How Google+ Can Change Your Life

Google+ is an outstanding social network that can change your lifestyle dramatically. I would compare social networks, be it Google+, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Kaboodle, Pinterest, eHow or any other to huge virtual cities. To get around a social network is like getting around a big city. To live happily and in a thrilling way though, you need to know some main principles and you need to understand how this big system called "social network" functions. The best way of getting around an unknown city is following a guide or a map left by a person who has already walked some paths there. I've been using Google+ for a while now, so let me introduce you to my experience and guide you in.

To live life in a social network is like playing a game, and a game always has some rules. In a game, it is important to understand that the way you develop your player's strategy determines a lot whether you are going to win or lose, or how much you can win or lose. And it is actually very easy to lose or to get into a trap, or to come to a dead end if you take a wrong direction or make wrong actions. When it comes to the "win" part, it depends on how smart a player you are and how well you follow the right direction.

If you are curious enough, Google+ is a fun way to learn new things about life and people. As soon as you create a Google+ account, you can opt for tons of interesting subscriptions, like photography, art, culture, travel and many others. You will then see in your feed different news from pages you subscribe to: these can be colourful photos, quotes, interesting stories, videos. And you can actually choose what to read: you can read all, which means that the network itself offers you all kinds of information from different sources on Google+, you can choose to read from your friends' feed, or from your friends' friends' feed, or from your family feed, or from your circle feed, or from your subscriptions feed. And you actually create all these different kinds of feed by yourself just by adding people and pages to your circles.

One of the most important things I have learned is that Google+ is about sharing. I mean, you can of course meet new people, learn things, search for people, self-promote and do a lot more but the main idea is sharing. That is why you have the share button that allows you to upload videos, photos, write stories, share links or you can simply share anybody else's post or any web content you like with your circles.

It is not by chance that Google+ is called this way. The first thing you notice about Google+ network is the plus sign. It's because when you are in Google+ and like some content on the web, you can put a plus under it, and it will show in your +1s profile section as well as in your Google+ feed. It's like a "like" button on Facebook. But there is another meaning to this plus, too.

Mathematically, the plus sign means adding. And Google+ is about adding, indeed. So, if you see an "add" button here and there, it's because you are in Google+!

People will add you to their circles, you can add them back. They will share different information with you - it's up to you to choose whether to keep in touch or not. If you have something inspiring to share - fine! People are aways curious to learn something new. And if I was to choose whether to add new people to my circles or not, I'd rather do.

Google+ offers a lot of opportunities and ways in which you can develop yourself, virtually. You can chat, call your friends, video chat, attend or organize a hangout, create a community, your own page or an event. You can promote yourself as a blogger, for example using a google+ button, or sharing a link to your blog post. I'm personally thankful to Google+ because it has helped me promote some of my Hubpages articles and some of my blog posts. I have an option allowing me to send emails to my circles every time I post something new, so they can better track my activity on the web. The thing is, they may not have the habit yet to read the feed, but they do check their email regularly.

As far as other Google+ activities are concerned, you can make new friends from around the world, as people you add to your circles may become your friends. Then you can be invited and travel abroad... Or invite somebody to your country.

Also, you can create your own photo albums.

One of the coolest things I have experienced on Google+ is being invited to a hangout by a team of astrologers called "CosmoQuest" who actually organize these hangouts every week. A hangout is like a video chat with several people at once. When a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk and fell, they dedicated a whole 50-minute discussion to it. I could not attend the hangout because of the time difference - that would be like in the middle of the night for me. But I did find the recording of it on YouTube. And I'm actually very grateful that these guys have come my way.

Another cool experience is adding Paris Hilton to my circle. So now I can read from her news feed and she can read from mine if she chooses to. This means I got an opportunity to get closer to a celebrity. Isn't it inspiring?

One more great thing about Google+ was creating my own page called Events Store. I have dedicated this page to all kinds of events that happen in our lives: birth, going to school, marriage, holidays...

So, you see, Google+ is a great place to be in, be it just for fun, learning, making friends or business purpose. Whether you use it or do not use it yet, I hope this article has helped you inform yourself about it.