Third time’s a charm, right?

Google is hoping it is!

Just recently, Google launched Google+ (its third attempt at social networking). The first two, Wave and Buzz, were instant failures because social media users were drinking the Facebook Kool Aid.

But, that didn’t stop the billion dollar search engine from breaking into the world of social networking.

And Ta-dah! One year after the premiere of Google Buzz, we have Google+. Thankfully, their hard work paid off, because I am a proud Google+ user. Luckily, I was able to get in the second round of Google+ invites (the first invites went to an exclusive group of industry leaders, tech bloggers, influential journalists and of course, Mark Zuckerburg). I am so excited about Google’s latest social media outlet, and I thought I would share a few tips to help all the Google+ newbies.

You’re probably wondering how Google+ is different than Facebook. The easiest answer is: it isn’t. Google+’s layout looks almost identical to Facebook’s. The left side of a Google+ profile has two features: the list of members in your circles and the list of members who have you in their circles. In this regard, Facebook is an exact duplicate. It too, displays your friends on the left side of your profile.

What’s a “circle?” Google capitalized on targeted grouping by creating circles. The closest comparison is a Facebook group.  A circle is a categorized group of people. For example, on my profile I have my circles separated into “friends,” “family,” “business” and “acquaintances.” You can select which circle you place your fellow Google+ users in. One of my co-workers has a “future husbands” circle. Brad Pitt, you are welcome anytime.

Another innovative feature of Google+’s circles is the ability to post directly within a specific circle. For example, if I am sending an invite for a birthday party I am hosting, I can post the update straight to my friend circle. The other circles will never know! This is one of my favorite features about Google+. If I were on Facebook I would need to create a group for a single event. Can you say party pooper?

Additionally, just because you place someone in one of your circles, it doesn’t mean that you’re in one of theirs. Similarly, if someone puts you in a circle, you don’t have to put them in one of yours. Kind of like Twitter.

Another cool aspect of Google+ is Huddle. Huddle is Google+’s text-chat application. In Huddle you can directly chat with a group of people that aren’t necessarily from the same circle. For example, if I am meeting my roommates for dinner, I can chat them in Huddle, and it will send my chat directly to each of their phones as a text message. From there, they have the ability to respond back. Hence, the term huddle. Thus far, Facebook does not have a group text-chat application. Although, I bet $20 they started working on it as soon as Google+ Huddle premiered.

What about video chatting? Facebook recently joined with Skype to offer video chatting. So far, this feature seems to be popular. Google+’s version of video chatting is called Hangout. Hangout is unique because you can video chat with up to 10 people. Remember that YouTube video you love? Head to Hangout and watch it live with your circles.

Some other common features include:

  • Google+’s Stream is the equivalent to Facebook’s News Feed.
  • Photos and videos are both categorized as the same thing on both outlets. However, Google+ allows the user to select which circles see their pictures or videos.
  • Finally, Facebook has the infamous “Like.” Facebookers can like any page or post. Google+’s alternative to Facebook’s “like” is “+1.” You may have noticed the +1 button popping up on websites in the past month (Google has been slowly prepping for Google+). If you push +1 it will show up on your profile under the +1 button. You can also +1 entire websites from your Google search results.

Despite the similarities between Facebook and Google+, I am still figuring out the ins and outs of Google+, as are most users. With that said, don’t be afraid to jump in and get your feet wet. Click buttons, explore and add Mark Zuckerburg and Sergey Brin to your circles. Why? Because you can!

At Google all new employees are called “Nooglers.” So, I unofficially invite you to join the “Nooglers” of Google+ and open a profile today.