Google+: The Missing Manual

Book description

If you want to gain more control over your social networking activities with Google+, this jargon-free guide helps you quickly master the ins and outs of the site. Learn how to organize your contacts, hold video chats with as many as ten people, and determine exactly who may learn what about you. With this book, you’ll navigate Google+ with ease.

The important stuff you need to know

  • Massage your profile. Control what the public, specific groups, or certain individuals can see about you.
  • Move in the right circles. Assign folks to different groups and share the right stuff with the right people.
  • Jump into streams. Get all the updates, pictures, and links from people you know.
  • Host hangouts. Organize and attend group video chats.
  • View and share photos. Make them available to whomever you like—whether or not they’re Google+ members.
  • Get notifications. Monitor what others do (and share about you) on Google+.
  • Go mobile. Use Google+ on your Android, iPhone, or mobile web browser.

Publisher resources

View/Submit Errata

Table of contents

  1. A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
  2. The Missing Credits
    1. About the Author
      1. About the Author
      2. About the Creative Team
      3. Acknowledgments
      4. The Missing Manual Series
  3. Introduction
    1. How Google+ Works
    2. What You Can Do on Google+
    3. About This Book
    4. The Very Basics
    5. About the Online Resources
      1. Missing CD
      2. Registration
      3. Feedback
      4. Errata
      5. On Google+
    6. Safari® Books Online
  4. 1. Getting Started
    1. Signing In and Joining Up
    2. Fleshing Out Your Profile
      1. Editing Your Profile
  5. 2. Managing Contacts with Circles
    1. How Circles Work
      1. Deciding Who to Share With
    2. Adding People to Circles
      1. Putting People in Circles
        1. From a profile page
        2. From the Circles page
    3. Creating Circles
      1. Types of Circles to Consider
    4. Editing and Organizing Circles
    5. Sharing Circles
  6. 3. Streams, Sharing, and Privacy
    1. Viewing Your Stream
    2. The Anatomy of a Stream
      1. Main Stream vs. Circle Streams
      2. What’s In a Post
    3. Writing a Google+ Post
      1. Adding Photos, Videos, Links, and Locations
      2. Mentioning People in Posts
    4. Choosing Who Sees Your Posts
      1. Post Visibility Options
        1. Writing a post while viewing your main stream
        2. Writing a post while viewing a circle’s stream
        3. Other posting tips
    5. Interacting with Posts
      1. The +1 Button
        1. Viewing other people’s +1s
      2. Commenting
      3. Sharing Others’ Posts
    6. Editing, Deleting, and Controlling Your Posts
      1. Controlling and Deleting Comments
      2. Controlling Sharing
      3. Blocking, Muting, and Reporting Posts
  7. 4. Notifications
    1. Where You Get Notifications
      1. Email
      2. The Notifications Panel
      3. The Notifications Stream
      4. Text Messages
      5. Smartphone Notifications
        1. Android
        2. iPhone
    2. Controlling Which Notifications You Receive
      1. The Most Important Setting
      2. The Other Notification Settings
    3. Making Notifications Less Intrusive
      1. Filtering Email Notifications
      2. Keeping the Red Box in Check
      3. Scaling Back Email and Mobile Notifications
  8. 5. Sharing Photos and Videos
    1. Viewing Photos
    2. Sharing Photos
      1. Including Photos and Videos in Your Profile
    3. Getting Photos onto Google+
      1. Uploading via Your Browser
        1. Uploading as post attachments
      2. Uploading from Your Phone
        1. Uploading from an Android phone
        2. Uploading photos automatically from an Android phone or tablet
        3. Uploading from an iPhone
        4. Sending photos straight to Google+
      3. Pulling Images from Picasa Web Albums
    4. Tagging Photos
    5. Editing and Deleting Photos
      1. Changing Album Visibility
        1. Changing visibility for multiple albums
        2. Changing visibility for individual photos
      2. Fixing Photos and Getting Creative
      3. Deleting and Downloading Photos, and Viewing Details
    6. Adjusting Overall Photo Settings
    7. Sharing Videos
      1. Uploading Videos
      2. Viewing and Editing Videos
  9. 6. Hanging Out
    1. Starting a Hangout
      1. Checking Your Setup
      2. Inviting People to Hang Out
    2. Hanging Out
      1. Hangouts with Extras
        1. Notes, Sketchpad, and Google Docs Collaboration
        2. Screen sharing
    3. Hangouts on Mobile Devices
    4. Tips for Better Hangouts
  10. 7. Searching and Sparks
    1. Searching Google+
      1. The Four Types of Google+ Search Results
      2. Best of vs. Most Recent
      3. Real-time search results
    2. Getting Better Results
      1. Finding Exact Phrases
      2. Excluding Terms
      3. Searching for Multiple Terms
    3. Saving Searches
      1. “What’s Hot” Searches and Ripples
    4. Throw Your Post into the Mix with Hashtags
  11. 8. Google+ Mobile
    1. Getting Google+ onto Your Phone
      1. Android Devices
      2. iPhone/iPod Touch
      3. Mobile Web Browser
    2. Streams, Posts, and Circles
      1. Streams
      2. Writing a Post
        1. Including your location (a.k.a. “checking in”)
      3. Circles and Profiles
        1. Android phones
        2. iPhones and mobile browsers
    3. Viewing Photos
      1. Uploading Photos
    4. Starting a Messenger Session (Apps Only)
    5. Mobile Notifications
    6. Posting to Google+ via Text Message
    7. Sending Things to Google+ from Other Apps (Android Only)
  12. 9. Playing Games
    1. Getting into Games
    2. Starting a Game
      1. Sharing Game Results
    3. Joining a Game
  13. Index
  14. About the Author
  15. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Google+: The Missing Manual
  • Author(s): Kevin Purdy
  • Release date: December 2011
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9781449311872