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by Lizzy Martin on 7.19.2011 in Company News, Interactive Marketing 0

Each morning I open my email to find numerous new blog posts covering the most up-to-date and sometimes shocking Google+ news. From Google+ hitting its first major bug to the surprising future plans of this social network, the interactive industry seems to be all about this new trend. Be prepared, the uproar is not over yet. The most important question we should be asking is what does Google+ have to offer me? Some of you may just be thinking: I use Facebook and rarely have time to tweet, so why do I need a Google+ account?

Like all social networks, the fun and engagement is built upon who you follow. Within Google+, your network begins by adding friends and family to your circles. Circles are identified as categories, or groups, with which you have the ability to “drag and drop” followers. Sort your friends into groups such as “family” and “co-workers” to easily share information with specific, targeted groups of people. Google+ allows you to set your posts to only appear on the streams, or news feeds, of individuals within specific circles. For example, if you have a “best friends” circle, you can plan a night out by posting to your stream but only sharing with those in that exclusive circle. Easy enough! Google+ has given users the ability to easily know exactly who they’re sharing with and is helping people build VIP hangouts for their friends.  In the end, Google+ holds more quality than other social networks with its tightly knit network. So far, this is what the Plus site thrives off of for divergence from the pack.

Want more features? Aside from circles and advanced sharing options, Google+ offers Sparks. This feature is located on the left sidebar of your Google+ account. Click on Sparks and you are led to a page with “featured interests” offering a feed of various articles and videos covering the topics that have “sparked” your interest. Specify your interest by inserting what you love in the search bar as well. For example, type in “celebrity gossip” and you’ll be introduced to daily news from Us Weekly, Perez Hilton and more, posted for your reading or viewing pleasure. The New York Times states that Sparks “may be the easiest, least threatening news reader in history.” Google+ will likely thrive on this feature.

Google’s social network has many more attractions to come. Plans for corporate and brand Google+ accounts are underway, mobile apps outside of Android are just rolling out and we’re sure this is only the beginning.

Google must be happy with the turnout: a study reported Plus will hit 20 million users in its first three weeks of going live. Congrats, Google!

More questions? Hear from the technical lead of the Google+ team himself.

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