v2.1 (New Version as of September 23^rd, 2011)
Written by: Colby Brown
Edited by: Dave Veffer

Available in PDF and Mobile Browsing on your Smartphone and/or Tablet.

I think there is no arguing, Google+ is the most engaging and interactive social network for photographers today. Many of us photo geeks have been waiting patiently for something like this to come along. After all the excitement about Google Buzz and Google Wave, both of which have turned out to be flops, we were let down. Forced to use Twitter and Facebook or Flickr and 500px, we had to make do with what was available. I know I am not alone when I say that while those networks have certainly been beneficial to my photography business, they were not easy to grow or interact with people in meaningful ways.

You see, for the most part, there are three types of individuals out there in the photography world:

• Content Creators: Those that run a business and need avenues in order to create/share original content, photography work, ideas and services.
• Inspiration Seekers: Those that are interested in photography and are just looking for inspiration.
• Everyone Else: The vast majority of people that are somewhere in-between.

Each of these three types of “photographers” are looking for different things when it comes to which social network works for them. In the past, each group had to use a mix of all of the major networks and image sharing websites in order to fulfill their needs. That was then. This is now.

Index

*click on a link to jump to the correct section

Google+…What is it?

But what about the TOS? I hear it is bad for photogs!

How Do I Use Google+?

• Nav Bars
• Google+ Search (new)
• Profiles (updated v2.0)
• Circles
• Stream
• Publishing/Sharing Content (updated v2.0)
• Hangouts (updated v2.0)
• Messenger (updated v2.0)
• Games (new)

Privacy

• Picasa Image Download Security (v1.1)

Tips, Tricks and Cheat Sheets

• Uploading Photos to Google+
• Sharing Uploaded Photos
• Proper Editing of Image Captions (new)
• Photo Organization in G+ (new)
• Block vs Ignore (new)
• Photo Critiques (v2.0)
• Building a Google+ Presence (updated v2.0)
• Understanding Google’s +1 (updated v2.0)
• The Best Google Chrome Extensions (new)
• Mobile Applications (new)
• Cheat Sheets
• Using your G+ Photo Album to Educate (v1.1)
• Whats News With Google+? (v1.2)

The Future of Google+

Google+…What is it?

Google + is unlike anything else out there on the market. It is an information/media streaming powerhouse. It is a system that thrives on the idea of interaction. It is a social network that takes what we know of social networks and throws it out the window. It is what what most of us have been waiting for.

The life blood of Google+ is the stream of information that flows through its system and shows up on your computer screen before you even knew it existed. When you first sign up, things look daunting. Nothing seems to be showing up in your stream and you might even be a little confused…I know I was. But unlike Twitter (which feels like you are trying to whisper durring a music concert to get attention) or Facebook (where it feels like you have to fight your way into private clubs or try to create your own), Google+ forces you to expand your horizons and jump into the pool head first. At first you might connect with just a few of your friends, but through those connections you will meet more and more individuals that share your passions. As you continue to get entangled in the networking spiderweb of interactions and information, Google+ truly begins to reveal its potential. It isn’t built on the principle of a two way street, but rather a superhighway, where for once you get to direct the traffic.

Google+ appears to be rewriting the rules when it comes to social media. You can’t treat it like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or 500px. While there is a learning curve at first, it is built on the simple idea of three core concepts.

• Search
• Social Interaction
• Control

Google+ got its name because Google wanted it to become an extension of Google itself, whose foundation is based on searching for information. Over the years Google has worked hard to give you nearly all the tools to run both your online and real lives, from Gmail to Gchat, Calendar to Reader, Picasa to Google Docs. With G+, Google intends to bring all of the core features that most of us use everyday under one massive umbrella.

But what about the TOS? I hear it is bad for photogs!

Complete and utter nonsense! Photo-evangelist, Scott Bourne, wrote an opinionated piece on his blog, that was subsequently picked up on the Washington Post…. for the life of me…I do not know how. In it, Scott asserted that because of the specific wording in the TOS (Terms of Service) agreement, Google would steal your images, rob your savings account, and feed your children non-organic meat.

Scott Bourne’s quoted issues:

“By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.”

“You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.”

“You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Google to take these actions.”

What he forgot to mention was a few VERY important lines in the TOS.

“11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. (for remainder see #3 below)”

and

“This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services”

At the end of the day, the only people that even have a remote chance at having an issue with the Google+ TOS are photographers that licence EXCLUSIVE rights to their work, in which case, they can not publish it anywhere online (aside from their own website). So the point becomes moot. Furthermore, it is not in Google’s best interest to screw over your business. Why would they? What do they have to gain? These days one must weigh the pros and cons when it comes to how aggressive you choose to be with social marketing. For me, the benefits of having a solid social marketing presence online far exceeds the potential downsides.

I wrote an article that goes into much more detail. You can find the HERE

Relevant Links:

How I Evaluate Terms of Service for Social Media Web Sites – Google + by Jim Goldstein

Google user licences: clarification would be nice, but they are not panic-worthy By Denise Howell (A Lawyer)

Getty Images Says Google Plus Terms of Service is “OK” by Sarah Perez of RWW

G+ Ain’t Stealin’ Your Stuff graphic by Ryan Estrada

Your Rights and Remedies When Stopped or Confronted for Photography by Bert P. Krages II (Attorney at Law)

How Do I Use Google+?

Google+’s core concepts of Search, Social Interaction and Control can be found throughout the functionality and key features/products.

