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+ Tips of the Week | Issue 115

Google Plus Tips for Aug 23rd - issue 115

1. The New Comment Tracker.

2. How to Keep Your Private Google+ Posts PRIVATE

3. How to Simply Remove Photo Backgrounds with “Clipping Magic”.

The New Comment Tracker.

In last week’s Newsletter (issue 114), I explained the benefits of having your Event Page comments (or wherever the comments are being tracked) shared inside the HOA.

With the Comment Tracker app, the host or anyone inside the HOA can bring up a comment and display on on screen. This also displays your profile photo.

I’ve been using the Comment Tracker for awhile and think it’s awesome for creating a connection between the people inside the HOA and the audience.

The app, however is not the most user friendly (I know what you’re thinking, “Why would it be, it’s on Google+”).  But recently the developer of the app, Gerwin Sturm updated the UI (User Interface) that makes it more appealing and easier to navigate.

Unfortunately, it didn’t make the setting up of the Comment Tracker any easier. But I believe that to be a Google/Event Page issue more than a design one.

Here is Ronnie Bincer’s video post where he demonstrates what the Comment Tracker does and how it works.

 [Video]

What the comment tracker is and why you should care.

0:01 What the Comment Tracker tool does

0:38 PPI & HOA - what they mean to you

1:35 True Interaction Builds Trust

2:13 Comment Tracker app vs. Q&A app

How to use the Comment Tracker

3:03 Where to access the Comment Tracker app in the Hangout Interface

3:45 Where to add a Source from which to track comments

4:19 Checking for Reshares of that Source for more comments

5:02 Navigate to the "Stream" area to interact with the comments

5:37 Stream: How to Display Comments on screen

6:06 Example of a Displayed Comment

6:30 How to Turn Off the Displayed Comment from the screen

6:51 Note Which Version of Comment Tracker we're using

How to Keep Your Private Google+ Posts PRIVATE

If you’ve ever mistakenly hit “reply to all” when your sarcastic response was meant for that one special person, you’ll relate to Important Things to Know About Private Messages on Google+ by Mark Traphagen.

If you share a private message to more than one person on Google+ be aware that the list of everyone included in the message can be seen by anyone else included
- even if you don't +mention everyone in the message body.

To see the entire list of accounts with which the message was shared, a recipient just has to click on the "Shared Privately" link at the top of the post.
You'll see the icons of all the post recipients. 
Hover over each one to see the profile name. 

+mentioning someone sends a notification to that person

If you +mention someone anytime during the correspondence, that person is now included in the message. If you need to refer to someone and don’t want to invite that person into the conversation, don’t put a “+” in front of their name.

How to Create a Private Message

1. Open a new share box. 

2. Delete any circles currently shown in the share box. 

3. Either plus mention (type a + and then immediately the name) anyone you want to include OR enter their name in the "Add more people" box. 

4. If you use the "add more people" box, remember, those people can still be seen by other recipients!

If you want to prevent anyone from +mentioning someone else into your private message, select "Disable reshares" from the drop down menu at upper right after publishing the post.

How to Simply Remove Photo Backgrounds

If you publish content on social networks, you probably use a lot of images. 

Given the complexity of copyright laws and the cost of paying for images, many are opting to use their own.

I've been doing that a lot. I "click" more than talk on my iPhone. 



Manipulating photos, especially removing backgrounds, can be daunting if you not a graphic designer. But fear not. There's an app for that. 

Like iPiccy, Clipping magic is targeted to people who have little Photoshop experience. 

I discovered Clipping magic via Ian Cleary, who publishes content on social media tools and technology. 

It's great for setting parts of an image against another background or as a stand alone.

Changing background of my G+ Profile photo.

I opened the app and dragged my profile photo into it.

The image has a blurry background that I wanted to replace with the familiar orange background of my HOA studio/office.


This opens a twin panel with the original (before) on the left and the after on the right. 

You use the green marker to indicate what you want to keep and the red to outline the image.(in the space you want to remove.)


It’s amazingly intuitive. You can tweak it to fine tune the image.

When you're done, download the image to your folder.


This week, I wanted to test a new profile photo on the homepage of RayHiltz.com.

I’ve been getting some feedback that I looked too corporate. So I'm doing some A/B testing with you. 

Here are my two landing pages. Which do you prefer?





A

B

 

I look forward to your feedback.

If you have any questions or comments on the above topics or any of my past newsletters, please let me know in the comments below or send me a Private Message in Google+. :-)

Your Google+ Tips for July 5th

Your Google Plus Tips for July 5th

1. Hangouts in an instant

2. Profile photos added to Comment Tracker

3. Explore Google+ Hashtags

Google Hangouts in an instant

Video chat without downloading a plugin

Google is trying to make entering Google+ Hangouts as frictionless as possible.

So last week they rolled out the ability to enter your first Hangout without needing to download the Hangout video conferencing plugin for its Chrome browser.

Just click to start the Hangout, allow Hangouts to use your camera and microphone, and all set.

This update is rolling out to all Chrome users over the next few weeks.

It doesn’t sound like much, but anything that can be done to simplify entry will be a “plus”.

Profile photos added to Comment Tracker

The Comment Tracker app for Hangouts On Air is a valuable tool for increasing engagement on HOAs.

This allows the participants inside the HOA, including Host and filmstrip,  to pull up comments and questions from the people watching live and display them in the video.

Before this development, all people would see was the name of the guest followed by the comment or question.

Now they also see the guest’s profile photo. 

This is a valuable branding tool that should encourage people to attend live HOAs and engage. 

There's a lot of networking that goes on in the audience during a HOA that adds both entertainment and information to the topic discussed inside the video.

HOAs are recorded and uploaded to YouTube.

So it comes as no surprise that the largest number of views for a show comes after the host has hit the "stop broadcast" button.

Having your profile photo show up inside a HOA ensures that those viewing it later get to see you and your insightful and witty contributions to the show.

This also introduces you to people outside your own circles thus increasing your reach.

Explore Google+ Hashtags

#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 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 > 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, simply click “Explore” at the top of your Home stream.

Related Hashtag Suggestions:

By clicking on the featured hashtag in a post, the card rotates enabling 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 warning though. 

It can be a bit of a rabbit hole as one hashtag leads to another discovery. 

If you haven’t played with it yet, put some time aside to explore “Explore” to:

- Find relevant connections

- Mine content ideas

- Measure trends

- explore related topics.

 Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you found it helpful, please share.

And if you haven’t already, join our Google+ Tips & Topics Community.

You can catch up on past #GPlusLunchBunch shows on my YouTube channel or Google+ Page.