If not you, who will force publishing companies to change?

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="LOUD speaker by woodleywonderworks"][/caption]

It's been about 10 hours since I wrote this steaming post regarding Audible¹. Read it if you want the full details, but I want to talk about something else here.

The establishment fears change.

No, I'm not going to strap on a black arm band and suggest we stage a sit-in with our MP3 players. But that simple fact hit me today, and I urge all digital authors to take note. It's the rare publishing company that willingly embraces change. Yet at the same time, the publishing industry is going through changes it hasn't seen in... ever!

That makes for a difficult environment for you, the digital author.

Chances are, you are willing to try different things. To step beyond the boundaries of what worked in the past. To try and emulate other trailblazing authors who are re-defining the space.

And chances are, you'll be beset on all sides with publishers, agents, editors and others from the establishment who will try and convince you to abandon your wild and reckless ways.

Sorry. I'm back to wearing the black armband. Next up, I'll sport a goatee and sponsor a poetry slam? Maybe I should just get to the point...

Learn from history. Don't be a slave to it.

There's wisdom in standing on the shoulders of giants. But you're a fool to do so when the giant is standing on the edge of a crumbling cliff. Smarter giants are stepping away from the precipice and seeking more solid ground. And they are finding that ground is always shifting. Thing is; it always has been shifting. It's just that the shifts are happening with more regularity, and with fewer rest periods in between.

Your choice is simple: stick with your giant, and hope it stays standing for a little longer. Or you can seek out a giant who's taking steps to find more solid ground. There's plenty of it out there.

Cripes. Now I'm taking metaphors way, way too far.

What you can do.

If you don't get how free and for-fee work together, educate yourself. If you're still waiting for that six-figure deal for your first book so you finally have time to write, stop with the delusions. And if you think that the marketplace selling your wares should make more than you... well I'm not sure there's much hope for you.

Don't be the change you want to see in the world; force it. Settle for nothing less. If that means making a stink when necessary -- do it. Be unapologetic about it. Just try not to burn your bridges along the way. Some (read: The Establishment) will eventually come around to reality. You want to be remembered as the person who got them off their collective asses and moving toward a solution. Not the jerk who called them out and pointed fingers at their idiocy.<sup>2

1 - Truth is, I wrote the post last week, with the anticipation that my call with them would be bad. Hey, at least I was right!

2 - Still not sure how I did there...</sup>

Related articles

• How is Self-Publishing Affecting the Publishing Industry? (christinerose.wordpress.com)


• The Publishing Industry Continues Its Slide Into Irrelevance (eoghann.com)

What Google Search Plus Your World Means to Authors

If you missed the news, Google changed the world of search yesterday, and Twitter went into panic mode. Facebook has been silent, probably because of their rumored upcoming IPO. But you can bet they aren't happy. In short, the change casts a major shadow of doubt on the continued relevance of either platform now that Google+ is getting serious.

So while others call Google+ another failed Google experiment, lacks the breadth of either "competing network" or otherwise try and cling to what they think social media is all about; I suggest another tactic for the digital author.

Get your ass on to Google+. Now.

No, I'm not suggesting you abandon Twitter or Facebook. I still use both services. Granted, I use them a lot less, but I still use them. You will, too. Hopefully, you'll use G+ differently.

But first, you have to use it. So if you've been reluctant to join the past, that time is over. Get there. Now. Learn the differences. Start establishing your presence. And for the love of all you hold dear, don't try and emulate Twitter and Facebook on Google+. It's something different. Treat it as such, OK?

If you don't know how to start, I wrote up a simple piece for ePublish Unum last week. Go there. Now.

How Book Publishers Can Use Google+ Pages

Today was the second Google+ business pages seminar I attended in as many days. If you missed it, I live plussed (live+'d? Live +'d? Doesn't roll off the tongue like live tweeted or live blogged, does it?) the event as it unfolded. My aim was to post nuggets of info that book publishers could walk away with and implement on their Google+ page.

Don't feel like you have to go back and read all those posts. Because I'm going to sum it up for you (and Teel) right now. Feel free to pass this post along to your publisher. If they need help implementing, I'm available.

Finish before you start

Don't start sharing content -- and certainly don't start telling people -- until you've filled out all the options for your new Google+ page. That means everything. Not just the name of your publishing company and a hastily thrown together logo. A complete profile, please. Which consists of...

