Matthew Rappaport G+ or Google+ or GooglePLUS Guide - Part II "STREAM"

THE MATTHEW RAPPAPORT GUIDE TO GOOGLE PLUS 

[PART 2] STREAM 

(Click here for part I - Circles)

On your HOME PAGE or the page you land on when you login
and click on the GOOGLE+ logo..

You will see what looks to be like a "WALL" -- but it's not..
it's WAY better..it's YOUR STREAM!

Explore: Start reading and scrolling through your stream...
let the RIVER FLow!

Identifying Reshares in your stream:

-You'll see when something has been shared b/c someone will be
TAGGED with their original post being in smaller text and
'originally shared by'

-Comments Collapse and Expand on Posts

TAGGING PEOPLE IN POSTS:

- To reply use + or @ but type slowly [sometimes the list of
5 possibles will not match yours but they are working on this
or maybe it was fixed?]

Commands IN post/comments:

- BOLD something * text *

- Italicize something _ text _

- Cross Out something [put a line through it .. a jokey mistake]
- text -

Individual Message [like an email -- also you can add people 1
by 1 to send to 2 or more..]:

-Private Message someone [like sending a FB Message or
writing on their wall but only they can see it] -- just add them as
a TAG to the post And/OR make them the ONLY name that

appears in share.. NO CIRCLES

When sharing...

- Public, Your Circles and Extended Circles will be the big ones
 you share too...

Here's a breakdown: http://www.xanthir.com/blog/b4Ca0

Public can be seen by ALL - on profile page

Your Circles only go into their streams [if they dont have you
circled..in INCOMING]

Extended Circles are people your circled people have circled
which is always changing and you will have no idea who those
people are for the most part. [But many will check you

out and circle you back]

-Check out the LINK for more.-

-I like dropping links in my circle rather than use their
specific "link", "video" "picture" buttons - faster and usually
comes up right away for embedded videos. If it does not --
hit RETRY until it does.. might have to hit it once or twice.

-----YOUTUBE and VIMEO Videos will play right in a post

but others will be linked out. [When copying and pasting
 links into SHARE box]

-----Drag and drop pictures to your stream from a folder
on your computer

[Add animated gifs by saving them to your computer and
dropping them in your SHARE box - make sure you click
 on it and it's open before dropping the file]

---Every POST in your Stream(s) has a TIME, DATE,
and Label to whom it was shared with..

Cool to see YESTERDAY and dates added as time goes by
to posts. Also it's nice to have the time to get an idea of when it
was posted to maybe understand WHAT was said

in a clearer context if it says things like 'tonight' when they
meant last night, etc.

Also it will says PUBLIC, LIMITED or EXTENDED CIRCLES --
Click on any to see whom the post was shared with -- usually just
LIMITED is of interest b/c it'll be to just you,

just a select group, just a circle which will show numbers of people, etc.

--At anytime you can click on the person's name or thumnail to be
 taken to their GOOGLE PLUS PROFILE PAGE!

-Click on a picture to enlarge it and a black page will open up
with the photo and click on the arrows if they are there to go
through them -- You can also comment to the side on this page
as well.

-Click on the ARROW IN A CIRCLE on the middle of a
video to play it right in your stream.

Sometimes instead of playing it will bring you to a page like
 the PHOTO PAGE to play it there instead.

-You'll notice with links there will be symbols many times to
your left of the link which shows the website's logo if it has one.
Of course click links to go check them out [Hoping they let

us view them on G+ itself in the future instead of going to another site.]

-You'll also notice sometimes SHARED FROM SPARKS
which just means someone found a cool blurb/article/media
from the SPARKS Section and clicked on SHARE

to post it directly to their Stream.

--Do not let your stream overwhelm you OR feel
you have to read it ALL!

If there are people you like and want to keep up with --
NEW CIRCLE TIME..

You can put people into more than 1 circle.. it works fine..
and you can edit it if it annoys you to see their posts in
more than 1 place.

