Ready . . . Set . . . Google+

In the last few days, Google announced to users that on March 1, 2012, they are "getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that's a lot shorter and easier to read." It is good for each google account user to take a look at the privacy changes. If you didn't get the email from them to your google account - here is the link they provided:
http://www.google.com/policies

So you have taken the plunge, ready to play on Google+. Much like other social sites, Google+ is designed for you to be able to share more information in a easy format. You set up your "Circles" of friends, and you are on your way. Not so fast . . .

You will want to take a look at your privacy settings on your Google+ account. The default settings might not provide much security for you.

This summer when I "tried on" Google+ for the first time, there weren't many settings to keep privacy secure. I liked that I could select which sections to share information, but I found that I was still getting added to other peoples "Circles" that I didn't know, and got tagged to photos and posts that I was not aware of. Honestly, having the Google+ account has been fun to play with and explore, but I don't plan to use it for much - if any - communications with people I know at this time. Things may change down the road, but I feel there are still many things that need to be adjusted and would rather keep up with my friends on Facebook, LinkedIn connections and Twitter contacts than try to take on yet another social "connections" site. This is partially the reason for the inactivity on MySpace. I imagine a lot of you are dealing with the same issues.

So, in case you decide to play in Google+, be sure to modify the settings I have highlighted for you below. Understand your privacy & don't just let anyone connect to you or your kids - monitor them appropriately.

FIRST - Decide how you want to be connected. Under options, you can modify all of your settings or find links to privacy sections. Look for the wheel at the top right hand side next to your picture:

SECOND - You can select how your notifications, posts , pictures, video and communications are listed on your Google+ profile.

THIRD - Customize "Your circles" by choosing who you want to "share" information with.

FOURTH - Customize your Photo and Video options. I highly recommend you unselect "Show photo geo location information in newly uploaded albums and photos. Your geo location will provide the longitude and latitude for the location the picture was taken. This not only is a violation of privacy, but bascially provides information about frequently places you may go to potential online abusers.

Google also announced you could "Circle" a series of celebs and and teen-friendly brands. This is in effort to promote the social site to teens & young adults.

Again, be aware of what your kids are looking at and monitor the content to ensure they are safe. Here is the link for that if you are interested:

https://plus.google.com/getstarted/follow?hl=en-US#getstarted/follow

Hollie Clere, The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in the LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog and social media world. Click here for her Social Media Links