takes you to the Google+ Connected Accounts Web page (Figure 1.30). The accounts that appear here show up on your Google+ profile page as links.

Figure 1.30. Connecting external accounts to your Google account allows Google to access information about those accounts.

The accounts that you can connect are Facebook, Yahoo, Flickr, LinkedIn, Quora, Twitter, Yelp, Hotmail, MySpace, and Plaxo. To connect one of those accounts, click the Connect an Account button, and choose it from the pop-up menu. Depending on which account you choose, either a text box or a pop-up window opens. If you get a text box (Figure 1.31), enter a URL and click the green Add button; if you get a pop-up window, log in to that account to connect it.

Figure 1.31. Fill in your Facebook profile’s URL to connect it to your Google account.

To remove a link, just click the Remove button next to it.

Finding People to Follow

Your profile is all set up, helping people find you on Google+. But how do you find people yourself? Using Google+ without following people isn’t much fun unless you really like talking to yourself. Luckily, you have three main ways to find people on Google+: searching Google+, searching for public Google+ profiles via Google search, and using some new directory Web sites that exist for just this purpose. In this section, I cover all three methods.

Doing a native Google+ search

Right at the top of every Google+ page is a search box labeled Search Google+ (Figure 1.32). To use it, just start typing the name of someone you’re looking for in Google+.

Figure 1.32. The Search Google+ box is just waiting for you to enter someone’s name in it.

To search for someone in Google+, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Google+.

2. Start typing the name of the person you’re looking for in the Search Google+ search box.

Google+ returns all results as you’re typing, and it starts by returning the people already in your circles who match your query. Figure 1.33 shows the results for john, displaying everyone in my circles whose name or profile page contains the text john.

Figure 1.33. People search returns matches from your circles first, followed by matches outside your circles.

When you finish typing your search query, the final result appears (Figure 1.34).

Figure 1.34. Google+ people search found one of my favorite authors: John Scalzi.

3. Click the person you want to add to check out his or her full profile page (Figure 1.35).

Figure 1.35. John Scalzi’s profile page.

If you want to add this person to some of your circles, click the red Add to Circles button on the profile page. For more information about circles, see Chapter 2.

Googling for Google+

You can also use a plain old Google search to find people on Google+. Follow these steps:

1. Go to www.google.com.

2. Enter your search terms.

For this exercise, search for me—and look for my Google+ profile in particular. To do, append google+ to my name, making your search term scott mcnulty google+.

3. Click the Google Search button.

Figure 1.36 shows that Google found my profile (the first result!), as well as a few other Scott McNultys who are using Google+, though they seem to have neglected filling out their profile information.

Figure 1.36. You can use plain old Google to find public Google+ profiles like mine.

Searching third-party directories

Some intrepid Google+ users think that finding people on the service isn’t as easy as it could be, so they’ve created online directories that attempt to make it easier. Keep in mind that these sites aren’t affiliated with Google in any way. They simply gather all the public profile data that people share and present it in a different format.

All these sites function in pretty much the same way, so in this section, I cover the one I like best: Find People on Plus, at www.findpeopleonplus.com (Figure 1.37).

Figure 1.37. Find People on Plus is one of many third-party directories that are trying to become the phone book of Google+.

This site gives you a couple of ways to . . . well, find people on Google+. The home page lists people who have lots of followers. The logic for inclusion seems to be that the more people follow a person, the more interesting that person is. (Interestingly, in September 2011, Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg had the most followers on Google+, beating out both Google co-founders, who were second and third in the list.)

To get to someone’s Google+ profile page, mouse over the little plus sign displayed next to that person’s name. The plus sign changes to a little folder (Figure 1.38), which you click to go to that person’s Google+ profile.

Figure 1.38. Clicking the folder takes you to that person’s Google+ profile.

Find People on Plus also allows you to search its directory with keywords; the results look just like the list on the home page.

Finally, Find People on Plus places people in groups. The left column of the home page displays groups based on profile data: Relationship, Looking For, Education, and the like. Clicking any of the items takes you to a list of people within the groups. Then you can add people in those lists to your Google+ circles by visiting their Google+ profiles.