How to Use Google+
You’re Probably Already Part of It
Do you have a Gmail account, YouTube account, or other Google username? Then you’re already set up to work Google+. When Google launched the service, they merged all of their accounts together, so you can access Google+ through link that says “+yourname” in your Google account.
Set up Your Profile
Most of didn’t set up a profile when we got a Gmail address. So the first step of using Google+ is to create that profile. Add a profile photo, main page header image, and the rest of the information. You can be as thorough or sparse as you like.
If you have a business, then you can create a separate page for that business. There are a couple different options depending on your business type. These help Google know where to put your pages in search results.
Home
In the center is your feed arranged in a block format. This allows you to see more posts at once, and make it easy for your tools to fit into the top, such as your posting box or your box to find more friends.
The posting box (top left in your feed) has icons that make it easy to post videos, text, images, share links, or even set up events or poll your friends. Google is known for clean, straightforward interfaces, and Google+ has an intuitive design that is no exception.
Hangouts
The right side of your screen is reserved for Hangouts, which is a key feature of Google+. Hangouts are any dedicated chat with friends. Whether it’s an audio chat, video chat, or text chat, you’ll find them all here. Since they’re all in the same app, it’s actually very easy to go back and forth between video, audio, or text almost seamlessly.
Circles
The core of Google+ is how your friends and contacts are organized into circles. In real life, you have different social circles for work, family, and various groups. Google+ attempts to emulate these with their Circles. Whenever you post, you’ll choose which Circles see your post, making it easy to keep parts of your life separate.
Circles are actually the big difference between Facebook and Google+. Facebook automatically adds friends to a general feed, then you can sort them into lists if you wish. Contacts in Google+ have to be added to a circle when you add them, so your contact are always sorted and organized.
Hashtags & Likes
Just like Twitter, Facebook, and other social media site, Google+ supports the use of hashtags to sort posts, images, and more. Instead of “Like” or “Favorite” Google+ uses the “+1” button.