--Group by category, how you know them or maybe an
emotion or what they mean for you when reading.. nobody
knows but you what CIRCLE they are in [also very tough

for someone to figure out you have UNCIRCLED them..
well if they go to your profile but most would not be looking to
do that... unless they have gotten super close to you hehe]

-When trying to COMMENT OR SHARE on a post in your STREAM...
at first, you can do it right in your STREAM -- but as you
add more people to circles.. Much quicker and less annoying
to open the POST in a new tab by clicking the dropdown
arrow in the corner and clicking on LINK TO THIS POST.

New tab comes up and you can interact with the post without
it running away from you on your Stream.

- J and K on your keyboard will scroll up & down on your stream.
Also usually if you open a RESHARE BOX and then go somewhere
else.. will usually help you get right back to 

where you were vs. trying to scroll which is NOT FUN!

-MUTE THIS POST ... Sometimes you'll see something you
don't want to see (and if enough  of that happens.. just uncircle
that person...) ... and sometimes you will COMMENT/interact

with a post that gets hundreds of comments.. that YOU just do
not care about...  MUTE IT in your notifications so you don't
have to see people say "Nice" "Cool" "Awesome DUDE!"

or even regular conversation if it's just too much to go through
all those comments.. NOBODY will know you muted their posts..
NOBODY -- well you.. and google.. but nobody else...right..

--UNWANTED COMMENTS will happen.. where people post
the same comment over and over again in your posts and/or to you ---
I usually will delete one but if there is enough of them all at once --
I will Report Abuse.. do not be afraid to do so if you feel like
someone is intentionally bombarding you with the same post that is
self-serving and not adding to the interaction. [You can also BLOCK 
someone right from the post in the arrow dropdown if they bother
you enough that you just are done with seeing them and

their posts and dont need to be involved with them.. this can always
be UNDONE in your Back Circles Office]

+1 Stuff you life... if it amused you or any reason.. Just lets the
person know you liked it AND puts you in front of them to see.
Unlike the LIKE button... where people you mostly knew LIKED stuff..
now complete strangers are coming into your STREAM and hitting
+1 which is another way to get to know people and what they like..
and if someone likes a lot of YOUR POSTS -- Go check out their
profile and see what their posts are about and who they are...
[Currently you can +1 Posts and Comments on the stream]

---Recognizing others from their interaction with your stream posts
as well as the posts they make is cool and will stick in your head...
so once you start hanging out... you'll get a whole new 3D
perspective on whom that person is.. "Oh wow you commented
on this or posted that.. or etc. ..when they come into your... HANGOUT"

Hangouts coming up soon in PART III -- HANGOUTS ARE ADDICTIVE
and maybe the best part of G+ .. brings the INTERACTION to a
completely different level!

Matthew Rappaport G+ or Google+ or GooglePLUS Guide - Part I Getting Started & "CIRCLES"

THE MATTHEW RAPPAPORT GUIDE TO GOOGLE PLUS 
[PART 1] Begin with GOOGLE CIRCLES


 I started on G+ just 18 days ago [7/2/11] and so far am 110% ADDICTED
 to it as it is super interactive & engaging. It's a great book full of tons
of topics you just can't put down and actually go to bed...I admit to
staying up past the sunrise on more than -one- many occasions! As I type
this blog, I have notifications waiting for me and posts not yet written but
in my head while great things scroll on by in my stream -- which makes
me have a sense of urgency to get back there..SOON!
 Already after my short time, I have friends that I talk to and interact
with like we've known each forever and it's not odd or weird unless
I pause [which you can't do on your stream yet..] & think.. "Wow,
it's been what...2 weeks or less and I know
Joseph Lee, Amanda Blain, Bobbi Jo Woods, Justin Ormont, Daniel A,
Mike Stenger and many others... I mean I couldn't tell you their favorite
 food or birth signs [yet] but it's a pretty fantastic start!
 So let's begin with.... CIRCLES
The [I interrupt this part in the blog to say I went to my stream to
 interact..now I have the FAMOUS Red Card waiting for me and it's at 9+!]
 first place to start besides setting up your profile and picture [which
might be done mostly if you have a google profile already.. you do right?
yea, you do!] is with setting up CIRCLES!
Circles look like half the Olympics Symbol for a reason...

