Google Plus Hangouts: Video Chat with Your Friends, Customers and Other Circles

Google Plus Hangouts

Google Plus Hangouts

Google has taken video chat to another level with its Google Plus Hangouts.  Commentators report that this feature is the real groundbreaking aspect of Google+.  Unfortunately, Google+ Hangout has not really taken off yet as Google+ members are still trying to come to grips with the many features and implications of Google Plus.

Google continues to innovate in this area and has recently created further refinements based on user feedback.  Google Plus Hangouts provide many opportunities for small business marketing through connection with your customers or clients.  You can also connect with your friends and staff. 

The only requirement is that the people you connect with on Google+ Hangouts have to be in your circle and they have to have you in their circle – so this requirement is a basic privacy element of Google Plus.   There is also a limit on participation numbers – at the time of writing the limit is 10 participants.

How to start a Google Plus Hangout

The button for starting a Google+ hangout can be found on your page along with your Google+ stream.  You will see a button in the right hand column with the words, “Start a hangout’ and related icon:google+ - start hangout

If you have not used this facility before (or used Google Talk), then you will be asked to install a plugin which enables Google+ Hangout to interact with the audio and video equipment on your computer.  The plugin request will look like this: 

Google + Hangout - install plugin

You will be advised when the installation of the plugin is successful and you will have the option again to setup a Google+ Hangout.

When you have the plugin installed and click the “start a hangout” button your will be taken to the Green Room – effectively the waiting room before you go on air (you can even check out your personal appearance beforehand!).

The Green Room for Google Plus Hangouts – the waiting room

Google Plus has created an interim space, called the Green Room, so you can check out your appearance (if you want), ensure your audio and video equipment are functioning and invite people to join in your Google+ Hangout.  Once you click ‘Start a hangout”, you will be taken to the Green Room which is illustrated in the image below:

google+ hangout - the green room

From within the Green Room, you can add individuals or circles to your Google Plus Hangout.  You click on the ‘+Add circles or people to share with” button and you will see a drop-down menu of your circles so you can specify which circles you want to communicate with (this is where setting up and naming your Google + circles becomes really important, e.g. creating a customer circle for customer communications and surveys). 

You can also invite individuals by adding their name to the field that appears once you click the  ‘+Add circles or people to share with” button.  You can choose to place a name in this field and/or add specific circles.  When you add a circle you can also add individuals by clicking on the field ‘Add more people” and entering the individual’s name beside the Google+ circle displayed as shown below:

Google+ hangout - add more people

Adjusting your settings for Google Plus Hangouts in the Green Room

In the Green Room, as illustrated previously, you will see icons for audio, video and settings (working from left to right).  If you click on the audio or video icons, you will mute the relevant equipment.

The settings icon enables you to advise Google Plus of the source you wish to use for your video (webcam), audio and volume controls.  You will be able to choose from the dropdown menu for each of these pieces of equipment.  From my experience, Google Plus automatically activates my webcam when I click on “Start a hangout’ (even when I have not switched the webcam on myself).  Remember to click the ‘Save Settings” button when you have finalised your settings.

google+ hangout - settings

The thing to remember is that the Green Room is for setting everything up for your hangout (even yourself).  You or your Green Room are not visible to others until you click on the green ‘Hang Out’ button in the Green Room.

Google Plus Hangouts provides a great opportunity for small business marketing by enabling video chat with your circles (including your customers and friends).

Google is Integrating Google+ With Search Engine Results

google+ concentric circles

google+ concentric circles

Google is changing the whole landscape of Internet search through integration of Google+ with organic and paid search results.

A number of prominent Internet marketers have reported recently that they are seeing this integration of Google+ in the search results and have screenshots to prove it.  Mike Brooks, for example, shows a screenshot where a number of paid search results are shown above the organic search results, but on the right hand side are the results from Google+:

Game Changer: Google Plus Changes Search and Social Media

He points out that Mari Smith, because of her Google+ activity, holds the number one spot in the right hand column for the search term, ‘Internet marketing’ – a spot usually held by people who pay $100 per click via Google Adwords.  It is likely this positioning of Google+ results will change.  However, it shows that Google is experimenting with the integration of Google+ with its paid and organic search results.

It also means that Google is seeking to give prominence to its own social network as a source of quality information.  This understandably is upsetting both Facebook and Twitter.  It is interesting that my own observation, and that of a number of my connections, is that the information shared on Google+ to date is more focused and of a higher quality than that shared on Facebook or Twitter – it tends to be enlightening, educational or practical.  From what I have experienced from the circles I have created, Google+ posts tend to challenge my assumptions and expand my thinking.  This may be a function of the fact, that because it is early days, I have been able to include people in my circles who are prominent elsewhere but excluded from access because of their number of followers.

