A Designers Guide to Make the Best Use of Google+

This aspect is interesting not only for people wanting to have fun with friends but it can also be used for business purposes. In business purposes, designers can take a big benefit from Google+ and can use it in interesting and effective ways in their work. Apart from connecting with friends and family, designers can use Google+ to connect to other people from their profession, find interesting people with whom they can share their ideas and come up with more and also get inspirations for further or current projects. If you are still somewhat at sea about how this can work, I have brought you some ways which you can use to take Google+ in the most effective manner for your designing work.

With the growing popularity of social networking, Google+ brought a system of social interaction which became interesting for all. Because social interaction has become so much as a necessity for people of the modern world, innovative approaches to make it better are always welcomed. And that is certainly what Google+ brought. Google+ took on the aspect of introducing a social interaction method by taking in view how people interact in daily life and to employ it on the internet world to make online networking better. For example, is someone has issues regarding letting all of the people to see what they have put up as their current activity, they can put them in circles designed for different groups of your social circle so that what you put up can be seen only by them and not by everyone.

Connect with Designers and Start Communicating:

• Specify circles for different people:

As I have mentioned earlier, Google+ has offered a networking environment where you can categorize your social network in circles so that even if you are using the social networking site for business, it doesn’t get mingled with your friends and family. Most suitably, a designer can create three major circles, one for his clients and prospective business acquaintances, one for his friends and family and one for the people you think are interesting designers and can help you out with ideas and inspirations. Specifying the circles will help you connect with these different kinds of people more effectively.

• Connect and socialize:

Use Google+ in the best manner for which it is created. Socialize! Start connecting with people in your circle and initiate or get into discussions. People join social networking sites to discuss and talk, so you do the same and that is how you will find what people may be of benefit to you. You can take a new status put up by one of your connection as a conversation starter. This is a way to get their attention and follow you and your updates. You can use such discussions to ask your clients about their business and by telling or reminding them of your services. By this, the client will know that you are taking an interest in his business and when he has your services in mind, he might also refer you to some.

Inspire and Get Inspired:

• The Sparks widget:

Sparks is also a very interesting thing that Google+ has introduced. It is a widget which lets people know of the related posts and articles for which they have shown interest. In this way, you can check out the latest updates without having to do a lot of effort. You can choose your own Sparks and Google+ will keep you updated with latest stuff itself. Every Spark we choose has latest articles, related websites and related images to ‘spark more interest’. This is the widget you can take advantage of in a good way and use it to find latest updates and interesting stuff relating to web designing. And then just sit back and enjoy what Google+ brings for you!

• The design community:

Designers who know what Google+ has to offer, they get in love with it. They appreciate its user interface which is beautiful and its user-friendly features. You can add as many people you want in your designing circle as you want as all the different people have different functionalities and ideals which can be helpful to you. You can showcase your work and take comments and suggestions on how to make it better. Moreover, you will get to know the different perspectives for different people and it will be a good source of weighing some of your own.

Showcase Your Work and Share:

• Photo albums – a good way:

Showcasing and showing off your work is a good way of getting suggestions and more ideas. Like some other famous social networking sites, Google+ has a feature of creating photo albums which can be a useful thing for designers as they can upload their latest work on their circles for others to see, to share, to let others get inspired and to know what others think about your work. The feedback which your design community can give to you can be a lot useful for you before you put your work in front of the client. This is also a way of putting your name out there and let others know of you. If you have a fear of people stealing your work, you can always watermark it to protect it.

• Securing your share:

Even after watermarking you are not comfortable in sharing your work; you can use other easy of sharing it which will keep it protected. There are some really good image hosting sites like Flickr where you can upload your work and can then share the link on Google+. It will work in the same manner, you won’t have to stay uncomfortable in not letting your work go unprotected and can still share your work. Because honestly, the feedback you get from sharing your work in your circles can do you a lot of good and the effort you do for putting it up in your circle will be totally worth it and will work just like Google+.

Final Words:

All the advancements in the technology work can be used for the good of your business. And the same goes for the relation between web designers and Google+. Designers work on getting clients and socializing is the best way to get clients. Moreover, if you can get new and interesting connections in doing so, what could be better! And that’s exactly what you can use Google+ for. You can put your existing clientele and new connections in separate circles and can stay updated with them.

Where a web designer can get important feedback from other people from the same field knowing your work, you can now do so with Google+, the best platform to share your work among new connections, all at the same time. There are a number of features as well which a web designer can use to make this experience more beneficial. The only thing a designer has to do is take out time to socialize on Google+ and then he can be sure of seeing positive results from it. This is the age of online networking, and if you can use it to make some good for your profession, you should use it well.

About The Author

Arfa Mirza

EuroPakistani and Media Studies graduate, Arfa Mirza is a whiz writer and self-taught designer, where creativity is her blood and bones. After successfully co-creating Dzineblog360 and Webblog360, she has launched her sole blog CreatiWittyBlog to claim her share in the virtual realm.

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