• Nav Bars (Road Map)
• Google+ Search (Finding Relevant Content and People)
• Profiles (Personal Landing Page)
• Circles (Connection Organization)
• Stream (News Feed)
• Publishing Content (Sharing Info/Media)
• Sparks (Search)
• Hangouts (Video Group Chat Service)
• Messenger (Group Chat/Texting Service)
• Games
• Privacy (Control)

Nav Bars:

Black Navigation Bar

By now, you have probably noticed the black navigation bar on the top of your screen anytime you visit a Google website. Once you login into the Google world, via your Gmail account, you will notice your name pop up in the far left corner along with Gmail, Calendar, Documents, Photos, Reader, Web and more. These are all direct links to other Google products. By clicking on your name, you will be taken to the home page of your Google+ account. On the right hand side you will again notice your name, but this time next to a little box with a number inside it. This is your notification box where you will learn if someone circled you, interacted with a post that you either created or commented on, or if you were mentioned in a comment or post by another Google+ member. It will stay black when at zero, but will turn bright red as soon as it has a notification, along with a number to let you know how many notifications. Take note however that it only shows up to 9+, so if it shows 9+, you might have 9 notifications or 900.

Next to the notification bar is a “Share….” box, where you can create/publish a post. To the right of that is an icon of your profile image (once you have one set up). Click on this to quickly access your Profile, Circles, Account Settings and Privacy control.

Lastly is an icon that looks like a grey gear, which is actually your Google+ configure menu. Here you can adjust your Google+ settings (Such as turning on and off email notifications), find information through Google+ help, Send Feedback (A place to send in recommendations for future updates or features) and even click on your web history.

Google+ Search: (new)

Once you have entered Google+ you will notice a white navigation bar that shows up right under the black bar. Think of the black bar as your guide to all things Google, where the white bar is specific to Google+ itself. Here you can quickly access your Google+ Home Screen (Your main Stream), the Photos Section, your G+ Profile, Circle Organization, Games and the Google+ Search Box.

When you’re looking for interesting content, trying to find someone or just looking for a post you published from 3 months ago, the Google+ Search Box is your go to place.

So if you type in “Colby Brown” into the search box, this is the screen that you will see. Most notably is the ability to “Save this Search” just below the search box itself. The information it pulls up is then broken into two different categories, “People” and “Content”.  If you click on “View All” in the “People” section, it will list every person that has mentioned whatever you originally searched for, which in this case would be my name. The “Content” section has two filters, “Best of” which tries to select the most relevant posts and “recent” which showcases the most recent post. In this case, a search for “Colby Brown” turned up one of my most recent posts welcoming all of the new people to Google+ and talking about this guide.

Profiles: (updated v2.0)

Setting up your Google+ profile page is typically the very first thing that you are going to do. After joining, you will be asked to fill out some information in order to have a completed account. To edit your profile click on the blue box labeled ”Edit Profile” in the top right of your screen.

Verified Name: (new)

Profile verification badges help you confirm the authenticity of the profile owner. This way when you’re checking out the profile of a celebrity or other high profile person, you can be sure that it actually belongs to them. If you see  next to a person’s name on their profile, you’ll know that profile has been verified.

Verification badges are only available to public figures, celebrities, and people who have been added to a large number of circles. For now, there’s no way to apply for a verification badge, but if you’re eligible for one, Google staff will reach out to manually verify you.

Note: A small number of people of who have a Knol may have verified their profile through a process within that product. This process is now closed. If you verified your profile through Knol, keep in mind that if you change your name, you won’t be able to re-verify your profile.

If you are joining Google+ with the intention of wanting to gain a following as a photographer, I would suggest uploading a profile photo that has you holding a camera. Some people will circle you if they know you are a photographer and having that on the most visible aspect of your presence on Google+ certainly helps.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to add relevant links to any other websites that relate to yourself or your photography work, which can be your FB Profile/Page, Flickr Account, 500px, Twitter, blog and website. To do this, use your mouse to click on the area near the “Links” section on your profile. A box will appear, allowing you to add links to your profile and like nearly everything with Google+, you have complete control over who sees this information. The box with the drop down arrow just above the “Save” button will allow you to select who is allowed to see your links.

Here you can also adjust a few privacy aspects of your profile. You can allow people to email you directly as well as hide or show how many people you have in circles and how many people have you in their circles. All three of these options can be easily changed to private be simply clicking on their respective fields just underneath your profile image.

You will notice in the image below that you have the ability to have 5 photos on display in your “About” section of your profile. These images are derived from the already established “Scrapbook” photo album on your profile. The 1st five photos in your Scrapbook photo album are the ones that will be on display. You can always edit this order by going to your Picasa Web Albums (or by clicking on the “Photos” link in your Google+ Nav Bar).

Simply find and click on the Scrapbook photo album listed and then on the “Organize Button”. You can change the order by the simple drag and drop method.

Dave Veffer created a simple Photoshop Template to make the process of cutting an image up into 5 parts easier. Click HERE to download.

Circles:

Understanding circles is key to not only understanding Google+, but also to maximizing the use of the social network itself. Instead of “following” someone, like on Twitter, or adding a “friend”, such as with Facebook, you simply add them to one of your circles. This not only gives you control over who you share information with, but what information you wish to see as well.

Google+ comes with a handful of circles already established, such as “Family” and “Friends”, but you can also create new circles, giving you the ability to fully customize your information sharing and viewing experience. For example, I have a “Colorado Based Photographers” circle as well as a “Google Employees” circle for those respective groups of individuals that I connect with.

Placing an individual in a circle, which can be done with G+’s simple drag and drop interface, allows you to effectively “categorize” them. You can put your entire family in the “Family” circle and your friends into the “Friends” circle. This has two benefits.

1. You can publish things just to your “Family” or to your “Friends” circles without sharing that information with anyone else in the entire world, let alone Google+.
2. You can filter out your main STREAM (found on your Google+ home screen), so that you only see information from individuals in your “Family” or “Friends” circles, by simply clicking on the name of the circle you wish to see on the side nav bar on the Google+ home screen.

You also have a “Public” circle & “Extended” circles. These circles are important when publishing a post.(new)

• Posts published to the “Public” circle are visible to not only everyone on G+, but also the entire World Wide Web.
• Publishing to your “Extended” circles is a bit more complicated. These are like circles within circles. Lets say you have a friend named Tim and he has a friend named Tom but you are not friends with Tom. If Tim chooses to have Tom visible on his profile, Tom would see your post in their “Incoming” stream if you published your post with “Extended Circles” selected.

