Social media is an integral part of the tea world because it helps us to connect and share information. Google+ seems to be a bit of a last frontier for most people. The complaints that I hear most often about this platform are that it is confusing and boring. Once you’ve learned the ropes, it is neither of those things. Rather than explain how to use G+, I wanted to give some tips that will make it a much friendlier place for tea lovers. If you aren’t familiar with Google+ and how it works, I suggest checking out the book What the Plus! Google+ For the Rest of Us by Guy Kawasaki.
- Circle, Circle Circle – A common mistake people make on G+ is that they don’t circle anyone. Circling is the equivalent of following someone on Twitter. It will be a very boring place if you don’t connect with anyone. Google allows you to specify how much each of your circles can see so you don’t have to share all of your posts publicly if you do not want to. Start by adding people you already know and work your way up from there. If you are a blogger you may want to make sure that your posts are shared publicly, otherwise they may be missed.
- Interact – The best way to find new people to circle is to join in the conversation. Comment on posts that interest you. Never be intimidated if you feel that others are more knowledgeable than you are. Tea people are usually a pretty friendly lot and they will be happy to help you learn.
- Communities – Communities are a great way to meet G+er’s who share your love for tea. Here are some of my favorite. Due to the proliferation of spam in some of the communities on G+, a bunch of like-minded tea lovers are banding together on a community with the same name as this blog and you are welcome to join us.
I think that Google+ will really revolutionize the tea community once it catches on. Feel free to add me on Google+. You can also circle the G+ page for Tea for Me Please. I share my blog posts on both my personal profile and the blog’s page so it’s a great way to keep up to date on what is going on here as well.
P.S. If you have a blog that is hosted on Blogger, you can mention G+ profiles in your posts. Like this: +Tea for Me Please , +Nicole Martin .
Google+ is an integral part of my internet life as a whole, and I'm sad that so many people will write it off without giving it a chance because they want to use it like they use Facebook and none of their friends are there. When I first joined I had someone share a circle with me of about 1500 people, and through circling these people I made some friends who I hope to have for life. I have since cut my main circles down to a core 100 or so, but it stays a great place for discussion and interaction on things we all enjoy or at least have an opinion on or experience with.
Its definitely worthwhile to learn how to use it efficiently and for things you love, like tea!
Thanks for the comment Jack! I'm glad to hear that you've had a positive experience using G+. Thanks for circling me, by the way 🙂