// Google+ Explainer: How to Use Google+//

Mostly due to my reputation amongst my friends as being a geek and Google cheerleader, people have been texting and messaging me asking questions about Google+. Earlier today I wrote a half-review half-howto for Google+, but clearly that didn’t answer the questions some people have, so here’s my attempt to be an explainer!

What’s a Circle?

Circles are basically the cornerstone of Google+. A circle is like a Facebook friends list, except how many of you actually used that on Facebook? From the very start of Google+ you put your contacts into circles and this dictates  who sees what YOU share. These circles are one-way. Just like in real life, I may consider you a “friend” and but you may consider me a mere “acquaintance.” No one can tell which specific circle they are placed in, but they do know they’re in a circle. You can make your own circles, I have ones dedicated to JET alumni for things I only want to share with them. Through this function, you can choose to selectively share with the circles you want. You’re not blocking your family from your feed, you’re just choosing not to tell them about your wild and crazy Friday night. It is imperative you put your friends in circles or those friends will not see what you are posting. This is not Facebook. Just because you can see their statuses, doesn’t mean they can see yours. Again, circles are one-way.

Useful tip—if you don’t want anyone to feel sad because you haven’t added them to your circle, go to your Settings and click “Edit Profile”. Click the box with “In Janelle’s Circles” and change it from “Anyone on the Web” to “Your Circles.” Again, no one can tell which circle they were in, just that they were in one.

What’s extended circles/public?

Extended circles means friends of your friends, basically. This doesn’t mean it goes to everyone’s stream, of course. It means if a friend of a friend clicks on your profile, they’ll see your post. The public setting is similar, but it’s public to the entire web. When someone goes a google search for your name, or a topic, it may very well come up in results. Be careful when you use this setting, and be careful when you reply to other people’s public posts. You can tell by looking it the post is listed as “Limited” (to circles) or “Public”

What’s a Hangout?

It allows multiple people to video chat at once. An update goes to your feed that says, “Janelle is now hanging out, want to join her?” You and your friends can talk to each other, chat with the people without microphones/video cams, and watch youtube videos together.This is not public to the world, unless you want it to be. Like with everything, you need to set the proper circle.

Why is my stream out of order?

Rather than chronological order, your stream bumps the most relevant stuff to the top—anything you’ve commented will go to the top. Anything you commented on and someone else commented on will go to the top. No need to rely on notifications to stay on top of a conversation.

There’s a bunch of people in my circles, are they all on Google+? How come no one is talking?

No, if you look closely you may see an email icon in the lower right hand corner of their name. This means they’ve been invited, but they haven’t joined yet.

If you ARE in multiple circles and you don’t see activity, your friends just aren’t using Google+ or aren’t sharing with your circle, sorry. ;) Social networks are only as good as the people on it.

Is there an iPhone app?

Not at the time of writing, but if you have an Android phone you should download it. It’s awesome. I can’t believe how much better it is than the Facebook app already. If you want to know why, then read my review on Google+ Anyways, while at the moment there isn’t a native iOS app, there is a web optimized version and my iPhone friends tell me it works very well.

How do I tag people?

Just like Facebook and Twitter, you tag people using the @ before their name.

I’ll be updating this as I get more questions. Got a question? Ask me on Twitter @thejanellemj!