#friday #lol

What to do at work

I love Fridays. They mean that the weekend is just around the corner. Also, everyone is much more relaxed on the last day of the week meaning you can have fun at work for a change!

Here's one thing you can do in your office today... I love how everyone else in the picture is going about their stuff like it was just a normal day at work.

What kinds of things have you pulled off at work to make the day(s) a little more exciting?

Hairdos for Every Day

#lol   #comic  http://chaoslife.findchaos.com/follicle-follies/

Just Married!

I guess I've found the girl I want to grow old and remain young with. Now you know why I've been AWOL for the past 3 weeks.

Here's to the years ahead. :)

#operatingsystems #lol

MAC vs PC vs LINUX

[Google+]

Google+ Resources | Complete Collection

Hello Everyone!

I humbly present the complete set of articles I wrote with the help of our diverse and enthusiastic community here to enhance our Google+ Experience:

1. The Starter Pack - bit.ly/gpstarter
Guidelines to help you join g+ at a run by giving you a quick and meaningful overview of everything you need to know after your first log-in. In here you will also find a list of people that you can follow to bring your Stream to life.

2. The Circles: Dividing, Nesting and Prioritizing - bit.ly/gpcircles
The most important feature of g+ are its circles. If properly configured they can mirror your real lives in terms of sharing and much more.

3. The Early Adopter's Guide - bit.ly/gp_early
These tips can help you become a true Google+ Early Adopter regardless of how popular you are on the network.

4. The Etiquettes - bit.ly/gp_etiquettes
Being part of such a diverse and rapidly growing community raises the question of general netiquettes. This article seeks to discuss and list suggestions that can make us a community built on tolerance and understanding.

5. The Average Facebook User and Google+ - bit.ly/gb_fb
The bulk of the internet is not composed of power users and early adopters. So what is g+ for the masses?

6. How to Structure and Format your lengthy posts - bit.ly/gp_template
Improve the readability of your posts by applying rich text formatting to them. Learn how to make your articles simpler and more attractive for the readers.

7. How to use your Post as a Poll - bit.ly/gp_poll
Often times you would like to ask your readers questions with specific answers. At the moment there is no polling feature in google plus but using this clever work-around you can achieve an excellent compromise.

***************************************
The guides look to enhance your Google+ experience while at the same time allowing you to explore the true potential locked behind this gorgeous set of features and UI.

It is also important to note that these articles are not binding rules and the methods listed in them are not the only way of using Google+. In fact, the real beauty of this network lies in its multi-functional use. Therefore, I strongly encourage all of you to take read them with a grain of salt and apply them as you deem relevant to your needs.

I am also delighted to announce that the articles are now being translated to different languages to cater to our global e-society. Some translations are already complete and can be found at the bottom of each article. This could not have been made possible without the highly enthusiastic and immensely helpful group of translators that volunteered to translate each and every article - for that I am eternally grateful to them.
This will remain a work-in-progress and hence more translations would be required. If you are interested in contributing to the translations please read this post: http://bit.ly/gp_trans.

***************************************
Finally, I would like to thank all the people that have helped spread these articles to the masses during their early stages and the readers for providing thoughtful feedback to make them better. However, there is always room for improvement and so I am looking forward to more insightful comments across the network.

Please feel free to spread the word. You can publish these articles elsewhere on the internet to your blogs, websites, etc. You can also use them as a source of ideas for your own publications/projects related to g+. I do not wish to claim credit for this work. I only wish for it to help people both inside and outside Google+.

Thank you for reading through.

cheers,
+Ahmed Zeeshan

***************************************
Permalink to post: bit.ly/gpresources

Note: Some of you might have already seen this post. Reposting it for new users that have joined us in August. Updated the collection with the poll and formatting plus tip.

#reshare tags: +Yonatan Zunger +Mickey Mellen +Alireza Yavari +Louis Gray +Ryan Crowe +Johnathan Chung +Christina Trapolino +Tom Anderson +Natalie Villalobos +Alida Brandenburg +Jacqueline Passey Mason

Trailer Debut: Iron Man 3
#ironman3   #movies  

Love iPhone? Buy Samsung :)

#samsungvsapple   #lol   #smartphones  

#lol

One Sammich to rule them all!

[Cookies and Milk]

I have to get me one of these. So simple and yet soooo useful... not to mention great design :)

#gaming #lol

Just so we're all clear on this. - via reddit at: i.imgur.com/Zr3et.jpg

#attackofthecute

An Itty Bitty Baby Turtle :)

Happy Valentine's Day with Game of Thrones!

Chris Bishop has made some amazing Game of Thrones V-day cards for your loved ones. Send them around to spread the love.

via: http://blog.chrisbishop.com/post/17554357179/game-of-thrones-valentine-cards

Received a new shot from my wedding photographer today and had to share it with you guys on google+ :)

#mindblown

Origami Level: Yoda.

via: http://9gag.com/gag/2537981

[Mind = Blown!]

100 Years of Style in 100 seconds

I love videos like these. I've watched this one on repeat for the last 10 minutes. The attention to detail is incredible and the transitions smooth. After a 100 seconds you will have your mind blown... I guarantee it.