It's an OLYMPIC EVENT almost each and every time.

- Find and Add all contacts -- Break them down NOW.
[On FB, I never bothered to use any of that -- friends were friends but it's
all mixed up when trying to read...]
You want your Friends in Real Life [IRL] to be in other circles than
people to follow and new people to circle [YES you will WANT TO circle
people you do not know for the BEST EXPERIENCE!]...........
Friends, Family, Acquaintances are fine.. but why not go full out -- make
 it fun, funny, etc.

[Sharing Circles will come in the future if you want to do that..I believe...]
REAL FRIENDS, People I know but never talk to, In-Laws, 
Poker Buddies, Sisters' Friends that think I'm A-dorable, Sisters' Friends 
that think I'm a Loser but I  would still... , etc. - Many choices..
 [I have no sister! WTH, BOBBY!]

-If possible when working in CIRCLES, try to copy and paste all people
in the list...when adding a large number at once -- you can always go
through and click on people you don't want to be highlighted in blue to
unselect them as you then can drag the entire selected bunch into a
NEW CIRCLE or an already created circle. **Notice if you made
a mistake, usually an UNDO button near the top -- like if you unselected
people by accident!

-Some ideas are breaking people down into Categories [Which works but
again we are all HUMAN and post more than just our MAIN AREA..
Googlers like beer and Photographers like to read, etc.] --
Art, Photographers, Authors, Business, Tech, Animated GIF sharers,
Comedy, Entertainment Bloggers/Critics, Health, Foodies,
Gaming, Hollywood, Music, Indie Music [as in WHO?], 
Indie Film & Writers [as in WHOM?], News, Magazines, Leaders 
& Fictional People [i.e. Santa Clause], Movies,
Sports, YOUTUBE "celebs", Webshows-Webcasts-Podcasts, Products... 
Those are a lot of my real circles and there are other categories.. for now
I will lump all art together -- not break down, illustrators, sculptors,
etc which maybe is unfair since photography is an artform..
but there are only so many hours in a day hehe [NOT ENOUGH!]
but you can put people into MULTIPLE CIRCLES,
change it up at anytime, etc.

-I think now there is a "Followers" Circle but again that is
too general..[I am told that there was a
DEFAULT FOLLOWERS circle for all but didn't notice it..maybe
 I changed its name..but didn't think so]

 You also want CIRCLES for strangers to remember them by
and share with them in a 'correct way' [no such thing but..lol].
ONE BIG LUMP CIRCLE called "Lazy Circday" or
SORT THESE LATER.. or even PEOPLE I DONT KNOW
but met on G+, etc is great and you can put everyone
in there and as you discover people in your STREAM -- you can
add them to an already made circle OR be inspired to create a NEW ONE
 -- and 1 person in the circle is fine b/c you can always add later..
no limit on number of circles...
------Now as you get to know people -- try breaking them
 down into cats [err -egories, not felines]
 -- here are suggestions:
HANGOUT BUDDIES, IM/Chat/Gtalk buddies, 
People that have Interacted with my Stream,
and if you want you can have OverSharers, 
Interesting, Funny, Crazy, etc -- all up to YOU!

-BLOCK ---- Now as you go along in your journey...
you will encounter annoying people such as those
that are A-holes in Hangouts, A-holes on your stream via
comments or posts directed at you, Spammers as in they leave
the same comment over and over to check out their own thing
or for people to CIRCLE them [no need for this... be interesting
 and circle other people... it'll happen.. not a contest!] You
can hit 'report abuse' on people and/or just get rid of them ---
Drop them into your BLOCK Circle
and be done with it... I never thought I would have to use that..
but I cannot tell you how annoying it is to go through and
 have to delete comments [Happened on BUZZ too!!].
Oh yea and DON'T BE THAT GUY OR GIRL! 


--I believe CIRCLES lets you import or suggest people from
your gmail/google account along with importing from YAHOO
and Hotmail -- you can import FB friends to YAHOO to get
them into G+ which is a "workaround" as the techies like to call it...
or the 'screwyoufbimdoingit' method.

