TJ Chapman: Google+ for Music Marketing

Google+ for Music Marketing

Tech geeks the world over have been drooling the past few weeks over Google's new social platform called Google+ (which is simply pronounced "Google Plus").
You may already be using it. But if you're not, don't feel bad. Google+ is so new, it's still officially in "beta" mode and by invitation only. Word has it that it will go fully public within a couple of weeks.
If you're just now learning about it, take a quick look at this page for Google's overview.
Reportedly, 18 million people have signed up in its first few weeks, and it has a lot of prominent bloggers and social media experts buzzing.
Opinions on Google+ range widely, from calling it a "Facebook killer" to asking "Why in the hell do we need another social networking site to manage?"
I'm still getting acquainted with the features myself. And I've seen lots of buzz sites come and go nowhere, like Quora.com. And let's not forget Google Wave, a project that was closed within a year of its launch.
So I'm very cautious about predicting that any new thing will become the next Big Thing. But since it is getting a lot of attention, and since it is powered by the Google machine, I think it is worth starting a Google+ account and at least exploring what all the hoopla is about.
By the way, you can find my Google+ profile here.
Running Around in Circles
One of the first features you'll notice that sets apart G+ (as all the hipsters refer to it :-) is something called Circles. In essence it's a way to divide the people you keep tabs on into separate groups.
This function is actually nothing new. On Facebook you can create friend list subgroups, but few people use it or even know about it. Twitter also gives you the ability to create lists that display the feeds of people you select.
The difference I see with Google+ is that it places a big emphasis on Circles. And it gives you a more visually appealing, drag-and-drop way to categorize the people you want to follow and interact with.
Here's a Google video that explains it:

Some obvious Circle categories for artists might be Fans, Media People, Music Biz Tips, Other Musicians, etc.
As the video above explains, when you post updates, you can choose which of your Circles will see them. That way, you can post specific messages just for fans or only for other artists, etc. That is something that sets Google+ apart from Facebook, Twitter, and others.