[Image source: Pixabay.com]

The Implications for Small Business Marketing of the Google+ Integration with Search Engine Results

As many commentators have pointed out already, the implications of this Google+ integration move by Google are not entirely clear for a number of reasons.  We do not know what the final configuration will look like – only some people have access to the new format which is in a testing mode at the moment.  We do not know how Facebook and Twitter will respond, but respond they will!   We are uncertain whether the Google+ results shown will be just those from your own circles or those from Google+ generally.   What we do know so far is that a lot of old assumptions and processes about search engine optimisation (SEO) will need to change. 

We can also assume that some of the implications for small business marketing will be:

  • if you are not on Google+, you will be at a considerable disadvantage when it comes to search engine results in the future – you may actually disappear from the search results that you are currently achieving
  • when you share on Google+ via your stream, you need to ensure that your content matches the primary niche(s) or keywords that you want to be visible for in search engine results
  • it will no longer be enough to be on Facebook only – it is interesting that Mari Smith, known widely as a Facebook guru, is prominent in the new Google+ search results (she has around 50,000 people in her Google+ circles)
  • Google+ is effectively integrating  list building with search engine optimization (SEO) – through Google+ you will not only build your list, you will also increase your chances of appearing in Google’s integrated search engine results
  • Google’s shift from page rank to people rank is happening in earnest – another level of integration will be when Google integrates Google+ results with organic search results based on people rank
  • small business owners will no longer be able to ignore social media if they want to appear in Google’s search engine results
  • your Google+ business page will assume greater importance in terms of how often your business will appear in search results and what keywords/search terms will influence the search results for your small business
  • your images on Google+ (photos, graphics, illustrations) will feed Google’s integrated search results and feature in its increased focus on multimedia
  • the Google+1 button will assume even greater importance because of its indication of how your content is valued by your connections
  • your personal profiles on social networks will become even more important (you need to integrate them into your Google+ profile to strengthen their capacity to demonstrate your social connection)
  • social connections along with quality content will assume even greater importance – it will not be enough just to create quality original content, you will also need to be connected to people who “value” that content.

As Mike Brooks commented, a core meaning of the integration of Google+ with search engine results is that we are facing the era where “content and connection is king”.

We have moved over time from thinking of Internet marketing as a linear process to a circular process (with web rings, blog rings, lens rings, etc).  I think we now have to visualize Internet marketing like concentric circles formed when a drop of water lands in a pool of water (as the image above shows).   

Internet marketing can now be visualized as concentric circles formed when content is dropped into (shared with) our pool of connections.

The integration of Google+ into Google’s search engine results has profound implications for small business marketing that cannot be ignored by small business owners.

Postscript: Since I wrote this blog post, top Internet marketer, Bill Guthrie, has come out with his Google+ Manifesto, where he asserts that, “We’re witnessing the quick death of SEO as we know it” and that “Google+ is now mandatory”.  He released his PDF Manifesto as a Warrior Special Offer (WSO) which explains the principles behind Google+, their implications and offers heaps of tips and ideas to take advantage of this massive change which will change small business marketing and affiliate marketing.  You can grab your copy at the WSO discounted price here:

http://www.warriorplus.com/linkwso/4kbjzp/7888

Grab your copy now so that you can get in on the ground with the game-changing Google+ which will influence the course of small business marketing into the future and have a serious effect on your search engine results.

Share Content with your Circles Via the Google Plus Stream

Google Plus stream

 

Google Plus stream

The Google Plus Stream is the lifeblood of Google+.  It enables sharing of information to Circles and has a lot of the characteristics of Facebook’s status updates.   You can share ideas, status updates, photos, videos, links and your location (if you really want to!).

The Share box is accessible via the Google Plus homepage.   You have a few icons you can click on to share specific types of information or you can just enter text in the Share box:

Google Plus share box

In line with Google+ Privacy Policy, you can specify who you share each post with.  You can identify specific Circles or all Circles (public).   Icons for suggested circles are shown (e.g. Acquaintances and Friends in the image above) and you can add more Circles by clicking on ‘+add more people’.  You can delete a suggested Circle from your distribution by clicking on the delete button (X) in the respective Circle icon.

You can see that yet again Google Plus is deadly serious about giving you control over your privacy by allowing you to determine the desired distribution for each post.

What should you share in your Google Plus Stream?

I have discussed what types of content you can share in your Google Plus Stream, but what exactly should you share?  The fundamental rule to remember is that your Stream on your personal Google Plus page should be about CONVERSATION NOT CONVERSION!   If you indulge in a constant sales pitch, you will be very quickly dumped from multiple circles (…and defeat the whole purpose of using the Google+ network, which is to expand your contacts).

So think about the things that you find engaging and share something similar.  Here’s a list of the kinds of posts that catch my attention and tend to encourage me to share with others:

  • informative
  • visually appealing
  • peaceful
  • intriguing
  • humorous
  • enlightening
  • challenging
  • insightful
  • reflective 

So your purpose in posting to the Google Plus Stream is to share something of yourself, enhance your personal branding and provide content that others find useful or appealing and are inspired to share in their own Circles.   In this way, your posts will have a viral effect.

