Google+ for Photographers: Book Review
By David Cobb
For the average person, the social network Google+ can seem a bit daunting, baffling, and confusing–with some head scratching in-between. The new book by Colby Brown, Google+ for Photographers lays out all the “how-tos” in an easy chapter-by-chapter read. Even though this reads as a hands-on approach to the Google+ network, every chapter offers a new way to market your photography online. For that alone this book is a valuable asset. It takes you through the initial set up of your account, to using the new Google+ app on your smartphone. Colby knows what he’s talking about here, because at last check he had almost a million-and-a-half people following him.
Colby gets you started with a how-to in building your profile page; taking you step-by-step through the process which includes suggestions for setting up your profile and Google+ site. He explains how to create circles (this is the Google+ way of sharing and filtering your interactions with others), and how to manage, organize, and communicate through those circles.
Best of all, this is a book about marketing yourself online, and he details the posting process and how to create and share a post that stands out from the crowd. You’ll find information on profiling your image for the web, commenting on posts, and +1ing on other posts. Since Google+ is so photographer-friendly, Colby helps you organize your images in albums via Picasa. Each chapter features an amateur or professional photographer in its “Photographer’s Perspective;” outlining what they appreciate most about the Google+ online photo community and how they interact best with that community.
One of the great features of the Google+ network is the Skype-like “hang-out” which offers the photographer ways to connect with up to 9 other people in a video conference. This allows for business meetings, group chats, classes, or photography reviews with people all over the world. Colby not only covers the possibilities of a hang-out session, but also takes you through an easy step-by-step process. I tried my first hang-out last month and had a great time conferencing with fellow f-Stop-sponsored photographers (including Photo Cascadia member Sean Bagshaw).
Google+ is quickly becoming a major online community of photographers, and reading Colby Brown’s Google+ for Photographers, is a step in the right direction for understanding and interacting with that community. This book weighs-in at 215 pages and retails for $24.99 ($15.50 on Amazon). It is available in paperback and Kindle versions.