-You can DRAG the DOTTED LINE to show more CIRCLES
 or to show more PEOPLE -- Use this..it helps!

-People you have added and who have added you does not
 match up yet with what your profile says -- this is a bug but
also as much as they want to keep everything in real time...
it is close but not perfect.

-To see who has circled/followed you and you have not
done the same with them --
Click on "People who've added You" and dropdown
to 'NOT YET IN CIRCLES' where it says probably
RELEVANCE [a cool sort feature based on your interaction
 with others...] Check out that dropdown to see other cool
 sorting ways to look at your people!

-FIND PEOPLE is great back there so you can bring up people
you want to find... Like you remember their 1st name or last name
but not both which WILL happen... Easy way to find someone like
 that AND check your smaller breakdown circles like
Hangout Buddies, i.e.

-INVITE -- instead of clicking on the RED INVITE button on the
side of your homepage.. much quicker way is to create circle based
on EMAILS and then SHARE just to them
on your stream with any note -- "Hey you're COOL so
I'm inviting you to G+!" -- it's less of a formal invitation perhaps...
[which might mean they have a harder time getting in?!
but who knows...really *this was written when G+ was invite only*]

-Lots more I can get into but for now -- my LAST TIP is as your
circles grow [and until we can sort our main stream more..] --
Start a HOME or BASE or MAIN Circle so you can get used
to THAT being the one you check out most often [although
it'll be tough not to still use your BIG STREAM.. which still check..] --
make this one specific -- keep it smaller.. 100-200 max or so to start..
but I'd say try to keep it at 1000 or less so it doesn't FLY BY
while you're trying to interact -- Commenting, Editing a comment,
Sharing, Posting, etc. -- Stream will fly by and your Response
will fly NORTH on you [**Use J and K 
also on your keyboard to move your screen up and down!]

-----------You are CIRCLED Up and ready to... STREAM!!!!!!!!

1st Day on Google+ and I encounter Circles that go round and round. . .

...Previous Google+ Post

Google+ had brought me to CIRCLES to show me from
my gmail address who they thought I might know
already on Google+ as well as those not fortunate enough
to get an invitation quite yet... and that was made clear by some with...



 Well I happen to have a lot of contacts and so there was a large task in front
of me so Circles look like Olympic Circles for a reason as when
you're done (and it's always ongoing and adding people to circles happens
faster than other places) it feels like you've been through a mental
"where does this person belong or how does this person belong and
what if they go in multiple places?!" Olympic Event where no medals
are handed out but a sense of "Wow, I just did something and have
blue circles creatively titled REAL FRIENDS because the
default FRIENDS label doesn't help as much and of course
many have In-Laws but I added FOLLOW TECH (Mashable,
Leo Laporte and Robert Scoble got dibs planted here and 
I think they are all in LOVE - nice to witness..true geek love) 
and Hollywood (You know Felicia Day and Ashton Kutcher
are all over it)" 
 You can drag one at a time which I did and thought highlighting
was silly until I realized DUH -- Highlight multiple people for a circle
and as you drag them into a circle of trust.. they combine together
into one perfect union (NICE JOB AGAIN NY!) like a folder
in front of your eyes with a graphic number pin attachment as you
move them into your circle which rotates and adds + signs
as you do this -- Sounds are made in places too so GooglePlus
becomes more interactive and almost video game like
(Games, Music and 100+ features are said to be on their
way! What's facebook? Oh they TOO have a New HANGOUT
like feature of their own on their way to go to WAR with
Google as they teamed up with Skype aka now Microsoft to
do some heavy battle!.
 So on your very facebook looking home page you will
see a Stream which is a wall or twitter feed with every circle
showing or you can click on specific circles. Each time
you share you can pick all circles, 1 circle, a bunch of
circles (and Googleplussocial remembers these combinations
for later) combined, or even Public which would appear
to be not just all circles but the internet!
 You see people who added you to their circles pop up on
your stream and in notifications AND can add people to any
already created Circle or create a new one on the spot right
from their tiny thumbnail picture on your stream(s) - Pretty
quick and easy.
 Getting back to Creating Circles - You can put the same
person in as many circles as you wish and we learned that
5000 is the limit of how many people can be added
to circles but there is no limit on how many people can add
you to circles.

