The other day someone in a Facebook group was wanting to know URL's for Google+. I must admit that I haven't really gotten too deep into Google+ waters yet so I had no idea what mine was. I know my Facebook URL, my Pinterest, my Twitter, my Instagram, but Google+...no idea.
Okay, first some of you (my mom) probably think you don't know what a URL is. You actually do but may not know the technical term for it. URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. It is simply where a page or file is located on the web. For example the URL for this blog is: http://teachingtrio.blogspot.com/. It is that long web address you see at the top of your internet browser when you are on a web page. You have probably copied the "link" (URL) and pasted it in an email to send to someone else so they can view the same information you viewed.
So how do I find out my URL for Google+? Of course I googled it!
Before we get to the URL stuff, let's go over some basic Google+ information.
What is Google+?
Google+ is a social network. It is, however, built off of your Google account (or accounts if you are like me). The premise of Google+ is not to connect you to only friends and family but to connect you to other like-minded people; people who have the same interests as you do. Ara Wagoner has a great post about the benefits of Google+.Not everyone has a Google+ account even if you have Gmail. There was a time that Google was forcing folks to sign up for Google+ but that has been shelved. If you wondering if you have Google+, you will see the + and your name at the top right hand side of the computer screen while you have your Gmail account open.
Google+ Basics
Circles: You can create "circles" such as friends, family, following, and acquaintances. You can add more circles any time. I created one called "teaching". In this circle, I will only include people that are teachers. People you know can also be in more than one circle. Kristen and Cassie can be in my friends and my teaching circles. What is cool is that you can share posts with all or with just one circle. My family probably isn't interested in all of my teaching jargon so I would share something about education with only my teaching circle. (Special note: my mom is our biggest fan!)Here is a video that is only about a minute long that gives a pretty good picture of how to get started on Google+.
Communities: Google communities are groups of people that have similar interests and passions. You can find communities for just about anything. I joined a whole bunch of teacher communities. One is Teachers Helping Teachers and it has over 11,000 members for me to connect with from across the world.
This is a more in-depth video on Google+ circles and communities.
Pages: Another cool feature is that you can create a page for your business or products. I just now created one for the Tech Crazy Teacher! It is not finished yet but it was super easy to create.
Now that we have the basics down, let's go back to my original problem: what is my Google+ URL so I can link up with other people?
First sign into your Google+ account. You simply enter in your Google user name and password just like you are checking for email.
Next, click on this link to go to a page for directions. There is a link on the page that takes you right to your Google+ profile page and therefore, your URL.
The URL will look something like this: https://plus.google.com/100898353346656669824/posts. This is actually Kristen's Google+ URL.
Pretty hard to remember all of those numbers, huh?
My URL is a little different since I personalized it. My Google+ URL is: https://plus.google.com/+JulietWarrenTechCrazyTeacher/posts. Still lengthy but a little better.
To get a personalized Google+ URL click on this link and follow the directions. It is pretty easy and only took me a few minutes.
Are you using Google+? I must admit that writing this post has convinced me to dip my toes in the Google+ water a little more often.
Haha your Mom does know that url is the address! Granted that is about all she knows. I have had so much trouble with Goggle that I have gone back to my other browser. I NEED A LESSON. Love Mom
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