• Name of your page - Same as the name of your publishing business. Unless you've got a cutesy or boring name. Search results for Google+ pages only trigger when the keyword searched is in the page name. I added "audio books" to Podiobooks.com's page for that reason.


• Tagline - Google asks you to enter "the 10 words that describe your page best". I'll change that to say simply write a good sentence that describes your publishing company. Don't get too wordy, as anything after ~80 characters will be truncated. And that doesn't look very good.


• Profile photo - It needs to tie-in with what's coming up next, so put down the Paint program and get your graphic designer involved.


• 5 photos uploaded to your "scrapbook"-  Order is important, as is how they look when you are done. I love the treatment Innova Disc Golf did on their Google+ page. Pick (or create) iconic imagery about your publishing company. Not just the last five books you published. Not even if they look good. They need to look good together, and they need to paint a picture (literally) that represents your brand.


• Videos - Don't have any? Then uncheck the box that says "Show this tab on your profile" to make it go away. Then seriously think about adding videos. You'll see why in a moment.


• A nice sounding (and looking) introduction - Don't copy-paste your mission, value statement, or company history into this section of your About tab. Tell people about your company and what you are doing with Google+. Not sure about that last part? Then you didn't think about your strategy before you jumped in, did you?


• Contact info - At a minimum, include a contact email. Preferably one that will be answered but isn't someone's personal email account. If you don't have a "contact" email sent to more than one person at your publishing company, you're a few years behind.


• Main website - Er... your main website.


• Custom links - If your brand is active in other social properties (Twitter, Facebook, etc.,) link them here. It's also a good idea to link to the Google+ profiles of the people who'll be manning (personing?) the Google+ page on behalf of the company. Personal touches mean a lot!


• At least three good posts published to your Stream - No one wants to circle an empty page without any idea of what the page may share. And I'd prefer it if the first post you make was not "Hey, we're on Google+!" or "What would you like us to share on Google+?" Those are throw-away posts. Instead, bring some flavor of the kinds of content and information you'll be sharing. If you aren't sure, call me.


• Connected you website - No, that's not the same thing as just listing your website on your About page. Go back to your main Google+ page by clicking the Google+ logo. Below your profile image, you'll see a "Get started" link. Click it, then follow the "Get the badge" link for options on adding a small snippet of code to your website. This is a crucial step, but you won't see any benefit from it immediately. But soon, Google will be unleashing more options to page owners. Those that do this will be in the lead. You want to lead, don't you?

Once you've done all those things -- no skipping steps! -- you're ready to announce your page to the world about your kick-butt Google+ page!

Attracting circlers

Google+ pages cannot circle a person who has not circled the page first. That may sound wonky at first, but it makes sense. You don't want the IRS following you first, do you?

So how do you get people to add you to their circles? You ask! No, your page can't ask, but your profile certainly can. And if you do it right, you can get other profiles to spread the word for you.

Start by telling your employees, authors, vendors and partners about your new page. If you already have them in circles on your personal Google+ profile, share your new page with them. But you'll get the most bang for your buck by drumming up people off Google+. Send out an email. Include a quick writeup in your next newsletter. Tell every vendor and partner you talk to on the phone for the next week. If you want to grow your network, start getting people involved.

Google+ Hangouts are another great way to attract more people to your circle. Currently, pages are subject to the same limitations (10 people max) of profiles, but that should be changing... soon? But that shouldn't stop you from trying. Publishers should create Hangouts of interest to both readers and authors. After all, you really need to attract both types of people to be successful, right? Sponsor author readings. Hold a writing workshop. Make a launch party a Hangout. There are lots of ways you can go.

Searching for people already talking about your brand, your authors or the books you publish is a great idea, too. Google+ makes it simple to save a search for repeat use. When you find someone mentioning you, your authors or your books, join the conversation. You may not be able to circle them, but you certainly can post a comment and +1 the things they have to say! And yes, it's OK to ask the person to circle your brand's page!

Sustaining success comes from sharing amazing content

Here's the hard truth: most people don't need one more social network to keep up with. So if you're going to make Google+ work for your publishing company, you have to be willing to create the kind of kick ass content that makes it worth their while.

The trouble is this: I can't tell you what amazing content is for your brand. Not without going through an exhaustive strategy session with you. But you should know what's amazing about your company. Figure that out. And share it.

