Here’s how you can keep using those apps, but take a few steps to send all those Facebook notices to The Void.

You need to take the first five steps in Section 1 only once. Then you’ll need to perform the steps in the second section for each problem app.

Section 1: Create The Void list.

1) On the left side hover over Lists to make the More option appear. You’ll get a list of your Lists.

2) Choose Create a List (top of the center column)

3) Name the list anything. I choose “The Void”

4) Click “Create List”

5) Simply add no friends to the list. That way none of your friends see the annoying messages.

Section 2: Here’s how to send troublesome app notices to The Void

1) Upper right of your Facebook bar (next to Home) use the pull-down triange and choose “Account Settings”

2) On the Upper left menu (under “Facebook”) choose Apps

3) Edit the offending app

4) Edit “app activity privacy:” For “Who can see posts and activity from this app? choose Custom

4b) In the Custom Privacy box choose Specific People or Lists and then type The Void (or whatever you named your empty list.)

5) Save settings, Close and you’re ready to run through the list again to send any other troublesome app notices to the void.

1) You can set a link on your website to auto-forward to your Google+ page. Like so: http://chuckwelch.com/+ will forward to https://plus.google.com/113347566311475996443/posts (My G+ Posts page.)

All it takes is a quick edit of your .htaccess file on your site. You just need to add:

RedirectMatch ^/+(.*)$ http://plus.google.com/YOUR•PLUS•ID•HERE$1

For more info, I’ll just direct you to the Google Android engineer who wrote first about it…Daniel Sandler.

2) When you post you can limit those who can read the post. Either specifically by name or in a select Circle. Obviously, you want the post for their eyes only. However, unless you disable Resharing, those who you invited can repost and invite others into the comments. Luckily, you can block resharing: just publish the post then choose the pulldown Edit menu (top right of the post..the circle enclosing the triangle) then choose “Disable Reshare”. If you change your mind, you can repeat the process and Enable Reshare.

2b) You can Disable and Enable Comments through the same Edit menu.

3) Tiled Images at the top of your G+ About page are already the rage. (OK, I know a couple of people who’ve done it.) You just need Photoshop and a few minutes: How to Customise Your Google+ Profile Page

4) If you’re using Chrome and you’d like to make Google+ a little easier to read, you can adjust the CSS with a Chrome Extension: Usability Boost for Google Plus™

5) The Notifications pulldown (top right of the black Google+ menubar at the top of your screen) is more useful than you think. Click the Number beside your account name and then click “View All Notifications”

Now you see all the notifications on a Google+ page. See the two items “All-More” just to the top right of the column? Pull down the More menu. Now you can choose to see who has added you to circles, who has commented on your posts, where you’ve left comments, who has tagged you in a photo and the most useful, who has mentioned you in a post or comment.

By mentioning you in a post or comment, someone is asking for your input. A quick check of this page will ensure you don’t miss any of those callouts.

5b) You can also see the Notifications page by choosing the option in your Stream list.

6) After receiving a lot of concerns, Google will let you set the visibility of your gender starting later this week. You’ll set it by editing your profile. This actually makes sense. Some one could write a script to find the profiles of all women on Google+ and send them tampon ads. If you wanted targeted ads…you’d join Facebook.

Personally, I’m going to set mine to Other and make it private. Why give more marketing information?

7) The “Find People” search box at the top of Google+ isn’t just for names. You can search a topic and find people with similar interests. Google doesn’t let you add them from the search page. You’ll have to click their link and do it from their About page.

8 ) Speaking of adding new friends…. Google announced they’re adding an import address book option. You can make a CSV of your current contacts (in Outlook for example) and upload that to G+ on the Find and Invite page. Google will sort through and display the tiles of those with Google+ accounts. Expect the option within a week. Check the video announcement.

CC image credit: West McGowan

1) Forget the “vanity URL” tip from yesterday…Google looks to have already disabled that. If you already have one…it still works.

2) Like the new (temporary) look of chuckwelch.com? That’s the PlusOne Theme 1.0 by Mayur Somani

3) Your profile picture isn’t static. Edit your profile. Upload a new picture or three as your profile photo. Now, when someone visits your profile, the profile image flips through all your profile photo uploads.

