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Facebook Sucks: Google+ Blows Away Facebook for User Visibility

Awesome post by Jon Cilley

So why does Google+ – in my opinion – work so much better for smaller businesses than Facebook? Why can unknowns become known so much easier on Google+? There are a couple reasons. Let’s start with the most important: Google Search. Of course, like all social media platforms, Google+ has its very own search feature. But what makes this feature fundamentally different from Facebook is how it is utilized.

For instance, I want each of you reading this to go into Facebook’s search engine and type one simple word: “photos.” What you will find are pages that have this keyword within the title of the page, maybe someone named “photo,” and four relevant photos from your friend’s recent posts. You won’t even see every page relating to photos or content, you’ll just see the ones who thought to put it in the main name of the page. One thing you won’t see is a photo from an unknown content provider, the very thing you would want someone to see – if you are looking for exposure. What you will see is the very thing your News Feed should have produced in the first place: content from your friends – which is hidden and tucked below at the very bottom.

What you have here is a very closed system. Putting friends first, not content. This makes it very hard for individuals or brands that are not known commodities to reach new followers. Now I want you to type the same word “photos” into Google+’s search engine. What you will find is exactly what you searched for: photos.

You will see two different options, “most recent” and “best of.” Most, if not all of the search results, are from individuals the current user does not know – if these posts have been posted publicly. Also, right from these search results the user can then add individuals or pages to their circles. They can click “best of” to see which content is getting the most engagement and visibility, and if you agree with the magnitude of engagement a particular post has acquired you can add right from these results as well. This is how the unknown becomes known: putting content first.

This is virtually impossible on Facebook, which relies on a one-to-one friend network to expand word-of-mouth endorsements. Because of this, Facebook provides a virtual speed bump for the rapid expansion of content that might deserve the added visibility.

Google+ is a search-first social network. Facebook is a friend-first social network. Just notice when you first type something into Facebook. Friends popup first, and you have to scroll down with the arrow keys or cursor to get to search results as opposed to friends. On Google+ it’s the opposite, a keyword search appears first before individuals in your circles.

The next reason Google+ increases the ability to rapidly expand your follower base is “Shared Circles.” Getting in a shared circle can be an additional way to gain followers and grow visibility for the content you produce. Because the framework of Google+ makes it much more appealing to add individuals you may not know than Facebook, an individual might not hesitate to add a shared circle containing hundreds of individuals relating to their interests. Getting in one of these is usually a gift that keeps on giving. Also, relating this back to Google+ search, people can find your shared circles without even following you beforehand – again, if it is shared publicly.

So if you want to grow followers and increase engagement on the content you produce: first create great content, second post it publicly, and third do it on Google+. Facebook sucks.

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35 Quick Tips for Google+

Great post by Broncobytes

Browse YouTube through Google+. Click the YouTube tag in the upper-right of your screen.

See What Another Google+ User Sees When Viewing Your Profile. Click the Profile icon at top-center of the screen, then type the person’s name in the ‘View profile as…’ text box.

Mute a Post. Click the down-arrow at the top-right of any post that isn’t your own, and select Mute this post. This will keep the post from reappearing each time someone comments on it.

Disable comments. Click the down-arrow at the top-right of any of your own posts, then select Disable comments. Doing this will keep people from commenting on that particular post.

Lock Your Post. Click the down-arrow at the top-right of any of your own posts, then select Lock this post. When you click this, it locks that post to your profile. It cannot be shared by others.

Share an Entire Circle. Click the Circle tab at the top of the screen, then click the Circle you would like to share. The Circle will then fade to gray and show more options. Select Share and decide who to share it with, then add your comments like a normal post.

Add People from Suggestions. Google+ suggests people to Circles in a list at the right labeled “Suggestions.” Add as many as you’d like!

Invite Friends to Google+. Under the list of ‘Suggested’ at the right is an option to invite friends. Click Invite friends and type in the email addresses of those you’d like to invite.

Control Who’s Included in ‘Public’ When You Share. To do this, click the Gear icon at the top-right and select Google+ settings. Locate ‘Who can interact with you and your posts’ under ‘Who can comment on your public posts?’ Select this and choose your preference.

