Your Google Plus Tips of the Week | Issue 118

Your Google+ Tips and Topics for Sept. 13th

1. The Hangout On Air Applause App

2. View and Plus One Photos in Your Community

3. Google+ “It Ain’t Dead Yet!”

Another New HOA App... (cue “Applause!”)

“What is it that we’re living for? Applause Applause!"

I first noticed the new Applause app when the pop up window appeared on my HOA event page.

It's found alongside of the Q&A and Showcase app on the the video place holder. 

These trio of apps, when opened, fill the screen with an expanded video player that hides the event page.

Note that the Applause app is enabled by default.

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I’m not fond of these apps. They inhibit social interaction on the Event Page.

What’s Google trying to tell us?

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I’m not fond of these apps precisely because they inhibit social interaction on the Page.

As a host, you have to decide your priorities.

Is the immediate interaction important or are you more interested in the YouTube views (which can be embedded anywhere.)

The Event Page is our Live Recording Studio.

The interaction from our audience, be it in the comments or displayed through the Comment Tracker, adds spontaneity and energy to the show.

I think I understand where Google is going with these new apps: Q&A, Showcase and now Applause.

They don’t want to anchor the HOA videos in Google+.

They’re focussed on the YouTube end and want to encourage views and engagement there (or anywhere the video is embedded). 

That’s where the ad dollars are.

Perhaps they should offer this as a YouTube app instead of a HOA one.

You can find details on the new Applause App as well as others on the Hangouts On Air apps Google support page.

When creating a Scheduled HOA Event, be aware that the Applause App is turned “ON” by default.

If you don’t want to use the app for your broadcast, turn it off.

Check to make sure it’s “OFF” before you open (start) the HOA.

As with the Showcase and Q&A app, you’ll need to instruct your audience how to detach the expanded player window from the Event page so as to move it out of the way.

When the App is activated, the host and participants inside the HOA don’t see or hear anything different.

For Viewers:

Only viewers can like or dislike the Hangout On Air through the Applause app. But everyone, including participants and hosts, will see where people liked or disliked different parts of the broadcast. (on video replay)

Below the broadcast window, click the thumbs-up icon to show approval and sound the “applause” or the thumbs-down icon, to indicate that point in the show sucked and release the “Boo’s”.  

People in the broadcast won’t hear either, so don’t worry about hurting their feelings.

They also won’t know who applauded or boo’d (unless you’re the only person in the audience.)

See what people like or dislike

You can see what other people liked or disliked during the broadcast through the graph below the Hangout On Air.

Green area: This shows where people liked what was said or shown in the broadcast.

Red area: This shows where people disliked what was said or shown in the broadcast.

Click the circles along the line to go to that part of the broadcast to see what people liked or disliked.

Or you can click a specific point in the broadcast's timeline to see what people's opinions were for that part of the Hangout On Air.

Do you plan to use the Applause App?

View Community Photos On Single Page

H/T Danielle Buckley

This is pretty cool especially if you have a Community that is very visually oriented: photography, science, nature, art...cats.

At the bottom of the left menu is a new icon that when clicked will open a single page where you can browse, plus one and comment on photos.

Google+ Is Still Very Important To Being Found, Followed & First (among your friends)

I want to leave you with another terrific excerpt from Mark Traphagen from his Stone Temple article: Google Author Authority in Search Gets Personal.

The article is about authorship, authority and the how Google is making search more personal.

“If you have worked hard at building a significant following on Google+ and have been posting well-optimized content there that is likely to be relevant to topics for which your audience searches, you may gain a significant advantage in search exposure to that audience.

Continue to build your authority in your niche via your content, your social web presence, and your real-life opportunities. Google is working on ways to figure out who matters in topical areas. You want to be one of those people.”

Have a great week and don’t forget to drop by our HOA lunch Table Tuesday as the Lunch Bunch returns after it’s summer siesta.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

If you found it helpful, please share with your friends.

Check out our Google+ Tips & Topics Community and catch up on past LunchBunch shows on my YouTube channel or Google+ Page.

Your Google Plus Tips of the Week | Issue 117

Your Google+ Tips for Sept. 6th

1. Hangout On Air Event Notifications

2. Google+ Help Community

3. Explore the Web Using Hashtags

1. Sending Hangout On Air Event Notifications without being spammy

Hangout On Air shows are multiplying like Tribbles. If you received a lot of Event notifications before, prepare yourself this Fall for a whole lot more.

If you don’t want to risk being muted or blocked by spamming your circles with Hangout Event notifications, then apply a strategy to your Event invitations.


1. Are they in your community?

If you own or manage a community who shares an interest in your Event topic, it makes sense to invite them.

If you are a member of a Community and think the HOA may be of interest, ask permission from the Community owner or manager before posting the event or sending them an invitation.

2. Have they been a guest or interacted on your Event before?

One of the best ways to be sure you’re not sending unwelcome invitations is by sending them to people who have already shown an interest in your HOAs.