4) If you want to delete a profile photo…you’ll have to do so under the Google+ Photos button. (Top menu bar..looks like an old Mac with a mountain range on the screen.) Select “Your Albums” –> “Profile photos”. Click the photo you want to delete and choose “Delete Photo” from the “Actions” pull down under the photo.

5) There are already Chrome extensions for Google+Tweet and Google+Facebook. I say, meh. The Facebook extension doesn’t give you the hide controls you’d have at Facebook. Nor can you see the comments. The Twitter extension keeps failing. I say skip both.

6) You can get the mobile Google+ at http://www.google.com/mobile/+ or here for Android. Marty Gabel has already reviewed the app, so I’ll just pass on the link: A quick look at the Google+ Android app. I haven’t used it enough to complain about any of the features. It works pretty much as well as the desktop version though I wish I could use Huddle to video chat off the front facing camera of my Infuse.

7) You know those “In ____ Circles” and “Have ____ in their Circles” widgets under your profile picture? You can edit who shows up. At your profile click the blue Edit Profile button. Now click the little “world” icon next to your “In ____’s circles” widget.

For your circles, you can toggle display on or off for each circle. You can also choose to display the widget publicly or just to those in your circles. (Unfortunately, you can’t choose which circles see the widget. It’s all or nothing.)

For the “Have You in circles” widget, you can choose to display it publicly or hide it. That’s all.

By the way, you can’t choose the display order for those listed. It’s a random display for each page refresh.
You don’t want photos of you to be Tagged by just any yahoo? Explicitly set who can tag you in Google+ Settings: scroll down to Photos and set the circles or names of those you want to give automatic permission to tag you. To set a specific person, just start typing her name.

9) While we’re in Settings, note you can export your Web albums, Circles & Contacts, and Profile, Stream, and Buzz data. Check out Data liberation.

10) Finally, if you’re the sharing type go to Connected Accounts and add as much as you like from your other homes on the net. Google will suggest a few, you can add others.

CC image credit: Bert Boerland

I’m going to assume you’ve already logged into Google+ and know the basic layout. Please read all the tips before dismissing them individually.

1) Forget reading the Stream. The Stream is why you want to leave Facebook. It’s a firehose five feet from your face. Unless you’ve limited your circle to the three friends in your cell, the Stream is simply too much information to swallow.

2a) You’re already worried you’ll add too many to your Circles. Jump in. This isn’t your sewing circle. Forget Dunbar’s Number. Google+ is not about staying close to your tribe. Google+ is a vast library where you get to read delightful autobiographies still in progress.

2b) On the other hand, don’t add every person Google suggests. Show some sense. I could be one of those suggestions and where would that get you? Take a look at a profile before you add the person.

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4) Keep. Each. Circle. Underpopulated. Each time you check out Google+ you’re going to dip into a circle or two and catch up on a couple of days worth of posts. You don’t want to see you’ve missed 127 posts each with 42 witty, but never pithy, comments.

5) Don’t Round Up the Usual Suspects. I know it is is beta and you’re looking for activity, but use this opportunity to not follow Ashton Krutcher, Chris Prillio or Robert Scoble. You’ll have plenty of time to follow them after this mad rush. You won’t miss much of what they say about Google+. You’ll catch their pearls of wisdom in your circle: Folks Who Regurgitate the Experts.

6) Listen. Follow more than who follow you.

7) Share just 10% of what you read. It really isn’t all good. Remember Sturgeon’s Law.
+1 is your bookmark friend. It’s your bookie tip. It’s a “ditto” when you just don’t feel a need to add anything. Some are just for those in Google+ and some are more public. They’re never completely private. Here’s how to display your +1 list on your Google Profile.

9) Read the Help File. Either they thought of your question or you’ve found a bug. (Speaking of bugs…expect them. You’re there for the adventure.)

10) Here is your first link: G+ Account Settings. Turn off unneeded notifications. Visit G+ a couple of times a day. You won’t miss anything important.

Tomorrow, I’ll discuss adding your Twitter and Facebook feeds to Google+ (Hint: Don’t cross the streams.)

Bonus: Did you set up one of those nice Google Profile short URLs? It now points to your Google+ public posts: http://profiles.google.com/chuckwelch

…to be continued….

CC image credit: Joyce Seitzinger

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