Tick Tock Tick Tock....

I can't stop watching it.

What it's like to jump from the Edge of Space

Imagine you're all the way up there above Earth right where space begins. Then you look down and realize you can see the whole shape of the Earth with your naked eye. It's a very long way back to the ground.

And then you jump!

There is probably no other feeling like it... that sensation, that thrill and fear one would feel. There is only one man who's been there and lived to tell the tale: "Felix Baumgartner"

We salute you Felix!

Attachment: Actual video clip of Felix's jump from the Edge of Space. My stomach knots up just looking at it.

Google+ Resources | Complete Collection

Hello Everyone!

I humbly present the complete set of articles I wrote with the help of our diverse and enthusiastic community here to enhance our Google+ Experience:

1. The Starter Pack - bit.ly/gpstarter
Guidelines to help you join g+ at a run by giving you a quick and meaningful overview of everything you need to know after your first log-in. In here you will also find a list of people that you can follow to bring your Stream to life.

2. The Circles: Dividing, Nesting and Prioritizing - bit.ly/gpcircles
The most important feature of g+ are its circles. If properly configured they can mirror your real lives in terms of sharing and much more.

3. The Early Adopter's Guide - bit.ly/gp_early
These tips can help you become a true Google+ Early Adopter regardless of how popular you are on the network.

4. The Etiquettes - bit.ly/gp_etiquettes
Being part of such a diverse and rapidly growing community raises the question of general netiquettes. This article seeks to discuss and list suggestions that can make us a community built on tolerance and understanding.

5. The Average Facebook User and Google+ - bit.ly/gb_fb
The bulk of the internet is not composed of power users and early adopters. So what is g+ for the masses?

6. How to Structure and Format your lengthy posts - bit.ly/gp_template
Improve the readability of your posts by applying rich text formatting to them. Learn how to make your articles simpler and more attractive for the readers.

7. How to use your Post as a Poll - bit.ly/gp_poll
Often time you would like to ask your readers questions with specific answers. At the moment there is no polling feature in google plus but using this clever work-around you can achieve an excellent compromise.

***************************************
The guides look to enhance your Google+ experience while at the same time allowing you to explore the true potential locked behind this gorgeous set of features and UI.

It is also important to note that these articles are not binding rules and the methods listed in them are not the only way of using Google+. In fact, the real beauty of this network lies in its multi-functional use. Therefore, I strongly encourage all of you to take read them with a grain of salt and apply them as you deem relevant to your needs.

I am also delighted to announce that the articles are now being translated to different languages to cater to our global e-society. Some translations are already complete and can be found at the bottom of each article. This could not have been made possible without the highly enthusiastic and immensely helpful group of translators that volunteered to translate each and every article - for that I am eternally grateful to them.
This will remain a work-in-progress and hence more translations would be required. If you are interested in contributing to the translations please read this post: http://bit.ly/gp_trans.

***************************************
Finally, I would like to thank all the people that have helped spread these articles to the masses during their early stages and the readers for providing thoughtful feedback to make them better. However, there is always room for improvement and so I am looking forward to more insightful comments across the network.

Please feel free to spread the word. You can publish these articles elsewhere on the internet to your blogs, websites, etc. You can also use them as a source of ideas for your own publications/projects related to g+. I do not wish to claim credit for this work. I only wish for it to help people both inside and outside Google+.

Thank you for reading through.

Your friendly neighborhood WebMan,
+Ahmed Zeeshan

***************************************
Permalink to post: bit.ly/gp_resources


logo by: +Emilio Boronali

Winter is coming - snuggle up!

via imgur.com/UEQ9Y

Good Morning Google+

Today let's take a moment to reflect on the words below. They can be applied to all aspects of our present day lives, not just marriage.

First known picture of Michael Phelps

#lol   #london2012   #michaelphelps  

[Poll]

My Interest-Based Circles

I finally took some of my own medicine today from my previous guide - bit.ly/gp_early. I set up a few Interest-Based (IB) circles to show how better content-filtering can be achieved using the power of circles in google+.

To begin with, I will first run a poll here listing out all the IB circles that I have set up. In return, I kindly ask you to leave a comment with your lettered preferences and then re-share the post so that a wider audience gets the chance to join these circles based on their interests.

The circles are as follows and are divided into types of content that I share on here:

A. Movie Maniacs

B. Android Addikts

C. News Nerds

D. Potter Puppet Pals - for all the HP freaks

E. Hobbiton Homies - all things LotR

F. WTF?

G. F7U12 - my favourite rage-comics direct from reddit

H. LoL

I. Galaxy S I & II - anyone who owns either of these 2 phones... I will be sharing roms, firmwares, apps, themes, mods, news, etc.

Please leave a comment with your letter choices for any circles you want to be a part of.

The poll ends here. If you have concerns and questions then please read the FAQ section below. Otherwise, thank you very much for reading through and joining in.

