Longo, muito longo. Mas bem interessante e instigante

Longo, muito longo. Mas bem interessante e instigante

Originally shared by Sean Cowen

What Does Google+ Mean To You?

This is one of my famous "very long reads" so take your time with it and pace yourself!

A few years back, I had a lofty goal in mind to write a book about mastering Google+ and providing insights into how I was able to navigate the waters of this UI. I live on a rural farm in NW Ohio and somehow I've gathered 55,000 followers and 32 million views of my posts, so it feels like I'm doing a few things right. I had about 45 pages written, but life, being unemployed for a lengthy time, then finally finding great new work intervened and this book is now collecting dust in Drive.

But I did reach out to many incredible people on G+ and I asked them one simple question: What does Google+ mean to you?

I hope they won't mind if I share their stories here. I don't want their words to disappear to time, and until I finish this book (and I will!) I thought my circles might enjoy seeing their thoughts. I'd love to hear from them all now and see if anything's changed or gotten better. This is a great journey we're all on...

If you'd like to add your own extended words on this topic, comment here of PM me and I'll be sure you're added. Also, if any of these authors no longer would like to have their words publicly posted in the stream, I'll respect your wishes and remove your words. But each response was lovely and I hope my readers enjoy seeing where all of our collective heads were when I asked the question...

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Paul Roustan - Providence, Rhode Island, USA Paul Roustan 

Google+ has been, by far, the best means for me to showcase my work. More importantly, it is a platform allowing me to develop relationships with people of all sorts, be it friendships, colleagues, and/or valuable connections for my artwork. I don't think there is any better method to connect to an important person, the right person, bypassing their agency/secretary/bodyguard or whoever would normally deny contact. This is a TREMENDOUS benefit to artists/musicians/directors/etc. Google+ cuts out the middle man, allowing many people to exist that may never have been found.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Stephanie Van Pelt - Florida, USA Stephanie Van Pelt 

Sometimes technology has a way of touching us in the most unexpected ways.

I joined Google Plus during its infancy, within the first month during the throttled-invite-only phase. I must confess, I was courted more by the exclusivity of it all than because I was so very anxious to join another social network. All I knew was that you had to be invited and that it was only 1 week old.

It took me only a week or so to drum up the courage to join a Hangout, a feature that allows you to video chat with up to 9 other people from pretty much anywhere. It was scary, my palms were sweaty and they were complete strangers. In fact, everyone I interacted with on Google Plus was a stranger. And yet, there we were, saying hello, responding to posts and exchanging ideas down threads of conversation.

I really had no idea what was in store for me. None. If you told me then where I’d be now, I would have said you’re insane.

Once I recovered from the initial nervousness I realized everyone else was in the same predicament. Some hid it better than others, or were just inherently more comfortable with the medium; however Google Plus was too new for anyone to be established at Hangouts. As the comfort level grew, so did my enjoyment and love of Hangouts.

As a single mom, I don’t get out much these days. The boys are in bed early but I am up for hours still, a night owl and social by my very nature. Hangouts give me the opportunity to connect with people from all over the world, to sit up late at night and converse, argue, debate, listen to music, explore the internet and ultimately forge some incredible new connections and relationships.

Over the past 6 months I’ve been able to broaden my horizons in fantastic ways. I was introduced to dubstep (yes, I know!) through a music Hangout. I’ve gotten to know more about the remarkable differences and intriguing traditions of other cultures through direct chat with strangers I may never see or meet. I’ve randomly helped a few strangers through small donations. I’ve seen exotic locations through mobile Hangouts and had discussions on everything from food to health care to love won (and lost) .

There have been some incredible, personal stories shared with me. Some publicly in comments on threads and some far more privately. I’m always touched when virtual strangers open up and tell me more about what makes them, them.

After posing a question, what book really seized your imagination and got you to start reading I was astounded at some of the deep answers shared with me. Behind the curtain of a monitor people shared parts of themselves few people share face to face. I read about one person using books to fulfill the role models they never received from their own parents; another shared his personal work experience with one of my favorite authors.

Similar stories, moving and emotional came after a post about dating single parents. I cherish each time people shared themselves with me. Everything from a mother’s death, to the loss of a twin, to surviving childhood cancer, to orphaned adults alone for the holidays…job loss, promotions!, gift exchanges, sharing of that one little link you know will matter to someone, exposure to new music – so much to explore, but all of it in a very personal matter.

