If you haven’t already, start with updating your Google+ profile, cover, and profile image (not sure how? See this post) . Once that’s done let’s talk about Circles, Updates, and Communities!
I find a lot of authors that are confused about using circles in Google+. Simply put, circles are groupings of people that fit into a niche. For most authors, you may have groups you interact with such as:
- Friends (actual friends/people you know)
- Family
- Readers
- Writers you know
- Critique Partners
- Other groups for your hobbies – I’ve seen authors that have circles for Xbox Buddies, Knitters, Musicians, Rock Climbers, Runners, Guitar Players, Comedians, and many more 🙂
The thought process is simple – you likely have different things you would want to share with different groups of people you connect to.
For example, I often share information about writing, publishing, and marketing. Do my Xbox friends care about that? Probably not – it’s more relevant to my writers circles. Do you want relative strangers to see picture evidence of that party last weekend? Again, maybe for the friends circle, but may not want to share embarrassing evidence with readers.
Starting to see a pattern? For me, most authors won’t care about me doing autocross or running a half marathon. I get to control who can see the post and who I connect to! Yes, there are times we want it to be public – there’s an option for that 🙂 Here is a video I made discussing using Google+ – showing Circles, Communities, and posting comments:
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