How many of you are just totally out of ideas for what to post here or on any social network? I know I am. It feels like everything has been done to death and really - it just seems silly sometimes. I mean how many selfies can you post (unless you are 18 and very self-absorbed); how many photos of your dinner or dessert do you think people want to see? How many "how to" use a social network posts can you stomach? How many cat photos, landscapes, clouds or what have you do we need to see? How many times can we share and reshare the same old same old things over and over again before it just gets boring as hell???

I for one am bored. I enjoy discussions but lately they all seem to be the same as well (debates about authority, influence, authenticity, blah blah blah) and that's getting old too.

I don't have the answers but I'm starting to feel like logging in is like watching a rerun of Groundhog Day all day every day and that is the definition of insanity in my book.

</rant>

NEW Social Network
No invite only this time - and a good chance to get in early! So far it looks pretty cool and the iPhone app is awesome! Come friend me at http://tsu.co/christinedegraff!

Correction - it is invite only but you just need to sign up under a friend. My link is http://tsu.co/christinedegraff and that gets you in.

h/t +Dustin W. Stout

#socialmedia #socialnetwork #tsu

Google Plus Official Playbook (REPOST)
If you are a G+ pro you can move along - for those of you who are still trying to figure it all out, the Google Plus Official Playbook is a great place to get started. You can download it here: http://snip.ly/D1CE

Chapter 1: Getting Started
Some good info about linking your Google+ and YouTube accounts as well as how to create a channel for your page.

Chapter 2: Promote Your Presence
Tips to grow your Google+ following but IMHO missing a very big piece. If you want to proactively grow your presence on Google+, you need to go out and circle people. The key is to find and circle the people who are most likely to be interested in the topics you plan to talk about.

Chapter 3: The Stream
If you are still not sure how to format a post, mention people or use hashtags, this is the chapter for you.

Chapter 4: Google+ Pages
Tons of great info for those of you getting started including how to add page managers or transfer page ownership. My experience with Google+ pages is that I want to set up tons of them for every idea I have but tend to abandon most of them over time. To gain traction with a page takes commitment!

Chapter 5: Hangouts
Lots of great info if you are thinking about hosting a hangout on air. I personally love the Cameraman app to hide the filmstrip during music hangouts while the musician is playing and the Control Room app to mute people if they forget. If you are serious about hosting hangouts on air, be sure to check out +Ronnie Bincer's mastery group. (affiliate link: http://bit.ly/MasterHangouts)

Chapter 6: Communities
Before setting up your own community, I would encourage you to join and participate in other people's communities to learn what works and doesn't work. Small communities with very active and engaged members are the ones I enjoy the most. 

Chapter 7: Photos
I recently enabled auto backup and I like it. Now all of my photos are automatically uploaded and lots of auto-awesomes are created for me to share - check out #BanditsAwesomeProject . 

Chapter 8: Events
Not a ton of info but it might give you a few ideas for ways to use it. Definitely is great for organizing a hangout in real life and provides everyone with a place to post photos. I actually use events for my music hangouts so I can swap out YouTube URL's afterward with a post-production video rather than just creating a regular hangout on air.

Learn More
You might enjoy having +martin shervington walk you through the playbook on YouTube or Soundcloud at http://bit.ly/1xxwiVv

Get It Free
Download the Google Plus Official Playbook at http://snip.ly/D1CE

#GooglePlusTips   #GooglePlusGuide   #GooglePlusHelp