Overview
Using Google Apps
- Getting Started
- Using Gmail
- Using Google Drive
- Using Google Calendar
- Using Google+
- Using Google Groups
- Using Google Sites
Google+, Google’s new social networking platform, now is available for University of Minnesota Google Apps account.
So, what is Google+? Similar to some other social networking sites, it will do some of the same general things, such as sending messages to friends, sharing links, chatting, and sharing pictures. But the big difference is that with Google+, you can choose with whom you want to share these things.
Google+ makes sharing on the web more like sharing in the real world, and now Google+ is available to people who use Google Apps at college, at work or at home. You use Google Apps in lots of different ways, and we expect the same for Google+.
It all starts with your profile. Choose what people find when they look for you, and include things like what schools you’ve attended, what companies you’ve worked for, and how people can get in touch with you.
Circles is a great way to share relevant content with the right people. Circles make it easy to organize your online social world by putting different groups of friends and team members in separate lists, family in another, and whatever other groups you dream up, then easily post different updates to each circle. You can create as many circles as you want, make each as large or small as you want, and change (or abandon) any of them whenever you want.
Hangouts let up to ten people have a video chat together using this shared space for anything from study sessions or club meetings to collaborating with colleagues all over the world to holding foreign language labs with several students at once. You can share your screen or add a Google Doc to get even more done with your team.
Hangouts with extras, which combines multi-person video chat with screen sharing and collaboration in Google Docs, lets you work together on projects even when your team can't be in the same room. Whether you’re out of town, working on a project with a distributed group, or just don’t feel like walking to the next building for your meeting, Hangouts with extras can give your team the productivity boost it needs.
All you need to do is sign up at google.com/+ to get started. If you have a personal Google + profile, you will not be able to combine it with your University account. You will have to create another profile using your <username@umn.edu> account.
You’ll 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 in your organization, even if you haven’t added all of those people to a circle.
To learn more about and/or sign up for Google+, visit http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/.