What this has really boiled down to, for me, is that all those random, strange “internet people” have become so much more. Connecting through common interests rather than common locations, I feel like I’ve had this amazing opportunity to explore the people that make up the internet.

So what happened to me? I wound  up on a cruise with some of those “internet people” and had the absolute time of my life. I challenge you , who’s out there waiting for you to get to know them? Who haven’t you met yet? What haven’t you learned about yet?

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Liz Quilty - Cambridge, New Zealand Liz Quilty 

Google+ has meant a lot to me, it’s enabled me to connect to like minded people who are not always the majority. Being a female in technology means i work and live in a very male orientated world, though i don’t think that this is necessarily a bad thing. 

However, i would have liked to meet more females in the industry and be able to help us promote each other, to get more voice and encourage other females who are looking to get into things. Being able to interact with those people, and helping organize things like STEM Women on G+ has been amazingly awesome.

Google is actively helping us with our task, and this in itself is what is setting it apart from other social media platforms. Google have done this with several other groups and people, and especially minority groups with a good cause have found a voice. 

For this reason, Google+ has changed my life, and the life of a lot of others in a similar way :) For me, Google+ is support, supporting those who want to help themselves go places, and do things :) Its also friendship, and great conversation, i have got a LOT from a lot of great people!

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Michael Vaughan - Mackay, Queensland, Australia Michael Vaughan 

My first motivation for using Google+ was that it was not Facebook.  At the time Google+ was announced, I was still futilely trying to convince people to use Orkut. Google+, for me, hasn't become the Facebook-killer I'd hoped, because so few people I know in meatspace use it, however I've met so many cool people here.  I think this must be what it felt like for those first internet users, with their wholly new online communities, BBSs and such.

Possibly the thing I like most about Google+, though, aside from the features, is just how accessible the semi-famous can be.  Bloggers, artists, authors, actors; at some point, I've actually exchanged words with people I've looked up to for so long, and that is what keeps me using it.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Daf Griffiths - Ponciau, Wales, United Kingdom Daf Griffiths 

G+ has been a big boost for me, if you met me face to face you would instantly turn to one of my friends and say the same thing everybody else does: "this guy is hard work to talk to"!

I used to be the type of person who lived for the attention on stage. I always took great pleasure from compliments about my performance in musicals as it meant I'd done my work right, and by doing it right I mean I wasn't me for 3 hours. My greatest pleasure in life was rehearsing for 4 months of the year to not be me for 3 hours a night over the space of a week and that week was the highlight of my year,

NOW, every day is a highlight as G+ has allowed me to be myself without having to come face to face with people in difficult environments and it's incredibly liberating! I aim to join in with hangouts soon and that will be a major turning point for me, but with the friends that I've made on here I'm not worried about the outcome as I already trust those people implicitly.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of jay dawge - Maine, USA jay dawge 

OK here goes, Google plus came along at a time when things were quite mixed up. I was having a really hard time finding work, so I sold my home and moved south for a job offer that paid better. The move brought me closer to my daughters home +kool cat so the move was a no brainer. I did not know anybody down here and I met my roommate the same day I moved down. I worked a lot and had no friends here, so google plus was a good escape. I have met so many cool people doing so many cool things in so many cool places, that I don't know how I would get by w/o them. G+ also gives me a way to share cool music, pictures, stories and art with my daughter "and many others around the world for that matter". 

Thank you to all that I have met, for the laughter, joy and sorrow you have shared. For those that are home sick for Maine Sean Cowen  and a few others I have met I think about you when I snap and post photos, trying to capture subjects that are typical of Maine life. I could ramble on for hours but I will spare you the irony LOL, good luck w/ your book I know it will be good w/ your talent and G+ users for the subject matter you will do well.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Ciro Villa - Florida, USA Ciro Villa 

Google Plus for me has been a venue that has shown infinite possibilities   So many minds and so many talents, have contributed to expanding the horizon of human inspiration for all of us; it's been a fantastic 14 months journey so far and the future appears only as bright as ever. Using this brilliant and fantastic technology through blog posts, comments, debates, images, sound and hangouts, incredible people, virtual pioneers of a new world, have offered and shared the best of themselves, their knowledge and experience to enhance our human experience.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Stefan Svartling - Nycöping, Sweden Stefan Svartling 

Google+ has the most interaction I've ever seen, so when it came, I'll immediately stopped blogging on my old normal blogs, and started to use Google+ as my main blog. My only blog. Why not blog where the interaction is was my thoughts, and I have never looked back.

