Google+ has been popping up everywhere, so we thought we’d give you a bit of a low down on what it is and how you can use it.

So what exactly is Google+?Google+ is Google’s social media platform and is designed for users to engage in conversations, share websites, information, photos and videos with anyone in their ‘circles’. On Google+ the user can choose where what information is shared and with who – say you have a funny video but you don’t necessarily want to share it with work colleagues, you can share the video with only your friends’ circle or family circle, or family and friends circles.It took Google+ only 16 days to reach 10 million users whereas it took Facebook 852 days and Twitter 780 days. However, it’s important to mention that Facebook was one of the first major social sharing networks and both Facebook and Twitter and still gaining great momentum in Australia for businesses and individuals.Google+ vs. FacebookIt’s hard to talk about Google+ without mentioning Facebook.For now Google+ isn’t going to be ‘the new Facebook’ but considering their rapid growth rate, it’s noteworthy to start looking into what Google+ can do. While the majority of Facebook users connect to play games and share with friends, Google+ gives a person the tools to share a website directly with a friend by clicking the +1 symbol next to the website in Google, rather than having to copy a URL and pasting it in Facebook. Google+ also integrates with all other Google products, specifically Gmail and search.But for now, Facebook definitely has the upper hand with its long-established users, socials ads and business pages.Google+ for BusinessesAt the time of writing, Google+ is only available for individuals but business pages should be coming soon. While Google have said business pages will be rolled out at some point, they haven't specified a date but it’s predicted they will available soon.It took a while for businesses to get involved with Facebook and Twitter and it will be a while yet until Google+ will be a standard sharing tool but our guess is that it will be added to the existing social media sharing platforms fairly soon. It won’t replace Facebook or Twitter but will definitely be a competitor.What is so cool about Google+?Much like Twitter, people can be added without the person’s permission but that doesn't mean the person that added you is automatically added to your circles - you pick and choose you who you'd like in your circles.Here are some of the features we love there at Bang Online:

• It’s fresh, new and full of energy
• The layout is super cool and user friendly
• It’s easy to manage friends, colleagues, family members and acquaintances
• There’s very little spam and if someone posts too often, just un-circle them
• Rather than status updates and 140 character updates, you can write longer posts
• Group video chat – see what family and friends are up to across the globe all at once
• Layout animations – go on, check them out
• Sparks – share information quickly and easily

Google+ is still pretty exclusive and you have to get invited to join, so click on this link and join Bang Online on Google+ https://plus.google.com/i/msX-BUhz4QM:AuurME6_7O8