I want Google+ but what do I do with it?

Did you try to get in with the latest phenomenon sweeping social media and then found you couldn't get into it?

Did you manage to get in and then didn't have a clue what to do with it?

Well if you answered 'Yes' to either of these questions, you aren't alone.  Seems that everyone is jumping onto it without realising what it can actually do.  I asked a few people why are you you interested in Google+:

"Well it's free, right?" and "everyone is doing it, right?" and "it's by Google, so it has to be good?"

Well can't argue with those statements, so tell me what do you do with it then?

I'm just teasing, remember the days of MySpace and then all of sudden we had Facebook, didn't nearly everyone move over because MySpace had become just a virtual spare room, the kind you can't open the door to because so much has been dumped there and it's practically spilling its guts onto your newly hoovered landing.  Oh well I guess the Facebook spare room has been heading in the same direction for sometime so now we have a brand new room in the form of Google +.  I have to admit it does look clean and tidy, but then if I create a new Facebook account it looks the same because I'm not connected to anyone yet.

Before I signed up to Google + I took a look at what it could do for me, what was the point of signing up to yet another platform for social media sharing.  We all know that if you don't spend your life and sell your soul to the devil, sorry a sensible amount of time, putting the effort into these things then they just fall by the wayside.  Anything that involves followers unless you're the kind that only has an account to store photo's and connect with your mum and sister, well I think maybe Facebook is always going to be the better option for you.

So what exactly is Google + all about?

Firstly, lets remember that it's not fully complete yet, I have a message on my wall that tells me categorically I am part of a small group (namely 10 million or so give or take a few 100 people, I did just pull that number out of a hat - so don't quote me) helping to test it.  So if you couldn't get on to it, don't panic, just find someone that is and they can invite you.

But WAIT!!! Before you go rushing off, there’s still a % of people that won’t be able to join in just yet.  The message from Google:

“When you share something with people who are not yet able to use Google+, they will receive it via email but won't be able to comment or engage with the content like other Google+ users. They'll be able to join Google+ as we let more users in over time.”

So do you want to know what it's about?

Well Google+ is a social sharing tool combined with communications it has taken some of the key features from Facebook, thrown in a bit of Twitter, enabled some additional functionality that you would get with Flickr/photobucket and then thrown a bit of Skype on top. Yes there’s some other stuff in there but you have to bear with me right now I’m still learning too.

The one benefit that I see is, with Google’s other products such as Gmail, Picasa, Google Maps, you can start to see it coming together.  I already can get from my Google+ to my Google mail by the toolbar that runs at the top of my screen.

Being able to drop my thoughts, my blogs, share my photo’s, video chat and combined with being able to share all my latest web crazes and fads at the click of a button really does appeal to me.
So this is what the Google+ main page looks like:

I hear you “Oooohhhhh   it’s pretty!!” 

Do you like?

I see you nodding - do you still know what to do with it?

No! Ah well I’ll get to the point then.

When you start to set up your Google+ profile, it is fairly intuitive and it does walk you through what you need to do, it even suggests people who you may wish to connect with.

I’m not going to talk about how you create your profile, upload your photo, etc.. just what you can do with Google+.  So what are all these things?

This bit here is my stream, and the radio buttons to the left are my 'Circles'.

Everything you do in Google+ will be based around your stream, if you think about what happens when you receive information and updates through Facebook, Twitter, etc, its pretty much the same.  Your stream is your news feed, the part which is constantly updated with information every time someone including yourself posts something.   You have a text box to type messages and you can respond or comment on the items that appear on your stream. 

Those radio buttons underneath my profile picture are how I have defined each one of my Google + contacts.  Why?

Well a nifty little feature of Google + is Circles.  Circles enable you to put your friends, family, work colleagues, stalkee’s, hobbyists into their own specific groups so when you share information or want to view information you can choose which bits you want to share and see.  Why would you do this?  Well when you’re having conversations or sharing photos with your friends you aren’t always going to want your Mum or Gran to see or hear the same thing you just revealed to your best mates.  In the same way as you might want to share some of the latest train spotting hot spots without letting work know that you are in fact a closet train spotter.  