So to me Google+ means everything. I love Google+ and all the interaction. It's my home online.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of David Bowden - Santa Monica, California, USA David Bowden 

The answer to your question is simple really (for me anyway). I came to Google+ to share photography. Unlike many digital photographers I tend to shoot as I did in film. Meaning, I take a moment to compose, measure and shoot. I don’t use the back of the camera much, I tend to focus on what I see in the viewfinder and my overall composition.

What this means is that I don/t take as many pictures as others do. I also have a standard that I don't share "crap." If I am going to put my name on it then it needs to be good.

What does this have to do with my best moment on G+. Well, this set of circumstances is what led to my writing. You see, I ran out of photos to share. Being focused on growing my following I decided to share a story as opposed to a photo.

It led to the post "A Good Day" which is to date one of my most popular shares and most read and commented posts.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/112022983294967948367/posts/aXWLMoXhwLr

It was on this Wednesday that people began following me in larger numbers, commenting and engaging more and the stories followed. Week after week. Sharing this story and reading the comments and seeing the shares associated with it are by far my best experience on G+ and is what keeps me coming back.

I have some very loyal followers, great friends and enjoy the community. Good luck with your book, and thanks so much for thinking of me.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Glenn Rogers - Bedford, Texas, USA Glenn Rogers 

What Google Means to Me, and More Importantly, Why the Hell Should You Care? +Sean Cowen here ya go!

Oh sure, I could tell you about how I happened upon Google Plus through Facebook and Twitter, thereby making the obligatory comparisons to both social networks, eventually giving Google Plus the nickname "TwitBook".  Or I could tell you that I was instantly impressed with the social network for a number of reasons - 1) no stalkers 2) no Zynga invites and most importantly, 3) did I mention "no stalkers"?

I could tell you all that, but if you're reading this, you've probably realized that I just told you.  So there ya go.

Google Plus, short of the invention of sliced bread and Velcro, is a true miracle, and has become a daily addiction of mine.  A place where I can share my musings with people who will either appreciate them, or in some cases, report me to Google.  (I'm guessing my recipe for "sliced Velcro bread" didn't trend like I hoped)

I have made a number of valuable friends on Google Plus, most with the same twisted sense of humor.  Outside of most national sanitariums, people like that are a true rarity, so yay!

Google Plus gives me a place to be who I am, with people who appreciate who I am, and in turn I appreciate them for being who they are.  Except for that one guy - he's just wacko.

I just happened to jump into the social network world when the water was still cold, and since I joined Google Plus, my nipples have never been happier.

So here's to you Google Plus!  From movie riffing hangouts to shameless self-promotion, I can think of no better social network.  Facebook and Twitter may have a lot of pluses (ha! see what I did there?), but Google Plus will always be the reason I love social networks.

Oh, and stalking?  Still the reason I hate them.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Joel Poirier - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Joel Poirier 

I joined Google+ out of curiosity in the early weeks of its launch and found a strong comics and art community already thriving. For a while I went relatively unnoticed: I'm not an exceptionally sociable person in my real life, I don't find it easy to meet new people, but through sharing my artwork I found people who were just like me and that made it easier to come out of my shell. 

I persisted in sharing my art and my interests through my comics, my drawings of album covers from my vinyl record collection and eventually creating, quite spontaneously, the Name That 80s Movie game, which has become my greatest social media success. Here I am now, just over a year later, and I'm in hundreds of thousands of circles with my work be seen all over the world, thousands more adding me every day, all because I share about the things that make me happy. Success is waiting here for anyone! "

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Martin Watson - Spanish Town, Jamaica Martin Watson 

I don't have much to say though. Not much other than that G+ is the first social network I actually wanted to join. On all the others that I've ever existed, I was, in a sense, dragged onto them kicking and screaming. I first found out about G+ on the day the invite only public field beta had just started. After much begging and pleading to any and everyone that I knew was on here, I managed to get in just before midnight on July 3 in the first week.

Since then, everything for me changed. The biggest change for me is that I've suddenly become more social. This is very strange for me, because I'm an extremely antisocial person. To an extent, I still am in real life. On here, however, I'm almost a different person. I can't explain it. I have absolutely no idea how that happened.

