ESL-Library

We recently joined and are gradually learning the ins and outs of this unique social network. One tip we learned this week is to follow the hashtag #googleplusupdate. After you search for it once, simply choose “Save this search” and it will appear on the left side of your Google + page. Click on it regularly as Google is rolling out new features every week. Have you tried the new broadcast feature?

Despite all of the new features, the #1 benefit of Google + is supposed to be the Circles. As we’re finding out, however, placing people into the correct Circle is not as easy as it sounds. Many people who sign up for a Google + account do not complete their profile page. More importantly, they don’t add a useful bio line. The bio line appears under your name (or page name). Our bio line is “ESL resources and tips for teachers”. We believe these keywords will help teachers find us on Google Plus. Unfortunately, many individuals have left this line blank. (Some use it to enter the name of their country.) This makes it difficult to place new followers in the correct Circles. We could take the extra step to click over to the page of our followers, but it still takes some detective work to figure out which Circle to put these people in. Often times it’s impossible to know why these people followed us.

There are various people who may want to follow a digital publisher like ESL-Library,  including teachers (both ELT and non-ELT), learners, administrators, programmers, librarians, artists, and writers. If everyone took the time to write a simple bio line, the Google + experience would be much better. Until this happens, one of the easiest ways to know whether or not a new follower on Google + is a teacher is to see if he or she has common ties with a well-known person on twitter such as Shelly Terrell!

Are you an English language teacher who is using Google + primarily to network with other English learners? Why not add some keywords to your bio line? You can also use tags such as #ELT in your updates, so that we can all “Join in the #ELT conversation”.

Summary

• Search #googleplusupdate on Google + and Save the search. It will appear on the left of your page. Click on it regularly.
• Make sure your Google + profile has a keyword rich bio line. Edit profile (under name) to add one.
• Use hashtags in your updates (such as #ELT) and join the related conversations.
• Add ESL-Library so that we can add you back! (Pages can’t add individuals first.)

If you have any Google + tips for us, please let us know!

Tara Benwell

Tara Benwell is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.   Website: http://www.tarabenwell.com   Twitter: @tarabenwell