As far as I am aware, there is no limit to how many circles you can create. My friend and fellow photographer, Scott Jarvie has a bad case of ECD (Excessive Circle Disorder). By my last count, he has well over 100 user created circles and has to be the most organized photographer on Google+.

Scott Jarvie wrote a phenomenal post that explains his circle organization system, a MUST read. You can find it HERE.

Changing the Order of Circles: (new)

Google YouTube Link (HERE)

Click on the “Circles” tab in the gray navigation bar near the top of your Google+ home screen.

Click and hold on a circle that you wish to reorder and drag it to the left of the circle you wish for it to be in front of. A grey line will appear, indicating where the circle will land.

Changing this order not only allows you to customize your circle page to your heart’s content, but it also changes the order of your circles when you are both adding new people and choosing which circles to post to while in the main stream. You can also now create new circles right there in the drop down box as well.

Circle Organization: (v1.2)

You can easily view who is in your circles but dragging one of your circles to the top section of the page that has the profile thumbnails of those that you have circled.

Those individuales in that circle will then be the only ones to appear. You will know you are in this mode by the Red text near the top of the screen that has the name of the circle you are looking at. Hit the “X” next to that name to close it out and go back to seeing everyone that you have circled.

Tips:

• Try to create and organize your circles from the get go. It is a lot easier to think proactively from the start about who you might want to connect with rather than work backwards after you have circled 1000 people. Your main Stream will thank me!
• Decide what category you fit into (Content Creators, Inspiration Seekers or a little of both). If you are here to create content and build a following, then you can be more selective in who you follow. If you are here to find inspiration, follow as many people as you can that you feel would provide you the content you are looking for. (Below are links to larges lists of photographers, which is a good place to start if you want to connect with other photogs)
• Many people feel they have to circle someone back if they have been circled, much like Twitter. But, that is not the case with Google+. You do NOT have to circle everyone that circles you. Google+ is about information sharing and connecting with people that share your passions, ideas and thoughts. If you circle everyone, you will soon find your main stream cluttered with posts from people you didn’t care to connect with in the first place. However, if you do feel obligated to circle people that have you in their circle, try creating a circle just for that. You’ll be able to satisfy your guilt (or obsession) without cluttering your primary feeds.
• He is a link to a short list of inspiring photographers that I personally follow. Click HERE

Relevant Links:

• Utilize the Google+ Search Bar to find what or who you find interesting
• Group/as – Easily find groups of people that you may wish to follow on G+. (My Favorite)
• Unofficial Google+ Directory of profiles – You can sort people by many variables such as profession, location and even gender
• Trey Ratcliff’s Photographer Lists: Vol 1 : Vol 2 : Vol 3
• David Snuckel’s Google Doc’s List of Photographers – This is growing by the day, be sure to add your name to the list

Stream:

As I mentioned before, the stream is the life blood of Google +. It is the main flow of information, ideas, media, and announcements that allow for social interaction on a scale far beyond any other platform out there. It is here that you visibly see what is shared by people that you have added to your circles.

As I mentioned above, you can effectively filter your stream, by utilizing the streams that come from your own circles, which is actually a filter control. This way you can view only things published by your “Family” or “Co-workers” or “Friends”.

Another very important Stream filter is INCOMING. When you click on this filter, you will see content from individuals that have circled you, but that you have not circled back. It is a great way to find compelling content and information from someone that you choose not to add to a circle in the first place.

Muting A Post: (new)

You will eventually come across someone elses post that gets so big that it fills with tons of comments. If you make a comment yourself, Google+ will notify you every time a comment is added after yours. This can get annoying. To solve the problem you simple MUTE the post, which basically turns off all notifications.

Just click on the down arrow in the top right hand corner of the post and select MUTE

Tips:

• Utilize the “Stream” filters to more effectively and efficiently look for content that you find interesting. While it might not be a problem to rely on your main stream of content when first starting out, after you have added a couple hundred, let alone a couple thousand people to your circles, it will be a necessity.
• Take advantage of the “Incoming Stream” to find people that you might want to connect with. Currently I nearly have 25,000 people that have added me to their circles. I just don’t have to time to go through the profiles of every single one of those individuals to see if they would be a good fit for the circles I have created. However, at least 2-3 times a day I was spend 10 minutes just looking through my “Incoming Stream” to check out what interesting content people have published. It is a great way for me to find those people that I may have missed the first time around.
• Every post contains a timestamp. If you click on it, you will be taken to the URL of just that post. This is key to linking to past publications.

Publishing/Sharing Content: (updated v2.0)

Understanding how to create and share content is one of the most important aspects to learn about Google+. As photographers, we are always looking to find inspiration or share our own, both of which are vital to networking, connecting with people, and building a following on G+.

To fully understand publishing content, you have to fully understand how circles work:

• Posts published to a single circle, such as “Friends” will only be visible to people you have placed inside that circle.
• Posts published to the “Public” circle are visible to not only everyone on G+, but also the entire World Wide Web.
• Publishing to your “Extended” Circles is a bit more complicated. They are like circles within circles. Lets say you have a friend named Tim and he has a friend named Tom but you are not friends with Tom. If Tim chooses to have Tom visible on his profile, Tom would see your post if you published your post with “Extended Circles” selected.

Publishing content typically starts in one of two locations, the “Share what’s new…” box on the top of your Google+ home screen or the “Share…” box just to the right of your little red notification box on the top right of the black Google+ navigation bar. From both of these locations you can share text, photos, video, links, and your location with whatever circles you wish.

Sharing content that was created/published/shared from another individual is just as easy. Near the bottom of every post is a “Share” link. Simply click on the link and fill out the necessary information including anything you want to add as well as to what circles you wish to share to. Do not forget that if an individual published the original content to a limited # of circles, such as just “Photographers from Colorado”, you would not be able to share that post to your “Public” circle. Every post that comes through your stream will indicate if it is a “Limited” (only selected circles) or “Public” (content ment to be shared with everyone). This information is found near the top of the post, next to the timestamp.

