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!!!!!!!!