One way of doing that is to create a circle of people who have attended and interacted with your HOA event. You can do this manually by circling directly from the Event page.

Or you can use the Circle Management tool: Circloscope.

Among the many features of the app is the ability to drag the url of your event into the program and see who replied "yes" or "maybe" your event and/or posted comments.

Christine DeGraffe takes you through this simple procedure.

Summary:

1. Open Circloscope

2. Find an Event you want to use to find participants

3. Copy the full url. (shortened urls don’t work)

4. Go to your Dashboard.

4. Select “events”.

5. Choose your filter i.e. “Posted to event (not in my circles) or “Going to my event...

6. Paste the Event url in next window.

7. Choose who you want to add to your “Hangout Invite” Circle. (Or any other)

8. Add to existing or create a new Circle.

3. Is the topic of the show relevant to them?

If you've established an online relationship with someone and believe your HOA would interest them, then send a personal invitation saying why you think they would enjoy it.

What these tips have in common is "relevance".

It's not about getting the most people possible to your show, it's getting the most relevant people possible.

2. Google+ Help Community

If you have a specific question about Google+ that you can’t seem to find an answer for within your circles, I highly recommend you check out the Google+ Help Community. 
Pinned at the top of the Community is a Menu of Helpful Links to support Forums:

Questions for Other Google Products?: 
Have a question that is not about Google+?
Click on the link for other Google communities to get help for your specific question.

Business Owners: Questions about your Google+ Pages?: 
Have a question that is related to your business or local page? 
Click on the link above to visit the Google Your Business forum

Custom Url issue or request?
Please read through the above Help Center content for information

Google+ Tours: 
New to Google+? Take these tours to learn more!

Google+ Help Center:
Search and explore articles on just about everything you need to know about Google+!

Google+ Help Page: 
Follow our Google+ Help Page to get updates, tips and tricks about Google+.

Each Friday a Community contributor curates a “3 Hottest Questions from the Google+ Help Community” post.

Denis Labelle (who should definitely be in your circles) has put together this list of past ones:

Google Hashtags: Your Discovery Channel

I'm repeating this tip from a couple months ago (July 5th issue) because it's a feature that Google pays a lot of attention to. 

If you're looking for a specific topic on Google+ or on the web, using Hashtags will help you find it as well as related topics. 

We don't always know what we've looking for...

#Hashtags are great for doing searches, especially on Google+. 
It’s the best way finding people and topics specific to your interests.

Google+ loves Hashtags so much, it adds one to your post even if you forget to.

You can turn off the auto hashtag by heading over to your settings:

1. Connect to your Google + account.

2. Click on Home and Settings.

3. Scroll to the "Hashtags" section.

4. Uncheck "Add related hashtags from Google on my newly created posts".

5. Click on the "Back to Google +" link.

The  “Explore” sits next to “More” on your G+ navigation toolbar.

The desktop version includes:

1. A summary view that highlights posts across multiple categories.

2. A starter set of topics (like Music, Sports and Photography) that you can click on to explore further. What’s Hot is also listed here, instead of in the navigation bar.

3. The ability to search for specific topics, and read what others are saying about them.

4. The option to “go deeper” on relevant sub-topics (like #HolidayBaking) when you select or search for a topic (like #FoodAndDrink).

5. An easy way to follow the people and/or join the communities that are talking about the stuff you’re into.

To get started on desktop, click “Explore” at the top of your Home stream.

Related Hashtag Suggestions:

By clicking on the featured hashtag in a post, the card rotates allowing you to scroll through five other posts with that specific Hashtag.

The last card gives you a list of related hashtags.

With the new "Explore" button, you can research topics and grow your circles with people who posts on topics you're interested in. 

It should come with a "rabbit hole" caution though as one hashtag leads to another. discovery. 

Explore “Explore” to:

- Find relevant connections
- Mine content ideas

- Measure trends

- explore related topics.

Want a deeper look at Google+ Hashtags?

Check out Mark Traphagen's article: Hashing Out Google Plus Hashtags: Uncover Their Hidden Powers!

Discover:

- how they differ from other platforms,

- the science behind "related hashtags"

- how hashtags fit in Google's development of semantic search

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

If you found it helpful, please share with your friends.

Check out our Google+ Tips & Topics Community and catch up on past LunchBunch shows on my YouTube channel or Google+ Page.

Your Google Plus Tips of the Week | Issue 116

Your Google+ Tips for August 30th

1. The Death of Google Authorship

2. 12 Tips For Greater Google+ Reach and Attention

3. 3 Recommendations for Getting Started on Google+

Does Killing Authorship Deliver a Mortal Wound to Google+
or is it..."just a flesh wound!".

I invite you to read Mark Traphagen and Eric Enge's article: It’s Over: The Rise & Fall Of Google Authorship For Search Results

It's a well balanced overview of the history of Google Authorship, its challenges and why Google finally decided to end the grand experiment.

