Google Plus Communities - Why Aren't You Plugged In?

This post is mostly for Oklahoma Educators on Google Plus, but it is also an appeal to any educator who hasn't visited Google Plus lately.  On Monday, I created the GEG (Google Educators Group) - Oklahoma Community. We've grown to 50 members in two days, and we'd like to see that number grow even more by the end of the week.  

If you're not plugged in to a community on Google Plus, you should be!  To use the GEG Oklahoma Community as an example, Google Plus communities are a place where teachers/users can:

• Post Articles
• Share Tips & Lessons
• Or Simply Ask Questions.  

Google + Communities

Google Communities can be set up with different Topics, so that users can engage in discussion on several topics.  As an example, the GEG Oklahoma page has topics ranging from Google Drive to Google Classroom and YouTube.

If you've never visited Google Plus, you can access the site with any Google Account by visiting http://plus.google.com.  Once there, you can Join Communities covering almost any interest or topic you can think of.  Don't know where to start?  Try this link to view recommended communities. 

If you'd like to set up your own community, it is fairly simple. Just go to https://plus.google.com/communities/yours and click Create a Community.  Once you have completed the setup, invite people to your community or share it out on Social Media.  By setting up a community, organizations can relay important information to followers.  I use our Community to post articles and tutorials related to Google Apps for Education.  

Google + Collections

Google Plus also has collections created by users that you can follow.  What is a collection?  Whereas a Community is a place where you can share posts and ask questions, a Collection is simply a collection of posts that a user puts out there to share with others based on an interest they may have.  Followers cannot post to a collection.  Only the owner of the collection can post, but it is a great way to connect with links and images on a topic of interest.  Here is my collection of Google Tips and Tutorials on Google+

Google + People

Finally, you can also connect with your friends and coworkers on Google Plus. By following people, you can keep up to date with thoughts and ideas your friends and coworkers post on Google Plus.  Think Social Media without all the ads and other garbage.