Google+ Content Policy – NO NUDES: (v1.1)

Unlike 500px, Google+ does NOT allow you to post nude images. This comes straight from their User Content and Conduct Policy:

10. Sexually Explicit Material

• Do not distribute content that contains nudity, graphic sex acts, or sexually explicit material. Do not drive traffic to commercial pornography sites.

Make sure you are not violating any of their policies, otherwise your profile will end up getting deleted.

Sending Notifications With Posts: (new)

There is a neat little feature in Google+ that allows you to notify everyone in a circle when you publish a post.

To do this, all you need to do is hover the mouse over a circle that you have added to a post and click on the box that says “Notify About Post”. Please note that you can only notify up to 100 people per post.

While this feature can be very useful when connecting with a small group of friends or colleagues, utilizing it to SPAM people you have circled is NO GOOD. Please use this with caution as many people will block you if you constantly notify them of every post you send out.

Snippets: (new)

Google now allows you to share “Snippets” of information from Google Maps, Books, Offers and Product Search. So for example, I could share driving directions from the Denver International Airport to Aspen, CO with a client that I was scheduled to teach a private workshop with.

It all starts with the Black Navigation Bar at the top of your screen. Once in Google Maps, I select “Get Directions” and then type in Denver International Airport for point A and Aspen, CO for Point B and hit enter. Then I simply click on the “Share Box” in the top right of my screen in the black navigation bar. The directions will automatically load up and I just need to type in my message, select who I am sharing to (either a circle or an individual) and click “Share”.

To learn more about Snippets, click HERE.

Editing/Deleting/Moderating Comments: (v1.1)

You might have also noticed that you have the ability to edit and delete not only your own comments (via the edit button under your comment) but also comments from other people on a post that your created or shared.

• Your Own Comment:
  • You can edit and delete you own comments by clicking on the “Edit” text on the bottom of your comment.
  • This is a great feature if you are like me and happen to have the spelling capability of a 5th grader
• Moderating Comments On Your Post or Share:
  • If you click on the small down arrow in the top right hand corner of your post you will see a drop down menu. From here you can:
    • Edit This Post
    • Delete This Post
    • Link To This Post (Get the URL of your Post)
    • Report or Remove Comments (If you want to flag comments for abuse or delete them entirely)
    • Disable Comments (If you don’t want to allow any more Comments)
    • Disable Reshare (If you want to lock down sharing of your post)

Tips: (updated v2.0)

• Pay close attention to the circles that you wish to publish information to, your family may not care about learning how to clean the sensor of your DSLR.
• If you want the maximum amount of people to see your post, publish it to “Public” and “Extended Circles”.
• DO NOT SPAM THOSE YOU HAVE CIRCLED!
• Use the “Notify About Post” very sparingly. Use it too much and people will block you.
• If you +1 content that you find while surfing on the web, it will show up on your +1 section of your Google+ profile. It also acts like a “bookmark” for content that you come across that you might want to share later. Currently, anything you +1 within Google+ does NOT show up in the section, but I am sure that will change.
• Creating original content (such as this article) is the single biggest way to have people circle you. That being said, you can not rely solely on publishing your photos and expecting it to gain you a following. Get creative, write articles, share information/posts and upload your best photography work.
• Check out the section for Uploading Photos to Google+ for information and best practices, found near the end of this article.

Hangouts: (updated v2.0)

Google+ Hangouts has to easily be the most compelling and amazing feature of this new social network. Built using Google chat video technology, Hangouts are essentially group video chats that allow for an unprecedented amount of intimate social interaction.

To start a hangout, simply click on the “Start a Hangout” green button on the right sidebar of your Home Screen for Google+.

• On the right hand side will be a listing for other live Google+ Hangouts that you can join.
• Under your webcam screen, you can choose who you want to invite to a hangout, be that everyone (Public), just a single circle or just a single person.
• At the bottom of your screen is the Settings icon. This is where you can control the settings for your mic and webcam.
• Right under the green “Hangout” button there is a text link saying “Try Hangouts with Extras” to preview new features. Using these extras you can
• Enable “Screen Sharing” to show people what you have on your computer screen
• Enable live broadcasts so that you can share your hangout with more then the 10 person limit. (Not everyone has this feature yet)
• Enable Sketchpad – A simple drawing tool
• Enable Google Docs – Share work documents with your Hangout participants
• You can name your hangouts, so that people know what the hangout will be about
• If you want to start a regular Hangout, simply click on the green button labeled ”Hang Out”

Regular Hangouts:

Once inside the hangout you will notice a few things. First are the thumbnails of the webcam feeds from anyone that joins your hangout at the bottom of the screen. Google+ has an incredibly advanced method that will allow for the the person talking to take center stage. It will constantly switch throughout the Hangout to whomever is talking, which allows for that person to have everyone’s attention.

The three buttons in the lower left corner are of note as well. “Invite” will allow you to invite a friend directly if there is a spot open (Hangouts currently only allow for 10 people total). “Chat” opens up the chat/text sidebar which allows you to have small side conversations, share links and other information in the background, and the “YouTube” button allows you to all watch a YouTube video together (although it is a little buggy currently).

On the right side is “Mute Video” (which blacks out your own video), “Mute Mic” (self explanatory), “Settings” (to adjust your webcam and mic settings) and “Exit”.

Hangouts With Extras: (new)

If you click on “Try Hangouts with Extras” you will be taken to this screen. Here you can enter the name/title of your Hangout and adjust some of your webcam and mic settings. When you are ready, click on “Start Hangout”

Here you will notice the layout is different from the normal Google+ Hangouts. The main screen is situated in the middle with the hangout participants on the right sidebar. On the top of the page is your controls, for mic volume, muting video (black screen) and Share screen (Screen Sharing). On the left you have the Notes and Sketchpad options with the Group text chat located below.

Screen Sharing:

To Share a screen, just click on “Share screen” near the top of the page. You will be asked to choose which application you want to share.

In this case I decided to share my web browser that was looking at Scott Jarvie’s Google+ profile.