I have also met some of the most amazing people ever, large, small, and somewhere in between. In a sense, how big or small you are didn't matter here, because it's almost a level playing field for everyone. I still get super nervous and surprised whenever someone like +Mike Elgan mentions me in a post of his that I commented on.

Speaking of surprise and extreme nervousness, something of the sort happened earlier this year that almost made my heart stop. It was while we were all in an uproar about CISPA, with SOPA/PIPA and ACTA all still fresh in our minds. I had posted the contents of a mass email from someone at Demand Progress. It was a very passionate and moving message. Mere minutes after posting it, I was contacted by an extremely big name in the tech media space. (I won't mention her name here, but if you really want to know I'll tell you privately. I'm still in shock from all this even though it was months ago.) She asked me to write a commentary on CISPA. A commentary? Me? I'm supposed to write something about CISPA?! Me? Seriously? What the hell do I know? I don't even live in the US! I was in so much shock that I didn't even know to respond! I was surprised she contacted me in the first place!

After calming down, I eventually wrote something. I had a friend that was a writer and a friend that wasn't review it. They both liked it, so I sent it to her. I heard nothing at all from her since, and I hadn't seen it posted or mentioned anywhere at all. Not on her blog, her publication that she was building with other tech media giants, not on Twitter or G+. After a week of not seeing anything, I just assumed she either didn't need it anymore, it slipped through the cracks, or that it wasn't good enough. She is an extremely busy woman, so I understand if she didn't have much time to waste on lowly me.

It was all still an amazing and nerve racking experience though. It was my first time dealing with someone as high profile, prominent and successful and her. No wonder I was so scared. If it happened again, I would be better prepared to handle it, but I would still be scared out of my skin!

In addition to all that, I have somewhat found a sort of extended family on G+. I have a second mother on here, a few sisters I can actually get along with (only my own sister in real life), and other extremely amazing people that would find very difficult to now live without. Funny thing though, through all this, I've only ever been in a handful of hangouts. It's the only feature of G+, aside from Games, that rarely ever use. The few I've been in were all really great though. :)

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Pam Adger - Riverside, California, USA Pam Adger 

My first public post was July 19th 2011. I came home from work and was talking to my daughter Sydney about this new social network by Google called Google Plus. I was lamenting that the thing was invite only and I was dying to get an invite. She then proceeded to tell me she had a “membership to the Google Plus club.” She said…..Mom, I know all about G+. My friend Kim invited me two weeks ago.  So with membership comes invites so I got an invite from my 18 year old daughter who to this day has less than 100 followers. I immediately posted the following 

Trying out some recommended follows. So far I am underwhelmed. Self promotion and immaturity. I wish I had a better list of recommendations.

I think it was 3 or 4 weeks before the suggested Users List (SUL) was released. It kinda needs a little work still.  In the beginning I was all about politics. That lasted about a month. I rarely post political now. I have found a great group of people. G+ is my second social network. Facebook was first and I still have my settings pretty locked down though I do post public and people could subscribe to me but they don’t. 35 or 40 IRL people (except Matt Gibson and Tim Jones) are my “friends.” Most are my family and coworkers and I can go weeks without logging on. G+ was something I took to right away. Almost instant chat with people from around the world? Holy Crap how awesome is that?????

One year later, I still spend between 4 and 6 hours per day every day including weekends and holidays on G+. It is really more of my life than I would like. 

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Dolidh Young (Eileen)  - Denny, Scotland, United Kingdom Dolidh Young 

I started off my G+ life in beta... A time that was very difficult for me as I'd lost my father to cancer the year before and I was still grieving pretty badly. Focusing on putting positive energy into something gave me a push to get social again and not just spending my time moping about the house.

And in turn, by being more interested in doing things, I started to get out the house a bit more, travelling around Scotland doing things I want to do and seeing people I love to hang around with... All pretty much documented on my G+ profile. I use G+ like a blog and a vlog.

G+ has really encouraged me to be expressive, creative and a little bit wacky with the new people I've met through posts and hangouts. It's a place I feel I can be myself ^_^ Happy and accepted.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Diniz Chico - Lisbon, Portugal Diniz Chico 

Well after a traumatic experience with Facebook, had decided to say "no more Social Sites." Completely unmotivated, spent almost 6 months without dedicating myself to my woods, that i always treated as an hobby and a way to relax my mind. But last December one of my sons, said to me: Why not Google +?? Immediately i reply nooo. He argued that it was a different system, but my Noo, prevailed. But i kept that in mind!! Huummm? Google +? Didn't never heard about it and decided to see. 

