Get Your Google Plus on With These Seven Easy Tips

When I first started looking at Google Plus last year, times were I could log on to a wasteland where nothing seemed to be happening and no-one I wanted to talk to was visible to me.

If that is still your experience, don’t despair, give any of these things a go and watch your Google Plus experience come to life. Time to get your Google Plus on.

You don’t need to play in an empty playground on Google Plus

1. Check out http://www.circlecount.com to search for targeted people to connect with. You can also use this site to track your popularity and progress over time in terms of engagement on Google Plus.


2. Join one or more communities as a shortcut into people with similar interests. Some of the communities setting up are very lively and will ensure you interact more with like-minded people or potential clients. If you haven’t already, you can find the communities button in the left-hand menu of your Google Plus profile.


3. Another way to tap into good conversations is to look out for shared or curated circles of people with similar interests. Again circlecount can help with this, or try Public Circles Database for good shared public circles, or look out for them from your existing contacts.


4. Tell people that you are on Google Plus and ask them to circle you – if you are active on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc contacts may also be active on Google Plus and able to make it more interesting for you.


5. Sharing visual information on Google Plus, like on most other networks, tends to provoke more response than standard text updates. Make your posts more visual and see your responses increase.


6. Try starting or joining a hangout to connect with people more immediately. Find the ‘start a hangout’ button on the right-hand side of your Google+ profile page.


7. If your website or blog is on WordPress, use the Googlecards plugin to let your readers know that you are also active on Google Plus. Adding a +1 button on your site will also help reinforce the message you are involved.

Are you ready to get your Google Plus on? Or are you already using the site productively? What (if anything) has made Google Plus a compelling experience for you? I would love to hear from you in the comments below, or you can circle me on Google Plus and we can talk about it over there.

Circle me on Google Plus – http://gplus.to/sarahwood – thanks!