Tips on how some journalists are using Google+ to build audience
Everyone has been speculating about whether or not Google+ will become a dominant social media force.
I first wrote about Google+ last week in a Mequoda Daily article to ask the readers’ their opinions on Google+…Will it take off as a social platform? Will it give Facebook a run for its money?
One person commented on the article saying he believes Google+ is the beginning of the end of Facebook. Anyone else feel that way?
In the process of educating myself on Goolge+, I’ve spent some time discovering how journalists are using the platform. During my search, I found this recent article from Mashable that included five strategies journalists are using for Google+.
Five ways journalists are using Google+
#1: Talking about Google+. The more Google+ is talked about, tweeted about or written about, the more interest will develop. People who’ve never tried it may become intrigued even to join.
According to the article from Mashable, “As journalists continue to join the platform, further discussion and collaboration around Google+ as a communications tool will shape the way it’s used for creating and distributing news content.”
#2: Hosting audience hangouts. Hangouts is Google+’s video chat service in real time. Some journalists have been using it to interact with viewers. Although only 10 people are allowed to attend a hang out, there attempt to build a loyal audience can help draw in a crowd.
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#3: Engaging readers. What draws in your audience? Is it specific topics or the way you share and communicate information? According to the Mashable article, Canada’s top news source CBC, used witty from their photo capture challenge to engage readers. It has supposedly worked, as their work on Google+ has “outperformed other platforms.”
#4: Analyzing news coverage. Let’s think about how other social networks handle news. On Twitter, attention has to be grabbed with 140 characters. On Facebook, news has to be relevant to the user while competing with personal comments from friends and family. Google+ is designed for conversations as it brings conversations back to the top of the news stream when new comments are added.
#5: Showing personality. Google+ may help bring the professionalism of being a journalist together with personal interaction. Although Google+ isn’t the first platform to do this, aspects like Hangout can make it easier.
I know I’ve already asked this, but what are your thoughts on Google+? Is it better for journalists than Facebook and Twitter? I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments section below.