Sketchpad/Notes:

When you click on sketchpad or notes, you will be greeted with a popup window asking if it is ok to share your email address with those in the Hangout. Hopefully soon Google will allow for us to connect with our Google+ account and not our email account.

Once you are inside, there are plenty of options for you to play around with. From simple drawing, to uploading photos. You can even utilize it as an education tool.

Tips:

• If you hover your mouse over the webcam thumbnails of those in your Hangout, you will be able to: view/mute their Mic, report abuse if they are being annoying, and see their name. Their name will be a hyperlink to your Google+ profile.
• Google+ Hangouts are a great way to have more intimate one on one and group conversations with other people. If you are trying to build a following, this is a MUST as it will help to allow more people to get to know you and your work.
• They are great sources of education. I have personally held a many Hangouts that allowed me to do provide photo critiques, portfolio reviews, business advice and have question and answer sessions with aspiring photographers. Don’t be shy! GET IN ONE!
• They are yet another way to meet other photographers, network on future projects, share portfolios, and get to know other people that share your passion which isn’t possible with any other social network currently out there.
• Google+ Edict: Share the mic, respect other peoples opinions, and don’t be rude

Messenger: (updated v2.0)

The Google+  messenger feature is actually an incredibly easy group chat/text function of their mobile app software. In the home page of your Android/Apple Phone or Tablet App, click on the “message” button. From there you can click on the quote box icon in the upper right of the screen to start a group message. There is no limit to how many people you want to join in on your group chat.

You may be asking, “But what about those of us that just use G+ through the website?” Well, you have this feature TOO, but it isn’t as straightforward. You might have noticed that you have the option to have your Google Talk/Chat functionality on your Google+ home page, which is a handy feature so that you do not have to keep going back to Gmail to text with your friends or contacts. All you have to do is click on one of your contacts, which pulls up a mini window/text box in the bottom right of your screen. From there, just click on the icon that looks like the silhouette of a person with a “+” next to it. Enter in the name of the contacts you want to invite, and before you know it, you are in the middle of a group chat.

* The Messenger of the Android/iOS is for mobile to mobile communication only it is not connected with Chat through the desktop.

Messenger Settings: (v1.2)

You can now control which circles can start group messages with you. You can find these controls in the Google+ Settings on your Desktop (Under the main “Google+” tab ) or the G+ Settings on your Android/IOS mobile device.

Games: (new)

Love it or hate it, Google introduced Games to Google+ not to long after it launched. The good news, unlike Facebook, your main stream will NEVER contain any information about Games, your friends high scores or Game Invites. All of those are housed solely in the “Games” Section of Google+.

To get there, simply click on the farthest icon to the right on the grey Google+ Navigation bar at the top of your screen.

Once you are there, it is pretty self explanatory. Pick a game and start playing. All of the “Games” notifications are in the Games Stream, located in the bottom half of the screen.

Blocking Game Invite Notifications

Many of you may be like me, you have never played a Game on Facebook and you probably are not going to start now on Google+. So here is a solution so that you do not recieve ANY Game invite notifications in your notification box.

Click on the notification box and look for notifications with the “Games” logo on the right. Click on a Games invite notification if you see one.

You should immediately notice a grey box under the main notification that says “Mute game notifications”. Click on that.

Thats it. You should see a conformation saying “You will no longer recieve game notification in your Google+ bar.”

Privacy:

Google is very serious about privacy when it comes to Google+ which is why “Control” is one of the key concepts to the social network. You can access these settings by clicking on the small gear icon located on the right side of the black Google navigation bar at the top of your screen.

In the Google+ settings page, you can adjust all of your privacy controls. You can change your password and email addresses on the main screen. In the “Profile and privacy” tab, you can really get into the the nitty gritty aspects of controlling privacy, giving you access to the settings for every feature within the system. Under the Google+ tab you can control email notifications and delivery preferences. Lastly, is “Data Liberation” which allows you to download ALL of your Data from Google+ if you decided that it wasn’t the right social network for you. Facebook could take a page from Google when it comes to this.

PicasaWeb Image Download Security: (v1.1)

• Click on “Photos” in the black Google nav bar at the top of your screen
• Click on the little gear icon in the top right of your screen
• Click on “Photo Settings” and then “Privacy and Permissions”
• Unclick Order Prints and Download my Photos
• Save Changes

Tips, Tricks and Cheat Sheets:

Uploading Photos to Google+:

By far, the most asked question that I receive on a daily basis is, “What is the best way to upload and share my photography work?”. Having said that, I am sure that all of you thoroughly read through this article and did not just skip to this section

The backbone of Google+’s photo section is Picasa. Love it or hate it, that is what it is built on. This gives you a multitude of options when it comes to how you can get your images uploaded.

Unlimited Uploads: (v1.2)

As a Google+ user, you get the following:

• Unlimited photo uploads. Photos larger than 2,048 by 2,048 pixels will automatically be resized when uploading.
• Unlimited video uploads (up to 15 minutes per video, up to 1080p)

Image Upload Methods:

Use the Upload Image Button:

This is probably the easiest method to use in order to upload an image to Google+. You simply click on the photo icon, located in the “Share what’s new…” box on your home screen, select the image you want to upload, the circles you want to share it with, and any text information you wish to include.

Pros:

• It is quick and easy.
• Your photo is instantly sent to the steam for viewing.
• The photo will have a large thumbnail.
• Any comments or +1’s that you received will be stored with the image.

Cons:

• You can’t control what album the photo is upload to as it is automatically added to the album “Photos from posts”.
• Google+ will automatically resize your image to 2048px on the longest end (Google+ feature).
• If you want to keep you images organized, you will have to then go into Picasa Web Albums and move the photo to the correct album of your choosing.
• If you are trying to upload a lot of images, this can become time consuming.

Upload Via the Photo Section (MY RECOMMENDED WAY):

You can find the Photo Section of Google+ by clicking on the button that look like two images in the grey mini navigation bar on your Google+ home screen.

