Google+ makes connecting on the web more like connecting in the real world, providing new ways for students and faculty to find, share and connect online -- both inside and outside the classroom.
Circles make it easy to organize your online social and academic lives by sharing relevant content with the right people. With Circles, your photography friends don’t have to get an update about your morning workout, and your triathlon team doesn’t see all your thoughts on the latest camera gear.
Check it out: See how Stanford University created a shared circle of different organizations on campus who are on Google+.
With Google+ Pages, you can create a page for your student organization or class and use it to share important updates with your membership.
Professors can create Google+ Pages for classes to share homework updates, the latest news on the course topic, or interesting ideas and articles. Universities can also interact with prospective and current students with a Google+ Page.
Check it out: See how Washington University in St. Louis uses their Google+ Page to share campus news and updates, or how Georgia Tech students promote the newest volume of their research journal.
Hangouts are group video chat that you can use with up to 9 of your friends. It's ideal when you need to hold virtual office hours, or collaborate on a project - but you're not able to physically meet in the same room. Hangouts are also a great way to connect with your high school friends and family, or to spend time watching YouTube videos with friends in other dorms when you don’t feel like putting on your shoes.
Check it out: Boise State University students study together with Hangouts.
With Messenger, you can use your mobile phone or computer to chat with a bunch of people at once, instead of having to send individual texts. You can engage in multiple messages at once, so you can make weekend plans with your sorority sisters while simultaneously discussing Plato with your philosophy classmates in a different group chat.
To sign up for Google+, you need to have a Google account. You can log in using any existing Google account. If you don’t have a Google account, it’s quick and easy to create. Plus, you can join at no charge. Start Now.
Google+ is available to people who use Google Apps. Once your university turns Google+ on (click here to learn more), you will have access to the same set of features that are available to every Google+ user, and more. In addition to sharing publicly or with your circles, you’ll also have the option to share with everyone at your university, even if you haven’t added all of those people to a circle. Click here to learn more.
To create a Google+ Page, you first need to set up a personal profile on Google+. Once you have a Google+ account, you can create a Google+ Page for any organization, group or class. By creating a page, you can provide your group its own space on Google+.
Visit the help center for more Google+ tips and tricks.
