Three More Reasons Why You Might Like Google+

Several months ago, I wrote a post that outlined some of the best features of Google+ for individuals and businesses. I don't hide the fact that I really like Google+. Despite reports of growing users, Google+ has never really caught on with any of my friends (except for one!).

A recent round of shakeups has created a few new features that make Google+ shine even brighter, in my opinion. So with this post, I want to highlight those new features in hopes that they'll give you even more reasons to like Google+.

COMMUNITIES

Think about your interests. There are so many, right? The Communities feature of Google+ allows you to group posts about your favorite subjects from anyone (whether they're in your Circles or not). Pizza lovers, golf fans, locomotive enthusiasts and, yes, even Google fanboys have created Communities that share videos, polls and more - all about specific topics. There's a real element of "Community Pride" too as many Community Owners go to great lengths to keep their areas SPAM-free.


COLLECTIONS

Call it a Pinterest copycat all you want but...I...yeah, I can't really argue that claim. Google+ home feeds have featured a very "Pinteresty" layout for a long time. The day after I created my Pinterest profile, Google+ Collections were announced - which has been sort of a good thing. I've learned the ropes of Pinterest and Collections at the same time. The overall concepts are nearly identical and I've found myself using Pinterest more. However, I will say using Collections gives me a "less cramped" experience over the jam-packed appearance of my Pinterest feed.

PHOTOS

In my original post about Google+, I mentioned an awesome feature that automatically saves your phone's photos. Even though this feature has seen many different skins, its association with Google+ never afforded it the appreciation it deserves. That recently changed as Google decided to separate the two and promote the photos feature as Google Photos.


There's been a few cosmetic changes but I have never noticed much of an operational change from version to version of Photos. Of the many great benefits of this feature, knowing that all the photos I take with my phone (good and blurry) are permanently (?) saved is very satisfying.

So what do you think? Have these features impressed you enough to give Google+ a try? If so, add me to your Circles and we can discuss!

Wedding Hashtags

In 2009, my wife excelled at her calligraphy hobby so quickly that she began receiving requests to write invitations and address envelopes for weddings in the Birmingham area. I’ve always been impressed with her skill and dedication. After particularly large jobs, I like to pick her brain about any new trends that she noticed. When she recently shared an example of a modern communications tool elbowing its way into her time-honored craft, I wasn’t surprised.

It seems that more and more brides are featuring social media hashtags as a way to further memorialize their special day. And why not? A quick hashtag search on Twitter or Instagram can be a great way to harken memories of your wedding day years from now.

My wife was sweet enough to answer some additional communications-type questions about wedding hashtags.

Prior to hashtags, have you noticed any other examples of people incorporating digital or social media into their wedding? 
Wedding websites may not be as common as they once were but they were the first real example I noticed. I would say that Pinterest plays a huge role in wedding planning these days. Pinterest is great because it gives access to ideas and concepts that brides-to-be may have never considered. 

Do these brides indicate a specific social media platform through which these hashtags are to be used? 
I haven’t seen where they specifically say where to use the hashtag but Instagram seems to get the most activity. 

Are these hashtags being featured on wedding invitations or kept to less formal places? 
I recently wrote a hashtag for a sign that was placed by the guest book at the couple’s wedding reception. I think that hashtags will be regularly featured on wedding announcements like “save the date” cards and maybe on the wedding program. I also think it will be a long time before we see hashtags on formal invitations. 

As a calligrapher, what suggestions would you give brides-to-be when they create their wedding hashtag?
You might want to be mindful about using numbers in your hashtag. If your calligrapher has a more formal style, chances are he or she will write out the house, street or apartment number on your invitations and envelopes. For the sake of space (and hand cramps!) you probably don’t want numbers in your hashtag. 

Did the “#” symbol already exist in the world of calligraphy or did you have to build a version from scratch? 
I work best when I have an example to study. I Googled “calligraphy hashtags” and quickly discovered that there aren’t many samples to go by. I ended up creating a hashtag from scratch that looked nice and formal. I would say that it worked - one recent hashtag I wrote helped generate over 100 uses on Instagram alone! 

It was very interesting to learn about this case of old school communications clashing with new school media and I’m thankful that my wife shared some of her observations. Please be sure to visit her calligraphy blog if you would like to see some of her beautiful work.

Thanks for reading!