By now I’m sure you know Google announced A LOT of changes for Google+. I seriously considered sharing them all here but honestly it was overwhelming and silly. Instead I’m going to focus on what I think are the most important features for you to know about. These are some pretty cool things Google+ not only announced but are already rolling out for you.

Desktop Layout

multicolumnThis is probably the first thing you’ll notice when you login (if you haven’t yet). It now has a really cool multiple column view. One thing to notice is that up at the top you can swap it back to a single column layout if that is what you prefer. All you need to do is select more and down at the bottom you’ll see the option to switch between the two.  Personally, I love the multiple columns because it gives me the ability to really scan through what is happening.

Photo Features

For my money, Google+ has always had some pretty cool photo features, now though they’re AWESOME. First off they’re highlighted in the timeline, you’ll notice that images are appearing much larger. Second you have some very fun edit features available to you. Google+ will automatically highlight better quality photos and even automate a collection of photos.

 Hashtags

Hashtags I love this! This gives you the ability to look at other posts using the same hashtags and, if there are multiple hashtags in the post, you can see all of the hashtags by clicking on the tag. One really cool thing you will notice is that in this post I didn’t actually create or indicate any hashtags but Google+ gave me two in the drop down both #Google+ and #googleplusupdate based on the content of the message.

Hangouts

As you know, I’m a big fan of hangouts, it has a lot of really great uses. That is even more true now.  First of all, Hangouts is a stand alone app available for Android, iOS and also available in the Chrome Web Store. Beyond that you can still access it through Google+ and Gmail. It now offers text chat along with free video calls. I’ve already used it a few times since they’ve made some of the changes and it’s really nice. I have had some frustrations with Skype lately and I’m thinking it’s time to make the switch to Hangouts for all of my video calls. It’s especially handy for meetings where I want to share documents or even share screens. Also, old apps like Google Talk, GChat are all being wrapped into Hangouts so everything is together.

Have you had a chance to check out the new features? Hit the comments and tell me what you think of everything!

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Using Google+ Hangouts to rock your business from Hit the Mic Marketing

Google+ Hangouts are one of the reasons I listed that you should stop ignoring Google+ and it’s, hands down, one of my favorite features.  One of the biggest things I hear about Google+ Hangouts is “Yeah, it’s really cool, but how will I use it?”. I generally respond with “Oooh! Let me show you the ways!” and an evil laugh. Oh ok… the last part isn’t true. Just let me pretend.

What are the 3 ways you can use Google+ Hangouts? Let me tell you…

 

1. Team Meetings

  • Seriously! Google+ Hangouts are free to use, you control the privacy settings, AND you can have up to 10 people involved. Now obviously if you have a team larger than that this won’t work, but if you don’t, why are you not using this? I challenge you to have your next team meeting with video instead of just on the phone. Everyone is focused, everyone is sharing, and it’s the next best thing to being able to gather in person. 

2. Webshow

  • This is a really cool way to be able to do an interview style web show and broadcast it live to your network. In addition to being able to broadcast it you can immediately get it up on YouTube. Seriously! And with some of the new features like rewinding that Google Hangouts On Air has, it makes this even cooler! This is a great way to share your amazing content and self with your audience.  A fabulous example of someone who uses this feature and uses it well is Sylvia Nasser from TheFitFem.com. She has been doing really cool live workout classes which you can see on her YouTube channel.

3. Mastermind

  • Who says your favorite mastermind buddies have to be local? No one, that’s who! Why not up your mastermind game and have a small video chat, again this is totally free and you control the privacy settings. You can keep your goals in a shared Google Doc that you can actually review and everyone can see during the Hangout. Motivate, stay connected, and stay on track during your next VIRTUAL mastermind session!

This week’s challenge for you is simple, hit the comments and tell me one way you are going to try to use Google+ Hangouts. It can be one of the above ways or you can share a totally new creative way to use it! Also if you’re not signed up for Open Mic News, do so NOW, next week I’m doing a super cool secret things ONLY for email subscribers so you don’t want to miss it!

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