If you look at my stream circles, I specifically have one for blogging, I keep all my blogging friends and hot blog contacts in this circle but there a few (and you guys know who you are) that I have also put into my Avoid like the plague, (Tee he he no seriously) Friends and Family circle. I may want to see and share the blogging stuff but you guys are family so I need you in there too.  Do you get the idea?

Adding and setting up your circles is easy as pie, on the main page of google, you just go here:

Once there you get the choice to view people in your circles, Google will automatically suggest people you might like to add, that’s what all those faces in boxes are or you can find your friends, either through your contact list in Yahoo, Hotmail, by uploading an address book you exported to your hard drive or by the good old fashioned way of typing in their email and inviting them to join you.  From this page you can drag and drop each of your contacts into the right circle for you.  If you don’t want circles then don’t create them but I do think they are a great idea.

So that’s circles’s.  What are you thinking so far?  Do you like it or are you thinking you’ll stick with Facebook, etc.?

So what else is there? Well there’s Hangouts!

“ooh Hangouts, how do I get me one of them? What does it do again?”

Hangouts are the super cool group chat feature, now if you’re an avid Skype-r you will know that you can group chat.  I haven’t tried this feature on Google + yet but it does allow you to group chat with up to 10 people.  I guess it could get a little confusing if you’re all trying to talk at the same time but for large families or friends based all over the world or country it means that you are one step closer to having that virtual Christmas dinner without having to face uncle Jim’s reindeer pullover one more time.  I use the Skype version for friends in the states and family in Australia so it works pretty well for me, being able to combine my stream and my group video Hangout is making Google + really work for me.

If you don’t like the idea of video chatting, Google + also has Huddles for Group chat, it’s instant messaging for more than one person.  Again great if you are trying to arrange something with a group or even just to catch up and reminisce.  It’s all starting to come together, can you see why I quite like it?

So these are just a few of the features that I’m starting to see, one of the other cool things I like about Google + is my ability to share information with the click of a button but I already said that.  There’s another, Oh yes!!! another, Google has included in Google + Sparks.

Sparks is a way of finding information that is only of interest to you, click in the search box or click on an item and once you see the results you will see there’s an ADD INTEREST button.

Sparks will then keep you informed of any upcoming news, tips, etc..  It’s a way of filtering the types of information that only you want to see and it gives you the option to then share it with your friends.
Which is where I come to the last little tit bit of information.   I know there’s loads of stuff I could still be going on with but at this time the only other thing I’m going to share with you is the Google + 1 button.

Wherever you go over the web if you see this button, this means you can share it instantly just by clicking the button.  Yes we all use at some point the Facebook like seal of approval, we tweet, we stumble and so on but don’t forget you aren’t just flooding your wall with everything you like, you can use the circles to say who gets to see it or whether everyone gets too see it.  If you have a website or a blog and haven’t got a button, I would highly recommend getting one.

So that’s it from me, it’s been a pretty long post and I can safely say the longest one I’ve ever posted.  I hope  you got something from it.  If you have any further questions, well I’m not an expert but I may be able to help answer them or at least +1 it to you if you’re on Google+.

Until next time .

KISS - Keep it Short and Simple but is it always possible?

How often do you think about 'What is a good length for a post or even just for a piece of creative writing?'.  I see it all the time and there are many people who point out length of any proportion is too much - KISS is the rule, stick to it.  

I do not like the 'Keep it Simple, Stupid' or 'Keep it Short and Simple' acronym when referring to writing but I do when it comes to training.  When you are teaching it is always best to be precise and uncomplicated so that everyone can gain an understanding and learn.  However, when writing, it is different because it is so easy to get into the flow of words, sentences and paragraphs and very easy to miss the point, go off tangent and ultimately lose your audience. So does KISS work with writing?

I was specifically told anything over 300 words is too long.  Oh well! I blew that in the first paragraph on most of my pieces but it doesn't mean that people will switch off just because you wrote 500 plus words.

