One of the main concerns individuals who are not early adopters have with Google Plus is the fact of having to build your contacts again. I really think that Google needs to analyze how to make this process as simple and effective as possible to get more people to jump on board.
Google does provide the option of including contacts you may know by using contacts in your gmail. In my case I have used Gmail for so many things since I started using in 2003. I have many contacts on Gmail that I have only spoken to once and have no direct contact with. I use to copy my emails from other efforts into gmail so I have thousands of contacts, which I think would be very spammy if I sent them a request so they could join me in Google Plus. There are other contacts that I probably don’t want to connect with. In the past I have had issues using gmail contacts to connect in social networks so I will not use this function again.
If Google had a way to connect your Facebook & Twitter contacts the same way Facebook and now Twitter connect with Gmail contacts, that might help with the process of building your contacts on Google Plus. Since Google Plus is still in beta, it might launch a cross platform tool to alert your friends on Facebook and Twitter to come and join you on Google Plus.
In the meantime here are a few things you can do to bring your contacts over from other platforms and even your blog.
Get your short Google Plus Nickname.
Go to http://gplus.to and insert your Google + ID Number and choose a Nickname. For example, mine is http://gplus.to/raul . This makes it easier when sharing your profile with other people so they can connect.
Share Your Profile on Social Channels
Share your Profile nickname on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn or any other social channel so people know where to find you.
[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/rj_c/status/93072557783261184″]
Include it in Your Email Signature
If you have a blog I would include the blog url in the email signature if you want people to connect with you in Google Plus. Make sure you include it in your email signature.
Change your Avatar
Many of us changed the avatar on Twitter and Facebook with the “I have Moved” Image. I modified the I Have Moved version of my avatar and included my Gplus Nickname so people could find me on Google Plus.
Add a Widget or Badge to your Blog
If your blog works on WordPress you can easily integrate Google Cards into your WordPress blog as a widget. With some PHP knowledge, integrate it into any part of your WordPress site.
If you are interested in learning more about the plugin visit: http://plusdevs.com/google-wordpress-plugin/
My first weeks in Google+ I have had such great conversations with a small group of new people I met. I found it worth moving over and waiting for the rest to come along.
If you need any invite feel free to Contact me I will gladly send you one.
photo credit by p22earl