Once there, you will be able to view some of the most recent images that have been uploaded from people in your circles as well upload an image yourself. Simply click on the red box on the top right of your screen that says “Upload New Photos”. From there you can create a new album or add the photo to an existing album.

Pros:

• Fairly quick and easy.
• You ge to choose what album the image is stored in.
• You can upload multiple Images at once.
• All done within the Google+ framework/interface.
• The photo is instantly added to the circle streams of your choosing with a large thumbnail.
• All comments and +1’s are stored with the image.

Cons:

• The image is resized to 2048px on the longest end (Google+ feature).
• If you upload more than one image, you risk the chance that people might look over the other images and only make comments on the headlining image.

Upload Via Picasa Web Albums:

You can get to your Picasa Web Albums by simply clicking on the “Photos” link in the black Google+ navigation bar at the top of your screen or you can click on this LINK.

Once there, you will see a listing of your current photo albums, recent activity from people within your circles, recent comments on your images (on the right sidebar) as well as have the ability to upload an image or create a new album.

Here you can create a new album or upload an image(s) to an already existing album.

If you click on one of your photo albums, you have a few more choices. You can organize your album’s layout, add a photo to this album, upload an image to an already existing album, create a new album, share the current album with whichever circles you wish, or create an album map (Geotag your images)

Pros:

• No resizing of your images.
• You can easily keep all your images organized.
• Uploaded multiple images at once.

Cons:

• The image and or album you create/upload will not automatically be shared with any of your circles.
• You will have to go to a website outside of Google+, although still within the Google framework.

Tips:

• If you make a comment on one of your images, it will then be automatically shared with your circles.

Proper Editing of Image Captions: (new)

Currently, Google+ only allows you to do very basic editing of captions from within G+. But in order to do any sort of paragraph editing (allowing for line breaks for instance) you have to go to Picasa Web Albums.

Click on the “Photos” link in the black navigation bar at the very top of your screen. From there, click on the album that contains the image in question (click on “View All” which is located next to “My Recent Albums” near the top of the screen if you do not see the album you are looking for). Then click on the image that you wish to edit (or add) a caption to. Just below the image itself is the “caption” area. Here you will find a blue “edit” link. Click on it.

Now you can edit the caption of your image. You can include line breaks (pressing enter) as well as include any relevant copyright information and even list your website (although it will not be a hyperlink). All changes here should reflect on your images when viewed from within Google+.

Sharing Uploaded Photos:

Sharing a single photo that you have already uploaded

Start by heading to your Google+ profile page. From then click on an album that contains the photo you wish to share.

Then click on the image you want to share. When that image pops up, under the image itself, you will see a “Share” button. Click on that.

A share box should pop up and you should be good to go. Fill out the necessary information and SHARE

*PLEASE NOTE. THIS FEATURE DOES NOT SIMPLY SHARE YOUR PAST PHOTO, BUT INSTEAD DUPLICATES THE PHOTO AND ADDS IT TO YOUR “PHOTOS FROM POST” ALBUM. ANY COMMENTS FROM YOUR FIRST POST WILL NOT CARRY OVER. IT IS LIKE UPLOADING A WHOLE NEW PHOTO.

A few other options:

• If you right click on your image and select “Copy Image URL” and share that link to one of your circles, it will display that photo, but it will not retain any comments or +1’s that you obtain by doing so.
• You can share the entire album where the photo you wish to push out is located, but if you have multiple images inside that gallery, the chance of people seeing the specific image you had in mind are pretty low.
• When you share an image link via Picasa Web Albums, the photo gets automatically put under your post. Once Google+ has detected the link you can remove it. People can then comment and +1 your image like normal. Bonus: When you get to the album within G+ when you click on the image.

Published Post with Photos and Comments: (v1.1)

• If you share an album the comments are associated with the post.
• If you share a picture from the album the comments will show under the post but not the picture.
• If you upload just one picture the comments will show with both the post and the picture.
• If you share as a link from Picasa the comments will show both with the post and the picture on both G+ and Picasa.

Helpful Hint:

• Go to Profile Page
• Go to Photos section
• Click on Upload New Photos
• Select file and then choose an already created album to add it to
• Once this is done, you can share the album, but ONLY the most recent image will appear in the stream. Even better, any comments made via the stream will be attributed to just that single image.

Tips:

• Plan accordingly. Think in advanced about how you want your albums and images to be organized.
• Until Google+ allows for you to share an individual image, your best bet is to upload a photo, one at a time. This will allow you to maximize your exposure to your circles and control who sees what images and when.
• There is a bug reported by a few people that deletes any comments and +1’s from an image if you change the circle permissions of an album. This is not 100% confirmed, but just so you know. (1.2)

Renaming Albums in Google+: (v1.2)

You can now easily rename your albums in Google+. Head to your profile page on Google+ (click on the 3rd icon from the left in the grey G+ nav bar near the top of your main Google+ home screen). Then click on the album you wish to rename. Simply click on the name of the Album (located near the top left of the page) to rename your album. It will turn blue, indicating that you are editing the name of the album.

Selecting An Image For A Photo Album Cover: (new)

If you haven’t noticed, the default setting in Google+ is to have the most recent image uploaded to an album be the cover for that album But it doesn’t have to be that way! Picasa Web Albums holds the key.

First head to Picasa Web Albums by clicking on the “Photos” tab in the black toolbar located at the top of your screen. From there, click on the album in question (Click on “View All” which is located next to “My Recent Albums” near the top of the screen if you do not see the album you are looking for). You should now see all of the photo thumbnails of the album you selected. Click on the photo that you want to be featured for the cover of this album. Then all you need to do is click on the “Actions” tab and select “Set as album cover”.

How To Reorder My Photo Albums On My G+ Profile: (new)

When you are looking at your profile page on G+ and you click on the “Photos” tab  you will be greeted with a page that showcases “Your Shared Albums”, “Photos of you with…” and “Photos of you” sections. You should notice that only 4 of your albums are visible on this page in the “Your shared albums” section, even though you probably have alot more (all of which can be found by clicking on “View all of your albums” which is highlighted in blue). The albums appear on this page in the order in which the album itself was created. In order to customize which albums you want to display, you need to edit the album properties in Picasa Web Albums.