So i opened my account just for fun and had a circle about Photography, just to see what happened. I upload a few pics of my works and that's it. For 2 or 3 weeks after i even remember i had a new account. When i opened it one day, i noticed that some people had shown interest in what i was doing. Well I felt very cherished by the interest and the comments i received daily and since then i never stopped. And now i found myself like a "Phoenix" reborn from the ashes, always with new projects in my mind to make !! So a BIG thank you to all the Google Art Community..:)

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Nils Hitze (Kojote) - Bayern, Germany Nils Hitze 

I was one of the first German users here and from Day one G+ feels like the home i had (in the Internet) back in my days as an Admin of Tutorials.de ... and it get's better every freakin day. I had this on Twitter, in the beginning. But not in this quantity.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Daniel Koeker - Riverside, California, USA Daniel Koeker 

I joined Google+ when it was in beta, mostly because a) it was a Google product and b) because I was in beta and others weren't so neener neener. I wasn't sure what I expected when I came here, and goodness knows G+ has changed enough over the short time I've been here. It's quite unlike anything I've experienced from a social network before, and that sounds like an advertisement, but I've really, genuinely enjoyed myself here.

I've met a number of people who were complete strangers that I now talk to on a regular basis. I met people who are now voices of the G+ community. I've hungout with total strangers, talked about various topics, watched shows, got exposed to Doctor Who, and for some reason there are nearly five thousand people who have me in their circles. That is so weird to me.

What I've found here is a tight-knit community of intelligent people from all over the place. I've done more than I could have imagined here so far, and unlike other social networks that have felt like a chore, this is something I actually look forward to. As cool as G+ may be in design, it's the people that make it up, and some of the best people I know are all here; and the best part is that I wouldn't have known them at all if not for G+. I'd say that's pretty nifty.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Jamie Crouthamel - Charleston, South Carolina, USA Jamie Crouthamel 

What Google+ has done for me is to present an amazing and fascinating group of people who have accepted me for exactly who I am. The ideas, thoughts, photos and work I post here have sparked incredible conversations and connected me to a network of people that encourage me and hold me accountable for being my most authentic self. 

Who knew people I have never met in person can help me to become the best version of myself? Google+ took the social network and elevated it to a network of intelligent, passionate individuals who have created the perfect environment for ideas and community to blossom.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Paul Stickland - Dorset, United Kingdom Paul Stickland 

I joined G+ when my working life spirits were at a low ebb. I was drawing towards the end of a four year legal dispute that had seen all my best selling children's books out of print along with a subsequent cessation of royalties. I had been exploring the possibilities of selling my artwork via the world of Print on Demand during this time and guessed that G+ would be a great form of promotion for this.

In days I realised that it would be so much more!

I was talking to scientists, 3D printers, photographers, fellow illustrators, authors, artists, programmers, geeks and stars, WOW!

Artists, illustrators, authors can lead quite isolated lives and this huge rush of stimulation has been incredibly energising.

With the amazing benefit of the crowd-editing we enjoy here, you have all encouraged me to create so much new work this last year, work that I truly feel is closer to my true self than that coaxed out of me by 'professional' editors, whose decisions are, quite reasonably, driven by commercial imperatives.

However this intelligent and informed crowd-editing has resulted in a huge body of work, which in turn has led to a great deal of interest from the big publishing houses. What can I say?

Not just for this but for the friendship and humour shared with new friends around the planet, Thank You!  

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Brooke Johnson - Rogers, Arkansas, USA Brooke Johnson 

Google+ first drew me with its Facebook-and-Twitter-but-better appeal. I was one of the first plussers, jumping in while it was still in beta, and it was interesting feeling my way around the new digital space, slowly finding interesting people to toss in my circles. After my first post last July, I’ve circled 900 people, and I’m flattered to say that over 1700 people have circled me—a number which seems to grow every day. Sometimes, I’m not sure why people circle me. I’m just a goofy girl who posts about writing and other things—Doctor Who, steampunk, science, publishing insights, various nerd-doms, music and movies I love, and random things I find interesting or pretty or funny. I guess people like that, or they wouldn’t keep circling me. :)
 
I have never had so much fun on a social network as I do on Google+, and when I go there, I can easily spend over an hour just talking to people. Actually talking. Conversations. That’s what I love about it. Everything I say means something. I’m talking to friends and having important discussions about science and fiction and what ifs, and of course, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, who are very important topics. When I post something new, I feel like people are listening, and I feel like these people, separated by a few states or countries or sometimes oceans, that we’re all a big family, that we would do next to anything for each other. I consider a lot of people on Google+ as friends, and if I’m ever in close proximity to some of them, I will definitely let them know so we can meet up and have real life hijinks.
 