Google has told us that the posts that feature rich content -- videos & images -- perform the best. That's nothing surprising. Again, look at the posts that Innova is creating. Even if you aren't into disc golf (few of us are), you have to admit that the  content is compelling. That is what you need to do. Be compelling!

When you do, consider segregating your sharing. Think of it in three ways:

1. Things my brand only wants to share with authors


2. Things my brand only wants to share with readers


3. Things my brand wants to share with everybody

That should drive the circles you create and add people to. Unsure if someone who has circled your brand is a reader or an author? Ask! I'd check internally to see if they are an author first, though. That question can be a little embarrassing for you both. For advanced circling, consider breaking your reader circles down by genre preference. Again, you have to ask to figure out where someone belongs.

Keep this rule of thumb in mind: at least 80% of the posts to your stream should go to the Public. Most of what you do should be shared with everyone. Your particular needs may overturn that rule, but that will be uncommon for most. Google+ isn't a replacement for other communication channels. It's augmentation. And a mostly public one.

Things to think about

Google+ pages for businesses is still growing. They've gotten lots of great feedback on the things they need to release. Quickly. Here's what I think you'll see in the coming days/weeks:

• Multiple admins - This was a huge miss at launch. I think it's keeping some businesses away. Which means a better chance for those who adopt it early to shine. I'll be surprised if they don't announce a fix by the end of the week.


• Pushing of activity notifications - It stinks to have to log into your Google+ and click the "Notifications" link to see how people are interacting with your posts. It think that's coming very soon, as they are already integrating with some third-party tool providers. The end of November is likely. But I could be wrong.


• (Practically) Unlimited circle sizes - Currently there is a 5,000 limit on any circle. I doubt you'll exceed this anytime real soon, but at the rate Google+ is growing, it will happen. Expect it quickly.


• Extended view-only people in Hangouts - The 10-person (including you) limit stinks. I think this is weeks away, not days. Dang it!

So there you go, publishers! My thoughts on how you can use Google+ effectively for your publishing business. All that hinting I made about consulting? I wasn't kidding. Jeff and I have been doing professional social media consulting for a few years now. If you'd like us to come speak to your staff or help you plan an effective digital strategy, we'd love to talk. We're not cheap, but we're damned good at what we do.

I'm going to go play with my new Kindle fire now.

An Author's Guide to Google+ Circles

[caption id="attachment_1833" align="alignleft" width="296" caption="A sampling of my Google+ Circles."][/caption]

Yesterday on Google+, I teased that I had come to an epiphany that resulted in a radical change to my profile. After letting it soak for a day, I think I'm ready to share.

1st Warning: Some of you are going to disagree with this. Strongly.

2nd Warning: I'm aming specifically at authors who want to use their Google+ personal account¹ in a professional way. If that's not you, then go away and figure out your own methods on Google+.

3rd Warning: This is very long. Yet terribly short. It's so complex, I'm building out curriculum and will offer it as training on ePublish Unum. Stay tuned.

To circle or not to circle?

As it turns out, not is the correct answer. Not unless very particular circumstances occur. Then, and only then, do you circle back. Take these steps right now. You may want to block off a couple of hours, depending on how far behind you are.

Step 1: De-clutter

Google+ makes it easy to do the wrong things. Assuming you've implemented a different strategy, you need to do some cleanup. Like:

1. Un-circle everyone. Right now. Do it. Trust me. Save yourself the pain I went through before I decided to take this step. You'll thank me later.


2. Delete all the default circles that Google+ created for you. None of them are helpful to authors.

Step 2: Make outbound channels

Let's craft this sucker to work for you as you build your professional author presence on Google+, yet still let you be a human  being. Or at least seem like one.

1. Figure out what you are known for. What are you an expert in? What are you seen as an expert in? This is your primary voice, the thing you'll talk about. You know, the thing you write books about. Write it down. Remember it. But do not make a circle for it. I'll explain why in a moment. For now,  trust me.


2. Make a circle for "that other thing" you want to talk about from time to time. You're on a social media site, for goodness sake! This is no time to be one-dimensional. Maybe it's photography. Maybe it's a sports team. I don't care. You should care, however.


3. Circle people to this "other thing" (I hope you didn't call it that) who would mostly be interested in this aspect of your online persona. Look through the people who've previously circled you to see if they fit. But as you naturally discover others, add them to this circle as well.