Circles explained:
---You add someone to a circle is a Facebook Friend
---Someone adding you to a circle is a Twitter Follower

Currently you can SHARE any post no matter what
in any circle which caused a little issue of privacy
b/c if a friend shares something I didn't want
my family, boss or even sig other to see for whatever
reason & they share it on their stream or public --
Then my Circles have been violated but GooglePlus
is or has put the ability to turn sharing on or off on either
posts or in general -- Not sure if this is in play yet or on its way!

Sample of what Circles look like:




 From Your CIRCLES page you can view everyone in your combined
circles and when clicked on, the circle(s) they are in will highlight.
You can also view any of their profiles by clicking on view profile
which is nice. You can only currently import people from Yahoo
and Hotmail but on Yahoo you can import your Facebook Friends,
Gmails and more AND then they can be moved over to your
Google+ Circles.
 Currently people dragged into your divided circles not
on Google+ yet will not be allowed in or emailed to the
site. I am not sure when they will allow people to invite others
or how it works just yet but I think people will
be emailed when the site is public and notified
of some or all of the Google+ activity involving
them.
 So my circles were set and as I was checking things
out -- I got into Sparks for a little bit because I was ready for a Hangout
yesterday ..when I may or may not have had a HANGOVER
@whenimdrunk

Finally my Google+ or GooglePlus invite arrived in my Gmail

 I love social networking and like you have read about the Facebook
Decline as well as Myspace being sold for 37 million (I hear
Justin Timberlake is possibly taking it over and maybe
he can create original content and take artists plus celebs &
make it relevant again - time will tell) & so since I have been
a big supporter of Google Products from GMAIL, youtube,
& blogger like many of you (as well as BUZZ .. like not as many
of you) - I was super excited to try out Google+ (which might
be called googleplus in the near future as people don't like trying
to find the + sign on their phone..or even keyboards -- counter arguement is the current name is 3 less characters!)

Well I did what I could to get an invite by searching the internet
and posting comments which MANY people are still doing as I type
this. This morning (via an awesome Buzz Contact) there it was sitting
nice and shiny in my gmail inbox -- the golden ticket to Google+ and in
only a matter of minutes when I saw the Google Project which had
previously told me it was open to a limited field was showing me a
way in. . . (and yet there was no lotto money attached -- odd excitement
one may wonder?! Ed McMahon smiling down on me -
YESSSS SIR! That is CORRECT SIR!) I typed in my email
and away I went. . .



So while I was busy with a super important FLICKCHART decision
as to which movie is better -- Shawshank Redemption or Superbad ?!
[Yes you must choose at Virtual Gunpoint! Sorry @jonahhill because
in comparing the two.. your movie lives up to its name and speaking
of PLUS can you PLUS some food because it was you that taught us
that there is nothing funny about a physically fit man but I digress
and glad you will not be diabetic! ROCK ON!] -- I snapped this picture
during this difficult time and then to always remember my Google+
beginnings.. have made it my current profile picture for the world.. err Circles
that INCLUDE me to see (isn't that ALL Google+ Circles?!).

 So going a little bit back -- I was a Buzz user and noticed
IMPORTANT pop up in my gmail and then noticed the +1 pop up ---
so naturally I activated +1 and said "Ahh google has their 
own LIKE button which may (or may not...nahh) influence SEO and google searches but cool.. I'll go +1 stuff I like, some of my own stuff and videos to see what happens.."
But then I noticed them on my blogger posts and pretty soon on
youtube videos and knew this had to be for a reason ....
 Google changed its look and top tool bar AND my google
profile via Buzz added Buzzes and +1s as options so what is
all this?! Well it was the right way to launch a social network
which is exactly what Google is doing with what I believe will
be a successful launch and site in Googleplus err google+
 ...the new social site from Google.



 I had a pretty intense day 1. . . 1st step after basic profile info
(most picked up right from and off of google buzz) and adding
 my profile picture... it was off into Google+ version of friends, family,
others divided into CIRCLES