Now, I don’t interact will all 900 of the people in my circles or the 1700 people who have circled me, but there are a good 100 or more people that no matter what they post, I’m going to read it. I’m going to comment or +1 or share it, because they’re just that fascinating and fun.
 
As a writer, I’ve found Google+ to be a great place to talk about writing with other writers, whether they be novelists or screenwriters or poets, at all levels of experience. It’s a great place to mine information, test waters for an idea, share stories and updates about my writing experiences, talk about books, and debate about this publishing method or that one. It’s a community. And on the flipside, I feel like I’ve really connected with readers (who are sometimes writers too). I can talk about my book to people who actually care, who want to know how my next book is going so they know when they’ll get to read it. I have fans on Google+, people who will support my writing in any way that they can, and that’s fantastic. My experience as a writer on Google+ has shifted my focus from sales numbers and ratings and reviews to readers, to people who love books as much as I do, who love my books (or will, once I have more published). I feel like these people will stick with me and support me as long as I’m putting books out, and they make me feel like my writing and my books are worth it. They make me feel like I’m worth it.

I love that Sean has me in his Cool People that Matter circle (I hope that’s what it’s really called. It should be, if it isn’t already). I love that I stand out in a sea of other writers, artists, curators, and generally awesome people. I love that I matter to someone I’ve never met, that I’m interesting enough to be singled out, especially when we’re constantly bombarded from all sides with this picture and that video and ooh look! a funny gif and an interesting article, and so on. I feel like I’ve actually made connections with people I never would have met had I not tried this new social front, and I don’t think I ever would have really showcased myself—who I am, what I like—as I well as I have on Google+. And really, I’m more myself there than anywhere else.
 
Google+ is my digital home, where I can talk and discuss and rant and promote and share without constraints, without judgment, without hesitation, and I love it.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Laurie M Laurie M  

When I first came to G+, in was still very new, but even so I was in complete awe and wonder over all that I found here. It was different from all the other places that I had been and tried and never really connected with, as well as different from the places that I had connected with. I'm very active other places, but my activities there are more targeted. Here the things I find speak to my heart, my mind, my soul and my spirit like nowhere else.

This place speaks the artistic side of me. I've found beautiful stories, music, videos and images from true artists in not just paint, but in photography, stories, poetry, music, mixed media, technology and so many other ways that I'd never dreamed of before it simply astounds me daily. 

I'm inspired by the true heart that I find in the people and their stories and experiences. The open their hearts and allow me in and in doing so they simply speak to my heart and my mind and move me in so many unexpected ways, I'm once again in awe and wonder.

I've enjoyed the interest, love and support of such beautiful and interesting people from all over my own nation and even further afield, throughout the world. I've even discovered some true friends in people that I would never otherwise have had an opportunity to have talked to let alone developed a relationship with. My life is all the richer for having these people and these experiences in it and even if I never were to speak to them again, they have changed me forever and hold a special place in my heart that is all their own. 

So in answer to your inquiry of what are my favorite things, the beauty of the people and all the wonders I see daily would have to be my favorite things and what has it meant to me, it's meant I've found people that speak to my heart and have enriched by life in their own unique and individual ways and I believe that they've changed me for the better.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Sarah Hill - Columbia, Missouri, USA Sarah Hill 

Google Plus Hangouts are a magic carpet that can take you around the block or around the world in a matter of minutes.  Hangouts are a free broadcast tower in the middle of a powerful crowdsourcing tool where businesses have the ability not only to find customers but connect with them face to face.  More on the emerging #humanmedia movement here.  

http://www.sarahhillstories.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-new-human-media-movement-via-google.html 

Human Media > Texty Tweets.  Live tweeting may be today but live hanging is definitely tomorrow.  :) 

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Denise Morgan Kalicki - Manahawkin, New Jersey, USA Denise Morgan Kalicki 

I can in on invite last July and knew no one!  But I could tell, right away, I had found my community!  Oh the things I saw and read, the wonders of the beautiful photography being shared, the wisdoms, and openness of sharing/trading/engaging ideas.  By the end of Oct. sparked by an idea raised in a post, I created the G+LeapYear Day Project- A day in the life of G+. 

