Creating Your Google+ Profile

One of my goals this year is to help people develop their Professional Learning Network (PLN). In order to develop a PLN and get connected, you have to begin by creating an online profile. Many educators are connected on Twitter, and we will get to that, but today we are going to start with Google+. If you already have a Google+ profile, please make sure you add a picture or graphic to help people find you. 

Google+ is a social network that comes free with any Google account. Because FSUSD is a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) district, everyone has access to a Google+ account. While access is granted for a Google+ account, users must activate their profile before they can begin using it to connect with others. This year we will be using the Communities within Google+ to create an online space to collaborate, discuss, and share resources. There are two different Communities set up to provide feedback and resources associated with the Units of instruction in both Math and ELA/ELD. You can find out more information about creating a Google+ Community in this blog post.

Let's get started with activating our Google+ profile.

Begin the process by finding the Google Grid next to your name in the top right corner of any Google App (like Gmail). When you select the grid a pop up menu should appear. Select the Google+ icon that says +You underneath it. 

Making sure your name, gender, and birthday are correct. Your birthday can be hidden from public view, but it is needed at this point to verify you are old enough to create an account. When finished, select Upgrade.

You will now be prompted to select people you know. You can easily do this by clicking Add next to the names of people you know. Many people will have a Google+ account connected to their personal GMail account and a second one for professional connections that is linked to their @fsusd.org email account. Hovering over a persons name or picture at this stage will bring up their Google+ ID card like the picture on the right. Underneath the persons name will be text that says fsusd.org to indicate that this account is associated with an @fsusd.org email address.  While you can connect with anyone, you are not limited to FSUSD employees, it is sometimes helpful to know who is who on the internet. Select some people you know and when you are done click the blue button at the bottom.

You can also follow other media content on Google+. To do so, find those topics or content that is interesting or relevant to you and select Follow. If you choose View All (under the description) you will be give the option to select individual content within the larger category presented. When you are done, whether you chose to follow anything or not, select the blue Continue button.

You will now be prompted to select a photo for your profile. A photo will help people know they have found the right person. If you do not want to put an actual picture of yourself, consider adding a different image than the standard shown below. You might choose your school logo or mascot, your university logo or mascot, or an image you enjoy. Adding something at this stage just helps to make things more personal. You will notice that I have opted to create an avatar for my image. I use this image across several social media platforms so people who I am connected to on Twitter can recognize me by the same picture.

Once you fill in all your basic information and selected your picture, click on the blue Finish button.

Your Google+ profile is now active. The menu on the left, where it says home, is how you navigate to other sections of Google+ like Communities.  Pulling down to Profile on that menu will take you to the page where you can further edit your Google+ profile. This is also where you can adjust any of your personal information.  If you wish to adjust your privacy settings and control who can connect with you or see content you share, pull down to Settings at the bottom of the menu.

You can now post comments, pictures, links, videos, and events all from your news feed. This is also where you will see posts of other people you follow.  You will find suggestions of who to follow on the right side. Your name should now appear next to your Google Grid in the top bar and you will see a bell. This bell will appear on all Google Apps. This represents your notifications.

I look forward to connecting with you on Google+. Please feel free to Add me at +Melissa Farrar. If you need any help setting up your Google+ account, please let me or your Ed Tech Specialist know. We are happy to help!