The flesh wound isn't on Google+ directly but on marketers and SEO pros who used Google Authorship as the "carrot" to get clients on the platform.

John Mueller, yep, the same guy who announced the removal of rich snippet images in June, read the death certificate on his Thursday post. 

While there was the usual gnashing of teeth and, Google+ is dead hyperbole, John made a few things clear:  

 "...Search users will still see Google+ posts from friends and pages when they’re relevant to the query — both in the main results, and on the right-hand side. Today’s authorship change doesn’t impact these social features."

The value of being on Google+ and building relationships there is still very important and will  still give you an advantage.

What do we do with authorship markup we've already installed?

"... we treat it like any other markup on your pages. Leaving it is fine, it won't cause problems (and perhaps your users appreciate being able to find out more about you through your profile too)." You don't have to remove your authorship tag from your site.

If you're a business with a Google My Business Page, it's important to note that "rel=publisher" is still supported. 
Google Authorship is dead, long live Google Publisher.
From Mark Traphagen:

"I think they see that their ability to know about brands and highlight them to searchers when searchers are looking for them IS of value to searchers. Furthermore, Google+ pages are the backbone of Google's new Google My Business initiative, especially for local businesses."

The grand experiment failed. The patient has expired, has passed away, is dead as a Parrot. Time to move on.

As Ryan Hanley wrote is his excellent essay: Confessions of a Recovering Google Authorship Addict

"The honest to goodness truth is that it really means nothing in terms of what you should be doing to grow your business online. You still need to create high-quality, targeted content, that solves the problems, answers the questions and fulfills the needs of the customers you want to serve."

12 Tips For Greater Google+ Reach & Attention

(via Rand Fishkin)

Weird magic-power-googleplus from Rand Fishkin

1. Measure your progress. - Use a tool like CircleCount to track your G+ Activity to see what works and what doesn't.

2. Be visual

3. Share to the right people.  - Customize exactly who you want to share with, Public, Circles or individuals. You can also email them. (with caution.)

4. Use Ripples to find potential amplifiers.  - People most likely to share your content.

5. Share G+ posts on other networks

6. Share at the right times.  - You can find out what those times are with CircleCount or Followwonk. (Twitter schedules align well with G+ posts.)

7. Reciprocation.  - That's how the social web works, right?

8. Join and leverage Communities

9. Employ Hashtags and Keywords

10. Format your posts. *Bold* -strikethrough- _italic_

11. Create "Direct Notification Circles"

12. Consider Google+ Comment Integration

3 Tips for Getting Started on Google+
...I wish I knew when I did.

1. Set up your home/office before inviting people in.

Fill in your About Page with as much information as you can and keep it current. Let people know who you are, what you do and what kind of content they can expect from you,
This will help them decide which circle to put you in.

Completing your Profile will also completes your hovercard (your  de facto internet business card.) 

Profile elements that appear on Hovercard: h/t Jimmie Lanley 

1 - Eye catching cover image (1080 x 608)

2 - Profile image: full frontal, smiling preferably (unless your name is Darth Vader) (270 x 270)

3 - Full real name

4 - Tagline: First 40 (approx.) characters of your Tagline. Make it keyword rich.

5 - Works at: (click current if you want it shown.) URL or business name.

6 - Education: (click current if you’re still attending)

7 - Location: For local search & letting people know your time zone.

2. Control of your circles from the start. 

By knowing why you’re on Google+, you’ll have a better idea of who you want to engage with here.
When I started, I was all about getting as many people to circle me as possible.
The platform was so new, I was operating under a Facebook and Twitter mentality.

As Mia Voss advises - "Don’t be a size queen."

While numbers do count, the quality of followers matter more.
As you build relationships through engagement, your circles will increase.

Above your Home Page you have 3 circles featured. (Between ALL and MORE)
Make these circles your priority circles.

Fill them with people you want to build relationships with.

Example:

Circle #1 - Google+ Resources, 

Circle #2 - Hangout Hosts

Circle #3 - Top engagers.

3. Be a person not a persona.

As with a new school or job, we like to put our best foot forward.
Sometimes the shoe on that foot is just too big so we stumble and trip along the hallways.

We attract more stares and giggles than friends. 

No one will judge you on Google+ for what you don’t know about the platform.
We’re all learning.

We've all  been in your shoes

As you reach out to influencers people reaching out to you.

You can help them get to know who you are by:

Including personal passions and interests in your profile.

Sharing images of things that you find funny/interesting/odd

Adding comments to their posts and posts you share

Invite people to a personal hangout

Host a Hangout On Air about a topic you’re passionate about

What would you have done differently when you started on Google+?

Thank you very much for sharing your time with me.
If you found this helpful, please share it with your friends.

Until next week, enjoy your walk on the "Plus" side.