Head to Picasa Web Albums by clicking on the “Photos” tab in the black navigation bar at the very top of your screen. From there, click on the album that you want to be featured (Click on “View All” which is located next to “My Recent Albums” near the top of the screen if you do not see the album in question).

Then click on the “Action” tab and scroll to “Album Properties”

When you are finished, head back to your Google+ Profile page and click on the “Photos” tab again to see your changes.

*PLEASE NOTE – If you publish a photo directly to a post or upload a photo directly from your G+ mobile app, those photos go into a “collection” folder called “Photos from posts”. This does not happen if you follow my recommended way of publishing images. It is not so much a folder as a collection of folders. Every one of those photos published those two ways, create a folder inside “Photos from posts” that have the date of post as the title of the album. Because it creates an album for each date, it will jump to your “featured” albums if you post those ways after reordering your albums. To fix this, check out the next section….

Moving Photos Fron One Album to Another:

Once you have started uploading photos, you might run into the problem of trying to re-organize your albums and/or your images. For example, when you upload an image via the upload image button on the main stream, your image will automatically go to the album “Photos from posts”.

If you are like me, you will want to keep your images organized and having a ton of random images in “Photos from posts” just doesn’t cut it.

If you are in Google+, click on the “Photos” link in your main toolbar. This will take you to your Picasa Web Albums.

From here, click on the album that has the image you would like to move or click on “View All” if you do not see the album in question.

Then click on the image you wish to have moved to another album.

From here click on “Organize”

Then click on the photo you wish to move and then the “Move” button near the top right hand part of your screen.

A screen will pop up asking you if you are sure you want to move the photos. Click “OK”.

Another screen will pop up asking you to tell Picasa where you would like to move the photo. Here you can create a new Album or “choose an existing album to send the photo to.

Lastly you will have to pick the existing album to send your image too, assuming you are not creating a new album.

Block vs. Ignore: (new)

In google+ you have two ways of dealing with individuals that you do not care to associate with.

Block:

This is the most extreme option. When you block someone you:

• You won’t see their content in the stream or on Incoming (even though you’ll remain in their circles).
• They’ll be removed from any circles of yours that they appear in.
• They’ll be removed from your extended circles even if you have mutual connections.
• They won’t be able to comment on your content that was posted after they were blocked.
• They won’t be able to view content shared with your circles (although they may still see content you post publicly).
• They won’t be able to mention you in posts or comments.

Ignore:

When you ignore a person:

• They’ll be removed from the list of ‘People who have added you.’
• New content will no longer be delivered to your Incoming stream, and content they’ve already shared will be removed from Incoming.
• Their mentions of you won’t appear in your stream and you won’t receive a notification for them.

You can ignore someone from the following places:

• The notifications in your Google+ bar
• Your Incoming stream
• Under the ‘People who have added you’ tab while editing your circles

• Start by clicking on the Circle icon in the white Google+ Navigation Bar.
• Then click on “People who have added you”
• Next select the people you wish to ignore, in this case Scott Jarvie. Once selected his thumbnail will turn blue
• Then hit the “Ignore” link in the top right of the page.

A popup screen will appear asking you to confirm.

Photo Critiques: (updated v2.0)

Since Google+ has been so well received by the photo community, there is a large desire to use it for photo education. One of the more popular forms of increasing your skills in the art of photography is to take part in photo critiques. While this is a great idea and something that I highly recommend, I have listed a few pieces of advice that should make the experience more enjoyable for both those asking for critiques and those wanting to give advice.

• Not everyone on Google+ knows you might want a photo critique. If you do want people to critique your work, please include “REQUEST FEEDBACK” near the top of your post.
• Don’t give advice on an image unless the person posting it asks for it. Some people are not comfortable with public criticism and you need to respect that.

Building a Google+ Presence: (updated v2.0)

When you first enter Google+ it can be daunting to try to begin to build up your followers. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Find some photographers you find interesting and inspiring. Circling these other photographers and engaging in their posts will get you off the ground.
• Utilize the Google+ Search Bar to find photographers you find interesting
• Group/as – Easily find groups of photographers that you may wish to follow on G+. (My Favorite)
• Unofficial Google+ Directory of profiles – You can sort people by many variables such as profession, location and even gender.
• Trey Ratcliff’s Photographer Lists: Vol 1 : Vol 2 : Vol 3
• David Snuckel’s Google Doc’s List of Photographers – This is growing by the day, be sure to add your name to the list.

• Scott Jarvie wrote a great piece on Understanding Google+, which talks about what to expect and how G+ is different then the other social networks.
• Join Jarek Klimek‘s public circles project. It is a great initiative to let others know who you find inspiring on G+. More info HERE
• Google+ is built on interaction. Don’t forget to to share the work of those that you are following. Personally I try to find a few photographers and images each week that catch my eye from my “Incoming” stream. I then publish a series called “Photographer/Photo of the Day”. This not only helps people find photographers they might have missed, but also helps those photographers that are still trying to get some face time with the public.
• Publish your photos to the “PUBLIC” circle and “EXTENDED” circles. This will allow you to get your work out in front of many more people then if you just send it to your “Photographers” circle.
• Limit the # of images you post to around 3 photos a day. Post too little and people won’t know that they should follow you. Post too much and you might get de-circled because you are clogging other peoples streams.
• Think about your target audience. For me, there are certain times of the day when I post where I tend to have higher interaction rates. If you live in a time zone that doesn’t currently have a lot of people on Google+ and you are finding it difficult to get interaction, this may be why. Early evenings and around Noon tend to be the best for me.
• Get creative and come up with some original content. Share posts from your own blog, write G+ exclusive content, collaborate with others.
• Don’t rely solely on your main Stream. If you click on the “Photo” icon (in the grey G+ nav bar) you will be taken to an area that showcases the latest photos that have been uploaded by people you have circled. It is a great way to find photography work that might be inspiring.
• Take advantage of Google Hangouts! These are by far the most interactive and exciting feature of Google+. Find some photographers that you are interested in connecting with and join their Hangouts. I try to be extremely active with Hangouts and I love to talk with fellow photographers. Pick our brains, ask us questions, engage us in conversation.
• Create a “Networking” circle and put people in here that you feel are pillars in the photography industry. Then keep in contact with those people. Try to think of ways that you can work with them on projects. Ask for their advice.
• Create a “Photo Education Circle” and put photographers in there that you feel you can learn something from. Pick their brain, join their hangouts, ask for photo and portfolio critiques. If you are not growing as a photographer by using Google+….you are not trying hard enough.
• Posting images directly to Google+ (either through G+ or Picasa Web Albums) will almost always get more interaction than if you just posted a link to a photo on your website. People do not like URL links with content that is already provided on the system they are using.
• Have accurate image titles and descriptions/captions for your images. Eventually Google will add full Google search for G+ and maintaing accurate information will ensure your work is found by people who are looking for it.
• Thomas Hawk wrote a recent blog article that covered 10 Ways for Photographers to get Attention on Google+
• Ellie Kennard list 10 great tips for you to think about while planning your strategy for Google+

