Just when you thought you had a handle on Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, blogging, etc., now enters Google+. Should you add yet another social networking activity to your day—and more importantly, will it help you create awareness about a book?

First, what is Google+ and why was it created? Essentially, Google+ wants you to create more intimate “circles” of contacts to share news, information and passions (including books!).

From Google:

Not all relationships are created equal. So in life we share one thing with college buddies, another with parents, and almost nothing with our boss. The problem is that today’s online services turn friendship into fast food—wrapping everyone in “friend” paper—and sharing really suffers:

• It’s sloppy. We only want to connect with certain people at certain times, but online we hear from everyone all the time.
• It’s scary. Every online conversation (with over 100 “friends”) is a public performance, so we often share less because of stage fright.
• It’s insensitive. We all define “friend” and “family” differently—in our own way, on our own terms—but we lose this nuance online.

In light of these shortcomings we asked ourselves, “What do people actually do?” And we didn’t have to search far for the answer. People in fact share selectively all the time—with their circles.

From close family to foodies, we found that people already use real-life circles to express themselves, and to share with precisely the right folks. So we did the only thing that made sense: we brought Circles to software. Just make a circle, add your people, and share what’s new—just like any other day.

Here is the link to learn more and to sign up to Google+.

If you are on Google+ and you want to let others know about a book, especially one already in Google Books (we wrote about how to add a title to this in a recent newsletter, here is a link to starting), here are simple steps from Abe Murray, Product Manager, Google Books explains how it’s done:

• Simply click on the Google+ Share box on the About the Book page or in a Google Books preview, enter your message, then select which circles you’d like to share details about the book with, and click “share”.
• The book cover, description and title linking back to the Google Books About the Book page will appear in your Google+ stream with your message.
• You can also simply paste the About the Book or Google Books preview URL into your Google+ Share box. This will show the cover and book details, helping your friends know exactly what you’re sharing with them. While you’re sharing books, you can also +1 them, and the titles will appear in your profile on the +1 tab.

Here is a great article on promotional tools for authors on Google+ This link will show you how to join a growing writer’s network, advice on creating Google+ writer profiles, using Google+ to organizing a book party or find a writing job, and how to share your Google+ posts across your other social networks.

At Smith Publicity, we will be keeping a close eye on Google+ and how we can help authors explore the newest social networking tool!

Sandy Diaz is the President of Smith Publicity, Inc. Beginning in 1997, Smith Publicity is one of the world’s leading promotional firms, specializing in book publicity. Fueled by a passion for making good things happen for clients, the company has worked with over 900 individuals and companies–from authors and entrepreneurs to publicly-held companies and businesses representing a wide range of industries. The Smith Publicity reach is international with offices in New Jersey, New York City, Los Angeles, and London. For more information about Smith Publicity, Inc., please visit www.smithpublicity.com.