The project asked that everyone on our +1 day of the year (Feb. 29th) submit a photo that showed some part of their life.  That was a wild, wooly and crazy day! 

I met wonderful people here, such as you Sean, the man who shared delightful movie shorts that made me laugh or haz a sad.  People play DJ, sharing playlists and videos.  We have hangouts that are magic! We have covert cupids, secret santas, and many heartwarming fund raisers. We have joined together to stop child abusers +Plussers Against Child Exploitation to help keep those idiots off G+ and continue to keep this a safe community.  

We all, now have good new friends, teachers and communities build over the net that joins us.  We can HiRL, hangout, watch stars being born, be interviewed for a news show in Missouri, get zombized, and best of all, all the food porn!  Oh the places we will go!  Even if we are bedridden because others can take us along via hangouts. I love G+ because of the wonderful people here.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Bearman Cartoons - Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Bearman Cartoons 

When I first got an invite to join Google Plus, I ignored it. I was already on twitter (@bearmancartoons) and on Facebook both as a profile (https://www.facebook.com/bearmancartoons) and a page (https://
www.facebook.com/Beartoons). Why did I need yet another social media outlet. After the fifth email, I said what the heck and signed up.

Within the first few days I noticed something different that the other two lacked. Facebook is almost like a club where you have to know someone to get in. We have to know each other to “friend” one another and converse. For someone who draws cartoons for fun, that seemed great for my real life friends but horrible for creating new online ones.

With twitter, there was another issue. It gave me the ability to follow anyone and there was no obligation or expectation that they would follow me back. I could see what they had to say and even respond. Problem was, it is a pain trying to follow a conversation on twitter especially if you aren’t there in the beginning.

That is the difference I saw in Google Plus. I had the ability to follow whomever I wanted and we could engage in a conversation that was easy to follow as it was all in one place. The best of Facebook combined with the best of Twitter. In fact I posted this cartoon to show how I saw the difference between Google Plus and some other social media outlets. http://beartoons.com/2011/08/28/why-google-plus-is-better-than/


So I started circling people. About 200 based on my interests of cartoons, learning and Cincinnati. Some followed me back and some didn’t. Many I knew from other social media already. Where I think most people get frustrated with Google Plus is the expectation that everyone you circle will automatically circle you back. Not true. The next step is to actually ENGAGE with the people you circle. That gives them a better idea of who you are and gives them more of a reason to want to circle you back.

Three months in and this was the result: http://beartoons.com/2011/11/27/social-media-love/

And that was before circle shares.

I thought that all this would lead to more people visiting my site. Guess what? It didn’t. But it didn’t matter. I realized that I now had two equally engaging outlets for my work. In addition, I could post other thoughts and finds that don’t work well with my blog but are perfect for Google Plus.

One of those things was drawing caricatures. Sure I have done caricatures of politicians and celebrities in the past but avoided real people for some reason with a few giveaways on my blog. Inspired by Googlers like byron rempel and Cliff Roth, I started doing caricatures of other Google Plus members and started calling them “Muggings”. Anyone circling me could get on the list, but those who commissioned me would move to the front of the line. And because I am lucky enough to have a full time job, this was bonus money. 

So instead of having people pay me I could support one of my favorite charities, Crayons to Computers (http://www.crayons2computers.org/). This organization makes sure students and teachers in the Cincinnati area have the school supplies they need to be successful. So instead of paying me directly, I would have the person donate money directly to C2C in honor of Bearman Cartoons. So not only did they get their caricature but also get the tax write off!!! So I can play around on Google Plus, draw some pictures and raise money for charity. How cool is that?!!

