Your web presence is important. One of the ways to make the most of it is to make the most of your Google Profile and Google+.
Google Profile is nothing new. It’s been around for years. However, Google+ is a new networking site, and unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock or merely watching the entire Harry Potter series all at once, you’ve probably already seen bits and pieces regarding Google+.
I’ll admit it’s hard to tell where Google+ is going to go long-term, but minimally nobody should be ignoring it. Yes, the last thing any of us really want is still one more social network. (I did a big “groan” when I first heard about Google+.)
My approach to Google+ is that it is definitely something to pay attention to, but recognize that information about it is constantly changing. I keep my Google profile current. If you have not set up a Google profile you need to do so regardless of what happens to Google+.
Having your Google profile gives you another reference point when people put your name into Google search. This is especially important regarding your photo. Many of you reading this are thinking you don’t need to do any of this because this is really only for people looking for work and you’re not in that camp. Get over it — you need to do it! You may not see the need now, but view your profile as real estate you’re laying claim to. That’s what you’re doing by building your Google profile.
To build your Google profile, go to https://profiles.google.com and follow the instructions.
Now, back to Google+. I think it’s too early to tell where Google is going to go with this. I do, however, like their idea of having separate circles in which to put people. This certainly allows a much cleaner distinction of how you want to share information and with whom you want to share it. Yes, Google is also talking about various video and chat functions, but we’ll have to wait and see where they go with these.
One way to look at Google+ is to view it the same way we viewed fax machines when they first came out. The value of having a fax machine was zero if you were the only one who had one. The value of a fax machine was when everyone with whom you wanted to communicate had a fax machine. The same could be said of Facebook. When it first began, few people could have envisioned it would gain such widespread popularity.
Google+ may gain popularity, but the real evidence of its value will materialize if people actually use it to communicate on a regular basis.
If you ask me, I’m still a bit cautious about giving Google+ a thumbs up. Over the years Google has come out with numerous other tools that eventually didn’t live up to the initial hype. Google also has done more than a few things along the way that in my mind violated my trust with them. (Don’t worry, I put Facebook way ahead of Google in terms “violating trust.”)
As people add me to Google+, I’ll add them as well. Time will tell if Google+ meets and even surpasses early projections.
In the meantime I’ll continue to use the tools like this blog, Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook and YouTube.
In fact if you have not connected to me on these, please do:
Copyright 2011, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