So my answer is 'not always'.  There are times when you have a specific point or story that you want to get across and yes keeping it short and simple is the best way to achieve this.  However if you are delving into discussion topics, analysing or need to explain different variables then no, keeping it short will not always work because your writing may lose its validity or the depth that is required to make your audience understand.

There are some points I try to consider when writing: 

1. What is my point?  Did you start off writing with a topic in mind or did you just start writing because you need to get something out there today? Are you just ranting?  If I don't have a precise point but I've produced a short thesis, I take the main pieces and recommend keeping it short. Quality should not suffer for the sake of quantity and you never know but your first 1500 words of rambling might actually produce 400 words of quality content.
   
2. Does my writing flow? I started talking about my friends birthday party and I've ended up talking about the perils of fishing in high heels.
   
3. Can my readers breathe? Have I punctuated my words appropriately or does each one flow into a sea of unrelated words. If you take this "A woman without her man is nothing" it is open to interpretation however if you punctuate it like this: 'A woman, without her man, is nothing' or like this 'A woman: Without her, man is nothing.' you have two very distinct meanings to the sentence.
   
4. Have I bored myself? Did I just write 1000 words that I really have no interest in re-reading, well if you can't be bothered, how do you think your readers feel?
   
5. Do my readers understand this? The proof is in the comments, if you receive comments that do not relate to what you have written, the chances are your readers missed your point completely, generally that means you missed your point too (refer to point 1).
   
6. Have I given the opportunity for engagement? Not just engagement but also have you made your reader think about what you have written, would you like to hear their point of views?  Unless it's a story I tend to ask lots of questions throughout most of my posts, mainly because I like to hear what people have to say but also because I like to make them think.
   
7. Can I make it look more interesting?  For me good graphics and visualisation work just as well for keeping your audience reading; as would a short piece without them. 
   
8. Shorter sentences make longer posts easier to digest.  Proper sentencing and paragraphing work wonders; regardless of whether the piece is short or long but a long piece of writing with no spaces is like a fine print contract to me - it holds little interest.
   
9. Headings and Sub Headings - Your heading is going to be the first thing that most people see, a heading is often a reason why I read a piece of work by a writer I'm not familiar with.  Strategically placed sub headings can help to reinforce the point of a post but also engage me further. 

I fully understand the point of short posts being more favourable, given how busy everyone is and how as human beings we prefer to assimilate information but I do not feel there should be specific numbers to dictate how long your writing should be. 

There are lots of things you can do to make your writing appeal and just by engaging the most basic of them, the longer posts can be just as effective as the shorter ones. Are you someone who gets switched off by a long post before you have even read it or will you at least attempt to read it?

The Art of Constructive Criticism

Everyone likes feedback, no one likes criticism.  Do you agree? 

Imagine this:

You've worked really hard on something and then you hear "it's a really great piece of work but.." and then the person who made the remark puts pen marks across everything you've put blood,sweat and tears into, kriss crosses out sections, highlights over things.    Let's face it you've been delivered the opening blow and now all you are focussed on are the things that are wrong.   What happened to the really great piece of work, which bits? You can't see anything that was great; now it's just a mass of scribbles and scrawls of what was wrong....

So what is wrong with this picture? What could of been done?

Are You the always the Critic? 

When you are in a position to freely give someone feedback or whether you are in a position where it is part of your job, you are dealing with people.  People have feelings and as such feedback is often a natural craving, criticism is not. Think about you want to achieve:

1. Why are you criticising?  Understanding your need to offer an opinion without thinking through what you are going to say is pointless, not only is it demotivating it can be demoralising and harmful.  If you are going to offer any form of advice make sure it is appropriate to the situation.
   
2. Be precise, waffling around the point will not make it any easier to discuss the points you need to.  Be precise, concise and most of all leave room for open questions and dialogue.
3. Try walking in 'their shoes' - the first step to being able to offer constructive criticism is to understand what the person is trying to achieve, not everything is black and white and without a proper insight you may get completely the wrong end of the stick.
   
