Google+ for GWL list members and GWAA.

**"* F* L* J* <l*@bellsouth.net>**

GWL List Members:

This is just a brief introduction to use of some of Google+ features, 
getting started and making the most of it. I have a collection of 
helpful documents and URL's that I can share.

Google+ is on the verge of adding business pages to their service:
<>
Google+ Business Pages Coming Real Soon?
Why They Will Make or Break Google+

PlusHeadlines - "approximately two and a half months ago, on July 21st,
2011 Google+ Project Manager Christian Oestlien made a post explaining
the situation around the much anticipated Google+ Business pages. At the 
time, users were wondering why a clear business strategy was not
integrated within the Google+ framework, and when such a tie-in would
take place. In his statement he said the following:

“With so many qualified candidates expressing intense interest in
business profiles, we’ve been thinking hard about how to handle this
process. Your enthusiasm obligates us to do more to get businesses
involved in Google+ in the right way, and we have to do it faster. As a
result, we have refocused a few priorities and we expect to have an
initial version of businesses profiles up and running for EVERYONE in
the next few months. There may be a tiny handful business profiles that
will remain in the meantime solely for the purpose of testing how
businesses interact with consumers.”

full article:
http://plusheadlines.com/google-business-pages-coming-real-soon-why-they-will-make-or-break-google/2453/
<>

G+ is light years beyond Facebook in every respect. Your activities can 
be made public or not, you choose. It is very configurable and you can 
become quite private in that system, in communication with only those 
you want to be in touch with. You simply create a post and designate 
which of your circles it is destined for. Public is a default option you 
can choose when you need greater visibility. You can also prevent your 
profile from being indexed and accessable by any search engine,
providing an extra measure of privacy. You can dump circles and users at 
will as well as create new ones and merge them with those of other G+ 
users. If you get an email request to allow someone to add you to their 
circle you can deny that (by taking no action) or allow it. You can 
simply go to a stranger's profile to see if you want to add them or not.

There are a number of documents/websites/blogposts floating around with
explicit instructions on configuring your account and ensuring your
privacy. I think Google is doing a great job with this and they have
started off on the right foot.

After getting a GMail account and then a Google+ one, GWL Circles can be 
created by everyone making all of their posts to those circles 
non-public and only visible to people in those circles. Then they can 
begin to merge members in each circle into a community, all in 
communication on a common topic. The process of merging members in each 
user's circle involves "recommending" your own GWL circle to any other 
G+ member, GWL list subscriber or not as is mutually agreed upon whether 
to allow non list or GWAA members in or not. You can include anyone else 
in your recommendation by sending them an invitation by email. If anyone 
adds your circle then you both share the combined user base as both 
circles continue to grow in members. And so it goes from there, merging 
circles and inviting others by email or directly through Google+ to 
build a GWL community.

One person could create a single GWL circle and then invite everyone to 
join it. This would be the most secure option but not necessarily the 
best. Adding, batch style, a large number of user at one time could be 
done the following way:
Another option is for one of us to create a GWL circle and send email 
invites to all the GWL list members (using the subscriber list of email 
ID's generated by ibiblio list host, Mailman).
Each one would have to have 1) a Gmail account and 2) a Google+ account.
I can generate this list of email addresses and send it to Doreen who 
could create the core GWL G+ circle or I could do it. The proble with 
this is that invites would have to be sent out as many times as 
necessary to get all members on board. None of this is particularly 
difficult.

The reason you need a GMail account is that any other Google services 
that you use can be linked directly to that account and they provide a 
button there to load your Google+ page too. Some of the services that 
can appear in GMail and Google+ include Picasa galleries, Buzz posts, 
#1's and more. From the GMail dashboard you can access nearly anything 
Google offers and if you use Chrome, even more plus some amazing new 
extensions (tools and add ons). Google Docs is an especially nice 
service to add along with Picasa galleries (my preferred photo hosting 
site). I like the fact that Google Blogger allows very large posts and 
uploads are fast. Your G+ page has its own array of photo and video 
galleries alongside Buzz & #1's. Other features include chat and:
(copied from my G+ page)
Send invitations
Invite friends
Hangouts
Have fun with all your circles using your live webcam.
Go mobile
Get Google+ for your mobile device

I'll be glad to follow up this post with more detailed information if 
anyone is interested.

Lawrence London
lflj@bellsouth.net
venaurafarm@bellsouth.net
lfljvenaura@gmail.com (my G+ associated email ID)
My G+  "Lawrence London" page:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/103323666932740258290/posts

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