Change How and What You Receive through Notifications. Click the Gear icon, then select Google+ settings. Scroll down under ‘Receive notifications’ to configure your notification settings.

Save Your Profile, Including Circles, Pictures, and Videos. Click the Gear icon, then select Google+ settings > Data Liberation.

Connect Your Twitter and Facebook Accounts to Google+. Click the Gear icon, then select Google+ settings. Click Account overview at left and find ‘Connected accounts.’

Make a Google+ Page. It’s different then a personal profile, but you can manage it all the same! Click Create a Google+ page at right and begin!

Add a Manager to a Google+ Page. From the Google+ Page in question, click the Gear icon, select Google+ settings, and select Managers from the menu at right. Enter in one or more (up to 50) email addresses under ‘Add managers by email.’

Promote your Google+ Page. From the Google+ Page in question, click Spread the word at right.

Add People to a Google+ Page VIP List for a Google+ Page. Under Circles, select all the people you’d like to be VIP’s. Click and drag the bundle of names to the default circle labeled ‘VIP.’

Play a Sound When a New Chat Message Arrives. Click the down-arrow next to your chat status, and then select Settings. Check the box next to ‘Sounds’ (requires Flash).

Customize Who Can Chat with You. Click the arrow to the right of Chat > Privacy settings. Select the drop-down box and click Custom.

Make Your Chat Status Invisible. Instead of being online, offline, or busy, simple set your status as “Invisible.” Click your status below Chat (it will either read “Available” or “Busy”). Then select Invisible. You can go visible any time you’d like.

View a List of All Your +1’s. Click the Profile button at the top, then click +1’s under your profile name.

Search For a Name in Your Circles. Click the Circles button at the top. Type in a name you’re looking for in the search box at the far-right.

Upload Pictures to Google+. Click the Photo tab at the top-center (next to the Profile tab). Then select Upload New Photos. You can name and create photo albums.

Add a Short Description of Yourself Under Your Name. Click the Profile button, then click Edit Profile at top-right. Add a brief description of yourself next to “Introduction” to set you apart from others.

See Your Updates Instantly. When logged into your Google account, the menu bar appears at the top Google applications. The account name is shown at the right. When there are updates to your Google+ account (such as comments), a red box will show next to the name, with the number of updates.

Add a Profile Picture. Click the Profile button at top-center, then click Edit Profile. Under the default profile picture, click Change photo. Be sure the photo you want is saved in an easy-to-find location on your computer.
See Photos from Your Circles. Click the Photos button at top-center, and then select Photos from your circles from the menu at left.

Lock Your Picture Albums. Click the Photos button at top-center, and then select Your albums from the menu at left. Click the album you’d like to lock, and click Limited (Locked) next to ‘Visible to’ just above the pictures. Click the checkbox next to the lock icon and click Save.

Use Basic Photo Editing Tools on Your Pictures. Click the Photos button at top-center, and then select Your albums from the menu at left. Find the picture you’d like to edit, then select Creative Kit at the top-left of the window.
Delete a Photo. Click the Photos button at top-center, and then find the picture you’d like to delete. Click on the photo, and click Options at the bottom left. Select Delete from the pop-up menu.

Sort People in Your Circles by their First Name. Click the Circle button at top-center, and then select the drop-down menu by ‘Sort by’ at top-left. Select First name to sort.

Have Your Profile or Page Show Up in Google Search Results. Click the Profile button at top-center, then click Edit Profile at top-right. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Profile discovery. Check the box, and click Save.

Prevent Others from Downloading Your Pictures. Click the Gear icon at the top-right and select Google+ settings. Select Google+ at left, and scroll all the way down to ‘Photos.’ Select the appropriate option.

Chat Off the Record. Chatting off the record disables Google’s ability to save a chat conversation to your account. While chatting, click Actions > Go off the record.

Navigate Quickly from Post to Post. When looking through your stream of posts, use J and K on your keyboard to scroll up and down from post to post.

Mention Someone Specifically in a Post. To mention someone in a post (along with a link to their page), simply add ‘@’ or ‘+’ before their name.