Google+ debuted to a record-setting 10 million users on June 28. Despite being the fastest-growing social networking platform to date, millions of people are still clamoring to get a coveted invite to join the Google+ revolution. In response to high demand, Google+ has stepped up the number of invites that can be offered by existing subscribers during the beta testing phase. With more invites to dole out, enterprising individuals are using them to promote blogs, websites and products. So far, more than 25 million people have created a Google+ profile. If you are not interested in Google+ or if you have already have an account, you may be interested in a Pinterest Invite for free at www.pinterestinvite.org. Pinterest is the new hottest social sharing website of 2012. Pinterest allows you to share or “Pin” your images across their social community where millions of people can comment or engage with your images. Pinterest already has millions of users online and you can only sign up for an account if you have an invite.

Get your Google+ Invite here

The Google+ Frenzy

Offering a more grown up, streamlined way of connecting with networks, Google+ will transform the brand’s entire product line. Several of the social features, especially the +1 button, will be integrated into all Google programs. Apps have even been developed so the site can be accessed by iPhone and Android mobile devices. The search engine, in particular, will receive a facelift with the new Google+ Navigation Bar, which integrates Facebook-style notifications with a +1 icon that permits the recommendation of quality websites.

Where Google+ can potentially excel is in the unique setup of social Circles. One of the biggest complaints about Facebook is that lives are an open book for everyone to access. There is no way to shield messages from specific eyes without deleting a profile and News Feed pages are clogged with a bombardment of irrelevant messages. With Google+, users direct exclusive messages to specific groups, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for targeted networking and micromarketing.

Exciting Google+ Features

Circles

A drag-and-drop system offers control over which people see particular content, so that photos of a wild trip to Cancun can be shared with friends, a job promotion can be announced to business contacts and high gaming scores can be broadcast to competitors.

The Circles feature lets you arrange everyone in accordance to their real-life connection in your social life, such as, “comic book buddies,” “family,” “writers group” and “high school friends.” The Circles feature also allows you to share specific content with those relevant groups, and in turn follow content shared by those who you have an interest in. For instance, you may want to notify people about a Firefly party that you’re hosting and only reveal it to your Joss Whedon fans and Serenity circles, or perhaps you notice a post from your writers group circle that one of your favorite writers is featured in a blog post. You also have the option of ignoring people if you don’t want to go to the extreme of blocking them, remove someone from either all or one of your circles, deleting a circle and completely blocking someone if you wish.

Huddle

This instant messaging feature on the Google+ Mobile platform allows texts to be sent to specific Circles.

Huddle is a group text messaging feature that lets you have a single cohesive conversation with one or more of your Google+ circles. This feature can come in handy when all of your friends are in the mood to do something like go to a movie or grab a bite to eat, but all of you are in different parts of town. Instead of sending out various text messages to various people, you can instead all meet together in a sort of chat room and see what each other says rather than having to relay the information several times to several people. Whenever a new message is received in a Huddle conversation, Google will alert you by sending a push notification to your phone.

Sparks

Relevant, interesting content, based on personal interests and browsing history, is offered in this feature. Sparks could become an important business tool as consumers strive to locate quality content.

The Google+ Sparks feature allows you to gather information that interests you through a collection of web articles, videos, blogs, etc. and brings that information straight to you. For instance, if you’re interested in parkour you can add it to your Sparks list and receive articles, blogs and video pertaining to parkour. Once you receive the information, you have the option of then sharing it with a circle of friends who you think would also be interested in the article, recipe, or video, helping to spark a conversation with your friends. Alternatively, you can share information from your Sparks with friends who aren’t on Google+ simply by typing in their e-mail address. Google+ also allows you to remove interests and send feedback about the results you receive through the Sparks feature.

Stream

Similar to Facebook’s News Feed, this function aggregates shared content, but sorts it by special interest Circles.

The Stream features allows you to have in-depth conversations with your circle of friends and family. It gathers the entirety of the content and information that your circles have shared with you, and also those who are trying to share content with you, but aren’t members of any of your circles yet. You can see videos, links, location markers, pictures or text posts in your Stream. Whenever you share information with others, either through one of your circles or with a single person, the content will then show up in their personal stream. You’ll see the profile pictures of people who are trying to share information with you. To see what it is they have to share, all you have to do is select Incoming. You also have the option of filtering your stream if there is a deluge of information.

Hangouts

This revolutionary video chat feature allows up to 10 people to congregate in one place, in contrast to Facebook’s recently launched Skype-powered service, which only allows two people to join the conversation. Study groups, business meetings and family members living far apart can now chat face to face or even jointly watch a YouTube video.

Photos

Backed by Google’s Picasa program, photos can be edited, corrected and rotated. All posted and tagged photos and comments, are collected into one place. Photos albums are created with a unique drop-and-drop function and can be made public or shared with specific Circles or individuals.

There are several ways to share photos on Google+: make a new post from either the Google+ bar or your stream, upload images from your Google+ Photos homepage or from your Photos tab that you find on your Google profile, or you can upload a photo directly from your mobile phone. You can also edit photos, add tags and captions, comment on photos and either approve or reject tags. Alternatively, you can do all of these actions from the Lightbox. With Google+ you can post an unlimited host of both photos and videos, allowing you to capture years and years worth of treasured memories. Google+ members will also have access to Picasa Web albums, so that all photos uploaded to Google+ can also be viewed in your Picasa albums.

Games

The Games feature on Google+ is a new way to interact with friends. Rifle through all games or featured games and start playing. As you play, you also have the option of sharing game updates, messaging your circles and even sharing gifts. With some games you’ll have to share some information about yourself. This information will only be used to improve on your gaming experience, not for advertising or for sharing with other people. Examples of requested information are: name, profile URL, photo, country, timezone, language, birthdate, gender, e-mail address and a list of people in your circle. You can also revoke a game’s access to your information if you so decide.

How to Join the Google+ Revolution

While Google+ can transform how social networking is conducted, Facebook is in no immediate danger of losing its King’s crown since it has captured a global audience of 724 million subscribers as of August 28. Although Google+ may not replace Facebook, Twitter or MySpace at the time being, it has the power to motivate the three giants to improve standard features. To compete, Facebook has recently been inspired to launch features that support larger photos, gaming options and mobile messaging.

 Get Your Google+ Invite Today

If you have not yet stumbled across a coveted invite, ask a friend or colleague to invite you to their network or click here for a free invite. In the meantime, make sure you have a Gmail account since it will be required to gain access to a Google+ profile.