3: Create your selective attention

To keep you out of the circle-back reflex, create and populate these custom circles:

1. "Firehose". This is for people you ALWAYS want to hear from. That word is bold, italic and in all caps for a reason. This is not an analog for "Friends". Be very selective about who you circle here. I'm pretty good at handling inputs. And I only have 18 people in here.


2. A circle for a topic you want to learn about or on which you wish to stay well-informed. When populating, make sure you only circle people who talk primarily on this topic. The occasional on-topic post won't do. To make this work, you need to keep your inputs clean. If you have more than one topic you want to stay informed about. Add it. But remember: this is about your career as an author. You have many other sources of news than Google+, right? Don't dupe.

 Step 4: Check your appearance

Get to your Profile and click the link that says "View profile as..." on the right side under your five-image strip. Click "anyone on the web" and focus on the "In [your name]'s circles (###)" section under your picture on the left side. How does it look? More importantly, what does it say about the implied endorsement you've given those other Google+ profiles and Pages?

If they are off-brand for you, hide them. Make a new circle called "Hidden" (or whatever) and add in the offending profiles/pages. Clicking the "Change who is visible here" from your profile page let's you do just that! Leave it set to "Anyone on the web", as you're wanting more people to learn about you, not less!

Step 5: Gauge and engagement

I'm a firm believer that the ultimate, over-arching goal of any author using Google+ professionally must be to increase engagement with fans. Sure, you want them to buy your books (all of them), but that's something that happens down the road after you've engaged with them and they decide like you. Then they buy. And tell a few dozen of their closest friends to do the same. That's how social marketing works.

Here's the beauty of Google+ where engagement comes into play: Google+ is the only high-volume social network that doesn't limit interactions by default. It matters not if you have circled a would-be fan or not: their ability to interact with you isn't inhibited one tiny bit!

Everything a circled fan can do, a fan outside of your circles can do. That's a huge change from Facebook, where the default level of interactivity among non-Friends is zero. Even Twitter allows extra permissions once you've followed someone.

But on Google+, un-circled fans can comment on your posts and you can comment back to them. They can +1 your posts and you can thank them for it. They can mention you and you'll be notified just like you would be with circled fans. The fan gains nothing when you circle them.

Step 6: Don't ignore the Ignore option

Now that you know that un-circled friends aren't inhibited in the least, it's time to discover that link you've probably been avoiding: Ignore.

Click on your Circles, then the text that reads "People who've added you (####)". Change your Sort option to "Not yet in circles". (This doesn't show you only those people. It just puts them first in the list.) Scroll to the bottom, and you should see rectangles for people with small rings in the lower right corner. That's not a ring, it's a circle. When you see it, that indicates the person is in your circle.

Now is when it gets fun. Or terrifying.

Go back to the top and start selecting some people who aren't in any of your (now much limited) circles. If you have no idea who they are, click the Ignore button on the upper right side. Poof! They're gone. Keep going. Liberating, isn't it? Who says Inbox Zero can't apply to Google+!

This is the only action the Ignore button has: to remove people from your list of to-be-circled. Those you've ignored can still comment, +1, mention you... all of that. The block feature is entirely different and stops all interaction. But that's not what we're talking about here. We're just cleaning house. And keeping it clean.

Step 7: Start publishing!

Remember how you didn't make a circle for your primary topic?  That's because it's 100% the same as your public posts! This is the thing you talk about. Always. Every day. Multiple times a day, if you can. You don't need a circle for it because you aren't limiting these posts. These posts work to define you on Google+. Even those people in your "other things" (really, you didn't name it that, did you?) circle shouldn't be immune to your public posts. If they un-circle you for your primary content; fine. They probably shouldn't have circled you in the first place.

But you can (and should) send out some public posts of interest to this "other things" circle on a regular basis. Remember -- don't be one dimensional. But some things of interest to this group may be super geeky, and you may not wish to share that with your regular audience. Great. That's why you made this special circle. Send it only to them and keep it away from your regular audience.

Step 8: Maintenance

People are joining Google+ at a crazy rate. Expect to be circled a lot. Especially as your career grows. Click the "Notifications" link from under your Stream list. From here you can see any new people who have circled you. And Google+ provides a quick Ignore link right from here. Use it. Liberally.