The central Stream on your Google Plus Homepage is the accumulation of all the posts from people in your Circles (who included you in their distribution when sharing). 

What to do with posts in your Google Plus Stream that you don’t want

You have a range of options in relation to each post that arrives in your Google Plus Stream if you don’t want to retain them or make them visible to others:

  1. Report abuse
  2. Mute this post (no longer visible)
  3. Block this person

The options button is somewhat faint but you will see it beside each post as illustrated below and highlighted by the red arrow I’ve included in the screenshot:

Google Plus post options

How to ‘like’ posts in your Google Plus Stream

If you want to ‘like’ a post there are a number of ways to do this.  Included in the options mentioned in the previous section of this post is an option “Link to this post” which enables you to copy the link for the post and share it with others (it is mystifying why this option is inlcuded with the other “dislike” options).

However, there are a number of other options which are more clearly displayed immediately below each post as indicated in this screenshot:

how to like Google Plus posts

These options are explained briefly below:

  1. +1 –  indicates you really  like the post and want to save it to your ‘favorites’ (this is an expansive topic and will be the subject of a separate post).
  2. Comment – see below for further elaboration.
  3. Share – with Circles that you specify when you click on this option.
  4. Hang Out  – Chat with the originator and others you choose to include (more on this in another post).

How to comment effectively on Posts in your Google Plus Stream

I have previously discussed at length how to comment on social media content in such a way as to build a positive online profile and brand image.  The same principles apply when commenting on posts in your Google Plus stream.

You can see from the following example how a simple comment can generate a reciprocal response.  Chris Brogan shared a video and a personal comment about the originator of the video, Tom Terwilliger.  I watched the video and left a comment on Chris Brogan’s post.  Tom responded and so we have the beginnings of a conversation:

Google Plus conversation

So to reiterate, the primary principle behind your sharing through the Google Plus stream must be to focus on conversation not conversion. 

 

Grow Your Google Plus Circles to Build Your Profile Online

Google Plus - overlapping circles

 Google Plus - overlapping circles

 

Circles are a core element of Google Plus.   They enable you to place people in different groupings depending on your level of association with them, e.g. friends, acquaintances, family.   Circles enable the unique privacy approach of Google Plus to operate.   You can specify which circles will have access to what information.  As I explained in my previous post, one simple example of this is the ability to specify who has access to the links that you include in your Google Plus profile.  [Image Credit:  mrnilspeters]

You can access your circles by clicking on the ‘circles’ button at the top of your Google Plus page as illustrated below:

Google Plus circles button

Adding “friends” into your Google Plus Circles

The first thing to be aware of  is that you can add as many circles as you want and specify their names, e.g. work colleagues, Squidoo contacts, customers.   If you add too many circles, your circles and privacy settings will become unmanageable.   However, the circle facility enables you to effectively categorise your contacts and manage your communications with them – you don’t have to lump them all into one large group of ‘friends’.

You can add people to your circles by using the drag-and-drop facility provided when you click on the Circles button.  The avatars of people will be displayed depending on the choices you make from the menu provided (illustrated below):

Google Plus circles avatars

For example , if you click on “people who have added you”, you will see the avatars of all the people who have added you to a circle on their Google Plus account.   However, you will not be able to see what specific circle you have been placed in by these people.  If you hover over the avatars you will see whether they are already in one of your circles or how many people you have in common in your respective circles.   The following image shows an example of the avatars as they will be displayed.   The ones with the symbol in the top right hand corner are those who you have also added to your circles.  You can work your way through the others and add people to your different circles as desired.

Google Plus - people who have added you

As I mentioned in my introductory post about Google Plus, you will also receive notifications of people who have added you to their circles.   If you click on the notifications button on the Google Plus toolbar (right-hand side), you will see thumbnail images of people who have added you to a Google Plus circle and you will have the facility to easily add any of these to one of your circles (click the ‘arrow’ beside the thumbnails and you will have access to a drop-down menu).

Google Plus makes it very easy to add people to your circles.  As indicated in one of the above images, when you click on the circles button, one of the options displayed is “Find People’.   Google Plus explains how the resultant list of avatars is generated for you:

Find People – Our best guess for people who you may want to add to a circle.  Get more suggestions by importing your contacts from your email account.

As indicated, you can actually import contacts from your email accounts – Yahoo, Hotmail or by uploading your email address book (see image below):

Google Plus - find friends

So Google gives you multiple options for adding people to your Google Plus circles, encourages you to expand your social network and to effectively manage your communications with your circles.  You can even tailor your perosnal profile information for different circles (e.g. making personal information only available to your “family” circle).  On top of this, you can specify which of your circles you want to hear from.  The following YouTube video from Google Plus gives you more information on how to create and use circles:

Google Plus circles gives you a very effective way to manage your contacts, increase your online exposure and develop new sets of relationships, including those with existing and potential customers.