Understanding Google’s +1: (updated v2.0)

You might be wondering, what the heck is that little +1 I keep seeing everywhere? Which is a perfectly valid question. The Google +1 button is starting to take off much like Facebook’s “Like” button, but it is different in that it actually serves a purpose. While clicking on the +1 button for a post publicly shows that you approve and recommend the content, much like Facebook’s “Like” button, it also helps to improve the search results for that specific post. For example, if I go to www.google.com and search for “Photo Tours in Alaska”, content that have higher +1’s will show up closer to the top. But don’t worry, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) still plays a significant role in searching for information on the web. +1 is simply Google’s attempt to let everyone participate in the process of providing the most robust web search on the planet.

You can now put a +1 button on non-google websites as well, such as your own photography website, blog or online publication. You can find the +1 button customizer HERE.

• For advanced tips and tricks with the +1 button, click HERE
• If you have any questions about the implementation of the Google +1 button, click HERE

The Best Google Chrome Extensions: (updated v2.0)

• Hover Zoom - Allows you to hover your mouse over an image and it will pop out and display an enlarged version of the photo/graphic.
• Search by Image (by Google) – Worried about people stealing your work, this plugin will help you search for images of yours that have been taken without your permission.
• Circle+ Beta - Allows you to add everyone with a Google+ link to their profile on one page to a circle of your choice. Works great for websites such as Group.As
• Stream Filter Beta – Allows you to include or exclude posts with specific keywords from your streams.
• Google Chrome Translate – Allows you to easily translate post and other content you come across that is a different language.

Cheat Sheets:

These two cheat sheets were put together by Simon Laustsen. They are great sources of information.

Vol. 1

Vol. 2

Using your G+ Photo Album to Educate: (v1.1)

Tony Eckersley found an incredibly unique and amazing way to utilize his G+ photo album to educate those that have circled him. He uploaded 7 images that depicted the step by step process in which he edited the image. The caption in each photo gave details on what he did in Lightroom to get the results he wanted. Very inspiring. You can find it HERE.

Whats New In Google+ Website (1.2)

Google has a website that allows you to keep up to date with all the new Google+ updates that will be rolling out in the future. You can find it HERE.

The Future of Google+

The sky is limit when it comes to the potential for what might be coming down the line with Google+. One of the benefits in the design of Google+ is how easy it is for Google to make updates on the fly. The website has been live for over two months and we have already seen many meaningful changes that make our experience even better. Soon Google plans to start moving all of your favorite Google apps under the Google+ umbrella. Imagine being able to pull content from your Google reader account or schedule a hangout with your friends via Google Calendar. Things are already exciting over here on Google+ and they are only going to continue to get better. So sign off of your Facebook account, close the Twitter webpage and stop uploading images to flickr. Google+ is the photographers paradise that we have all been waiting for!!!

—————

V2.1 – Change Log

• Sharing a single photo that has already been uploaded
• Blocking Game Invites

v2.0 – Change Log

• PDF Version Available
• Photo Album Organization
• Notify on Publication of Post
• Paragraph Editing For Photo Captions
• Changing Photo Album Cover
• Building A Google+ Presence
• Google Chrome Extensions
• Mobile Application Updates
• Hangouts
• Messenger
• Check Ins
• Easier tagging
• New Hangout Features
• Screen Sharing
• Sketchpad
• Notes
• Live Stream
• Verified Name
• Ignore vs Block
• Share from +1 Button
• Google Games
• Open to the Public
• Floating Google+ Bar
• Mute Posts
• Google+ Search

v1.2 – Change Log

• Multiple Google+ Updates
  • Reorder/Create Circles
  • Circle Organization
  • Security Control over Huddles
  • Better Search function for Google+ checkin via G+ Mobile App
  • Album Renaming in Google+
  • “Whats New in Google +” Website
• Understanding +1

v1.1 – Change Log

• Unlimited Upload Information
• Photo Security (Download & Purchase)
• Deleting, Editing and Moderating Posts
• Photo Resize Limitations
• Sharing Image Link via Picasa Web Albums
• Sharing most recent uploading tips
• Content Policy
• Public vs Extended Circles
• Using G+ Albums for Photo Education
• Album and Photo Organization via Picasa Web Albums
• New Google Chrome Extension Recommendations
• Critiquing Advice (From Jarvie)
• Building a Google+ Presence
• Changing Circle Levels of Album Bug

v1.1 Contributors:

Robin Baumgarten – Sharing photos via Picasa Web Album Tips

Rhys Roberts – Photo sharing tips for sharing an album

Scott Jarvie – Photo Critique Advice

Darren Humphries – Photo Comment Tips

Tony Eckersley – Complied the HTML coding for the INDEX section