As I said earlier, this isn't going to sit well with some people. I fully expect a slew of "who the hell are you to be dictating how I use Google+" comments and posts. It comes with the territory. But if you have a dissenting opinion and want to engage in a spirited dialog, I'd love to hear from you. Even if I haven't circled you on Google+.

^{1 - Not to be confused with a Google+ Page. Yeah, they are different.}

Related articles

• Google+ Pages for Authors (asimplerway.com)


• 5 more ways to find or share interesting circles on Google+ (thenextweb.com)


• Circle around Me. (readnatchaya.wordpress.com)

Office hours for authors on Google+ Hangouts

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="OPEN by Tom Magliery on Flickr"][/caption]

Earlier this week I gave a Google+ Hangouts tip to fiction authors. Here's one for non-fictions authors -- use Google+ Hangouts for "office hours".

Think back to college. Sure, it's hazy from time, beer and... college. Remember when you were struggling like mad to grasp the concepts of electron clouds because your shitty high school chemistry teacher knew nothing of basic science and only wanted to blow things up in the lab like you so you didn't really learn anything and now here you are at university and...

Wait. Sorry. I'm already off-track.

College professors deal with the failings of secondary education all the time. And one tool they use to help students (like me) with personalized attention is through office hours. These are posted times when they are available to walk-in students. They sit in their office, have a light workload, and wait for students to come to them with questions. They're the experts. We're the... well, students.

The parallel for non-fiction authors, typically masters of their chosen field, should be obvious.

So do it. Find a time that you can commit to being in front of your computer each and every week. That's really the key part; consistency. Make that time publicly known. Post it everywhere. Add it to your Twitter bio. Set up auto-tweets to remind people about it. Create a Facebook event and invite your fans. And obviously, talk about it on Google+.

When it's time for the event, start your Hangout. Don't just sit there and stare at the screen waiting for the masses to come to you. That way lies madness. And depression. Instead, get some work done. I would not recommend writing. At least not on the computer that's running the Google+ Hangout. File papers. Read a book. Fiddle with your tablet. But stay in view of the camera, and keep your sound up so you can hear when people join.

Who will come? Dunno. That's the beauty of it. It's open season. What will they ask? Anything, really. Hopefully things related to your expertise. It's your job to steer the conversation there.

What happens if more than 9 people want to be there at the same time? If you fill up on your Hangout, make a post on G+ asking people to be patient. And as soon as you've answered someone's question, exit them from the Hangout to free up a slot.

What happens if no one comes? Then you have a great hour of not futzing with the computer in front of you. Use it wisely!

If you decide to try this, please let me know. Send me a message on Google+ and tell me about. I'd love to hangout and watch the experiment unfold!

Related articles

• Google+ Hangouts for Author Readings (asimplerway.com)


• How To Use Google+ Hangout For Business (adrsocialmedia.wordpress.com)


• Do Business People need to Hangout? Google+ certainly thinks so (marketing.yell.com)

Google+ Hangouts for Author Readings

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="reading by Hans Splinter on Flickr"][/caption]

One old promotional trick gets a facelift with Google+. I'm talking about author readings, something that was previously limited by proximity.

Not any more.

In the olden-days of, oh... 3 days ago, author readings were the bastion of book tours and conventions. Readers had to be at the same place as the author at the same time to experience the reading. Sure, readings could be recorded and later broadcasted. Or podcasted. Or accessed through live-streaming sites like uStream.tv. But while the technology to reach the masses was there, they by-and-large weren't connected to the author's network, so they didn't spread very far.

Google+ can change that through the Hangout feature.

Google+ Hangouts are live video sessions that can house up to 10 people. Now, I know what you're saying: 10 people does not a broadcast make. I agree. But hear me out.

First, consider this is the first large-scale social network to tightly couple the idea of friends/followers -- called "circles" in G+ -- with the ability for multi-person, bi-directional video chat. That's key to making the author feel like they aren't talking to a camera -- they can actually see the people who are part of the audience. And rather than drumming up interest on one social channel (Facebook) and then trying to drive people to go to another social channel (uStream) to watch the show, it's 100% self-contained.

Yes, Google+ really needs to get some sort of "event" feature like FB has. That would allow authors to announce and let fans RSVP to the reading in advance. I trust that they are working it. And a lot more.

But back to the 10-people-max problem. Which is really a 9-people-max problem, because you -- the author -- are one of those 10. I'm going to compound the problem and suggest you have an assistant taking up another seat, which makes it an 8-person-max problem. The horror!