So then I wanted to see the power of Google Plus. Using my own money, I promised to donate $1 to a DC comic led fight to combat hunger in Africa for every share of a video describing the program. https:/
/plus.google.com/103857459148999991693/posts/WUpMKa2eiQf

Several days later I announced the total of 387 shares of the video which spread the message to more people than I ever would on my blog. https://plus.google.com/103857459148999991693/posts/
gNaH8VSSuEc

Which led me to May 2012. For four years on my website, I have done a charity challenge where I will donate more and more money for my readers to take on certain challenges. Challenges included paying for every new twitter/facebook follower, guest cartoons, among other things. (http://beartoons.com/
2012/04/29/bearman-cartoons-charity-challenge-2012/) In the first three years, I put a limit on what I would spend and never hit it. This year with the help of Googlers, I hit the goal within 3 weeks. In addition, for the first time I promised to match donations to Crayons to Computers and several Googlers stepped up including, Ann Marie Dwyer , Liz Krane and Shani Hiraoka.

The support I have gotten from both my work and my fundraising efforts has been nothing short of amazing. What I think is sad, is that I have found myself at times checking into Google Plus before I even check my own blog. Well maybe not that sad.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Andrew Coffman (Firkked) - Oakley, California, USA Andrew Coffman 

I heard about Google Plus just as the Beta was coming to a close and I pestered a Facebook friend for an invite (who is no longer active here).

Once here I found a great community that wasn't out to maximize friends for digital trinkets in online games or ranting about divisive issues with no hope of rational discourse, instead I found a community of diverse interests and a sincere desire to engage.

I had heard of engagement in social media, but never understood the context before my time on G+. I had control of both my message and who saw it, later I had control of how I saw others presenting their own messages.

Since I have been here I have been a part of helping others in real life through donations, wish lists, social activism, teaching, learning,  debates and live discussions in the hangout feature.

I have been able to share with others the audio-visual peeks into my little corner of the world and others have inspired me to share parts of my life I would have never shared in other outlets.

What Google+ Means to Me: The Story of Matthew Rappaport  - Bayside, New York City, New York, USA matthew rappaport 

The Google+ Experience has and continues to be all about The People or YOU+ (as I like to post it). There are many social experiences online through many websites that have offered very cool  moments but G+ is the first one where people have gone all out in meeting others & interacting with complete strangers. It didn't take long to find people on the stream and through Hangouts to make the entire PLUSperience become more 4D than any that has come before.

There are no limits on how you can use PLUS and be creative, dive deep in head first showing the world not just your passions & life but YOU+ , your full personality. It's pretty amazing to show the world YOU+ through what you enjoy and easy to pick up on others by what they post, how they are in hangouts and eventually getting to HIRL  (Hangout in Real Life) with them to make it a FULL, Complete CIRCLE!

I don't just say I have online friends or people I talk to online but I really do have brand new friends as well as people that I've now known over a year that are some of my best friends. There are so many on here with so much to share from art & music to comedy & culinary skills to humanitarian efforts and a whole lot that is nothing short of #awesomesauce !

Each day I'm excited to see what my friends are posting as it leads to discovering new things, new people and what's going on in the world! Nowhere else has people involving people in such a selfless way to really engage and truly mean something more. 

As a new PLUS day came around, I found myself going for it and posting what I wanted to, when I wanted to. People laughed at me for using hashtags, mocked me for not understanding my humor or style and even thought I posted way too much but they were in a minority. It's actually refreshing to have diverse opinions and people not being afraid to express themselves here which is a big part of what makes it great. 

After the beta summer of Google+ and hanging out many hours to the point of seeing the sunrise more than I ever did before before sleeping, I decided to create a Hangout Chat/Interview show called Hangout Conversations w/Matt Rappaport to showcase people I've met on G+ and not just what they do but who they are and to show the world how awesome the entire Hangout / PLUSperience actually is. 

This lead to many G+ Pages and organizing the 1st H.I.R.L. in NYC back in Feb 2012 and just having a second amazing time in August with #nychirl2 . People from Google+ are part of my daily online AND offline life & it has made my world become so much more incredible & Plustastic than ever before! I even had the pleasure of meeting, photowalking , breaking bread & rocking out with the author who is a lot of fun and truly cares with his true dedication here that you can see in his every post and of course, FRIDAY NIGHT SESSIONS  FTW! 

I look forward to what's to come and would suggest that you start by posting what you love, resharing stuff that amuses you, searching for keywords that do it for you to find even more people & content to add to your PLUSworld. And.. Definitely HANGOUT! Once you do, you'll be hooked, looped & circled! 

#googleplus   #gplusmeanstome   #whatiloveaboutgplus   #enthusiasm   #mystory  

image | rsablogs.org.uk | Jack Robson