4. Are you criticising the person rather than the object?  If you are offering constructive criticism on a piece of work, then keep the points valid to that object rather than make them about the person e.g. "There is a lot of detail, have you thought about including a paragraph on ****" rather than "You discounted any points about this and you haven't included the right information".
   
5. Giving indications of what you think and feel can help to give your perspective.  It is also more constructive to focus on the present rather than the past, unless you are using examples to support but do not compare as you endanger leaving the person feeling  worthless and as if they are in competition.
   
6. Offer advice rather than orders - it is very easy to dictate that someone should do something when offering constructive criticism but often the best way to get a point across is to open a discussion.  That way you leave your thoughts and give the person on the end the opportunity to delve deeper into how they feel.  People will respond more openly to solutions that they generate even if you planted the seed.
   
7. Find the positives - reinforce positives about what you see, this allows the person receiving the criticism to focus and invites the possibility of a collaboration.  If you start off with pointing out all the negative things then you risk being seen as just a complainer rather than someone who can offer some sound advice and it's highly unlikely that your comments will be taken seriously or the situation can become out of hand.
   
8. Be realistic - if you go in guns blazing and leave loads of comments about 'how this doesn't work', 'you should change this' and 'don't ever do this'; you risk alienating the person from the very beginning. Give a realistic amount of critical feedback that can also be digested by the person receiving it.
   
9. What goes around comes around - If you offer up your two pennies worth, don't be surprised if you get some back.  Be prepared and give the person a chance to give you some feedback on the criticism they have just received.
   

When you are on the receiving end.

It's no fun when you are constantly pulled up for things, when you need a little direction and all you get is pushed around.  The one thing I always think about when I am receiving criticism is what are they trying to tell me?  Are they just picking fault or do they have a valid point? in other words, I need to keep an open mind and try to understand their perspective. 

1. Relationships are a two way process, everyone is entitled to their opinion and it is up to you whether you choose to acknowledge or ignore it.  If you ignore any feedback or criticism, you leave yourself open and blindsided, try to take in the experience and see what you can learn from it, constructive criticism can improve relationships and communication between people. 
   
2. Two heads are better than one, by understanding what you are being told enables you to think up new ways of improving and bettering the object of criticism.
   
3. Don't switch off, yes it is hard when you are on the receiving end but some people will start off with the 'bad' news before 'delivering' the good so actively listen and try to understand what you are hearing.
   
4. If it seems personal, it doesn't mean that it is.  Some people are not very good at expressing or explaining themselves.  If you aren't sure whether they have a valid point, paraphrase to reiterate what you are hearing, ask the questions that enable them to explain it in a different way e.g. "I understand that this doesn't work for you, can you explain the reasoning behind your thinking?" or "If you were to approach this what steps would you take?".
   
5. Don't retailiate, it is very hard when you are on the receiving end not to become defensive, but if you jump too early, you may miss some valid points.  Sometimes even in the most absurb criticism a brilliant idea can be formed but if you are dismissing everything you could miss this opportunity. 
   
6. Turn it round, don't allow criticism to make you feel less or down, focus on the other person's actions and use it to take ownership and make your own decisions based on the conversation.
   
7. Use it to your advantage, even if you walk away at the end of the day with nothing but a feeling of well that was pointless, use the time to rethink how the process was, why do you feel that way? Could you have done something to change the direction and potentially leave feeling like you got something out of it instead.
   
8. Communication is key, if you do not feel the criticism is valid, you have a right to advise the other person but think honestly about whether their criticism is timely, specific and what you can do to change things before you speak.  If you can back up how you feel with specifics then it will be easier for you to explain why.

I see it so many times and I have to admit, having managed people defining the art of constructive criticism takes time and practice.   There are so many variables to take into consideration, I am fairly thick-skinned so someone could say something to me and I would not take it any more than just their opinion, however I have worked with people who would fly off the handle and get really upset or annoyed by a comment.  If we just took a little time to think about what we say and how we say it, regardless of whether it's an opening statement or a response we would get a lot further in collaboration and the generation of great ideas.