Don't think single-instance audience size -- think volume. That assistant has a single job: to rotate people through the hangout. Maybe it's on a timed schedule. Maybe some sort of RSVP system is used. And maybe Google will eventually figure out some sort of round-robin. But the idea is sound: authors build interest in their readings and give those readings in a Google+ Hangout. People come and go through the experience.

Will it work? I think so. The infrastructure -- the important parts, at least -- is built. Creating a joining a Hangout on Google+ is incredibly simple. Just work through the issue of having too many people and you're well on your way. And I wouldn't sweat it too much. I think Google has plans on increasing -- drastically -- the number of people who can attend a Hangout. So cut your teeth on them while they are somewhat controllable.

The more I dig into Google+, the more I really like it for the indie author or publisher. I'm off to think about it some more. In the mean time, circle me on Google+. You know you want to...

Google+ Pages for Authors

[caption id="attachment_1817" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Google+ Pages Logo"][/caption]

Yesterday, Google announced that the business-side of Google+ was open for business. Often called "the Facebook killer", Google+ was off-limits to anything but people. And real people. No funny anonymous names like "FuzzyBunny142". Real names, or at least the names you were commonly known by in the real world.

Now with the launch of Google+ Pages, entities other than people are free to make profiles. I've had about 3 hours to play around, creating G+ Pages for Podiobooks.com and ePublish Unum, and think that there might be a play for authors here. My thoughts are only about half-baked, so I don't want to write much more here this morning other than some immediate observations and steps you, the indie author or publisher, might want to take.

1. There's value getting in early. Yes, there's also the chance that a new thing will fail to take off. Google has plenty of failed social projects. This one doesn't smell that way. As more people get involved, those who have built a good presence will naturally garner more attention.


2. Go slow and complete. Like all-too-many social properties, Google+ Pages encourages you to "share your page with friends!" way too early in the process. Resist that temptation. Fill out your About section (smartly), load some pics (get creative), and make a few solid posts before shouting to the masses.


3. This isn't Facebook. Facebook is fun. It's friends and family. It's a place to be social and goofy. Google+ just feels different. More serious, perhaps? More research- or discover-focused? Hard to put my finger on it. Google+ Pages lack a lot of the support structure (currently) that you'll find on Facebook Pages. I assume those are coming soon.


4. Don't cross the streams. I'm not sure there's a lot of value in reposting everything you do on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and your own blog on your Google+ Page. Or even your Google+ profile. That seems like wall-papering, and I fail to see the value. Each of the channels is different. Your content should be, too.


5. Consider making a Google+ Page for each of your books. Wow. I can't believe I just wrote that. But there is an option to set up a Google+ Page for a book. Select Arts, Entertainment or Sports > Book to do this. Right now, it doesn't look like there are any custom fields you get when you make that choice, but you can bet there will be. Perhaps with links back to Google Books, I'd wager. And probably places for reviews and such. Yeah, this is starting to make more sense.


6. Consider making a Google+ Page for your protagonist. Here I go with the crazy talk again. But sure enough, Fictional Character is an option. I'd hold off on creating one for every character you have. That way lies madness.


7. Link in your other primary social properties. And your website. That's on the About page.


8. Start circling people. Which Google+ Pages makes rather difficult, since a G+ Page can't circle someone unless the person first circles the G+ Page. Leverage your existing Google+ Profile (your personal one) to start getting the word out about your new one. Encourage folks to pass it along to the people in their circles, too. But you better make sure you have solid content for that. The novelty of "hey, I have a G+ Page" will wear off in about 3 more days.


9. Delete the dumb default Circles. Create your own. You're using this as a marketing tool. I'd go with Fans, Support Staff, and maybe Superfans. You can create and direct messages to these very specific groups.


10. When people circle you, circle them back! All of them! They are opting in to your communication stream. Why wouldn't you add them to a circle? And if Google+ Page circle you, circle them back, too. A person is behind that Page, so why not? Stick them in the generic "fans" circle. Or if you want to keep up with what they are doing from an approach POV, create a new circle called Other Pages.

That's it for now. Much more to learn in the coming days. When I've got it all figured out, I'll probably post about it on ePubish Unum.

Related articles

• Google+ Finally Launches Business Pages (hubspot.com)


• Google Pages Launches, But Don't Expect a Facebook Rerun (marketingvox.com)