**************************************
A little FAQ

What is the motivation behind IB circles?
People who post frequently tend to have more followers. Even though people are following you, that does not necessarily mean they’re interested in all the things you’re posting and would rather not have you clogging their stream. However, they’re still interested in some of the information you share relevant to their interests. Therefore, I would suggest creating circles meant purely for interest-based sharing. For example: Mobiles, Movies, Books, Music. Then poll your readers; let them know that you have created the above-mentioned circles and will be posting to them accordingly. In response, they will let you know which circles they want to be a part of based on their interests. Afterwards, add them to your interest-based sharing circles accordingly. This way you will be filtering content automatically.

But how will new users find out about my IB circles
1) New users on google+ almost always glance through the About section of people's profiles. Add your IB circles to the Introduction field there and ask users to leave you a message if they're interested in joining them. 2) Periodically re-announce your circles publicly and request your readers to re-share your announcement. This way, any new followers since your previous post will get the chance to join your IB circles and any re-shares will possibly reach new readers.

Even though these two methods do not provide a perfect solution but they do a great job of getting the word out to a lot of people that would otherwise have missed your post. I tested this with my Movies circle and have had very encouraging results so far.

So I should never post publicly again?
By all means continue to post publicly but try to be more smart about it. As an example lets take my Movies circle: When I get a trailer like The Dark Knight Rises which would interest pretty much everyone, I post it publicly. But other smaller news pieces and reviews that only die-hard movie fans will be interested in, I post them to the movie circle only.

Is this method necessary?
No, it certainly is not a binding way of sharing content on here. Every user has their own preferred way of sharing. On a general level though, this method can make sharing a lot more efficient in terms of quality, interests, manageability and readability.

#lol

MUAHAHAHHA!

"It has happened, m'lord. She has chosen the Dark Side."

"Barack Obama’s signature is totally a cartoon baby Tyrannosaurus playing with a ball of yarn"

via doodleofboredom.com

China will build the Tallest Building in the World... in 90 Days!!?

No, it's not a joke. According to the construction company, the skyscraper will be built in just 90 days at the unbelievable rate of five floors per day.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/UrzlrN

#mindblown  

#lol #harrypotter

Harrey Podder: Say the Magic Word!

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening everyone. Today's laughter medicine is not a picture and it comes with HP awesomeness and it has certainly made my day.

I love the scene at the end!

#lol #einstein #particles

Einstein responds...

As you've all found out by now, some sub-atomic particles have been observed to travel faster than the speed of light. This basically means the famous Einstein equation, E = mc², is in fact wrong... and that the theory of relativity then is also wrong! You can read up more on this breakthrough here: tgr.ph/r1tQ0M

Well... Einstein isn't impressed... so for today's dose of lol I give you...

Sigh Epic Fail #lol  

Via reddit at: http://i.imgur.com/KrfjE.gif

Google+ Resources | Collector's Edition

Hello Everyone!

I humbly present the complete set of articles I wrote with the help of our diverse and enthusiastic community here to enhance our Google+ Experience. The articles are available in different languages:

1. The Starter Pack - bit.ly/gpstarter
Guidelines to help you join g+ at a run by giving you a quick and meaningful overview of everything you need to know after your first log-in. In here you will also find a list of people that you can follow to bring your Stream to life.

2. The Circles: Dividing, Nesting and Prioritizing - bit.ly/gpcircles
The most important feature of g+ are its circles. If properly configured they can mirror your real lives in terms of sharing and much more.

3. The Early Adopter's Guide - bit.ly/gp_early
These tips can help you become a true Google+ Early Adopter regardless of how popular you are on the network.

4. The Etiquettes - bit.ly/gp_etiquettes
Being part of such a diverse and rapidly growing community raises the question of general netiquettes. This article seeks to discuss and list suggestions that can make us a community built on tolerance and understanding.

5. The Average Facebook User and Google+ - bit.ly/gb_fb
The bulk of the internet is not composed of power users and early adopters. So what is g+ for the masses?

***************************************
The guides look to enhance your Google+ experience while at the same time allowing you to explore the true potential locked behind this gorgeous set of features and UI.

It is also important to note that these articles are not binding rules and the methods listed in them are not the only way of using Google+. In fact, the real beauty of this network lies in its multi-functional use. Therefore, I strongly encourage all of you to take read them with a grain of salt and apply them as you deem relevant to your needs.

I am also delighted to announce that the articles are now being translated to different languages to cater to our global e-society. Some translations are already complete and can be found at the bottom of each article. This could not have been made possible without the highly enthusiastic and immensely helpful group of translators that volunteered to translate each and every article - for that I am eternally grateful to them.
This will remain a work-in-progress and hence more translations would be required. If you are interested in contributing to the translations please read this post: http://bit.ly/gp_trans.

***************************************
Finally, I would like to thank all the people that have helped spread these articles to the masses during their early stages and the readers for providing thoughtful feedback to make them better. However, there is always room for improvement and so I am looking forward to more insightful comments across the network.

Please feel free to spread the word. You can publish these articles elsewhere on the internet to your blogs, websites, etc. You can also use them as a source of ideas for your own publications/projects related to g+. I do not wish to claim credit for this work. I only wish for it to help people both inside and outside Google+.

Thank you for reading through.

Your friendly neighborhood WebMan,
Ahmed Zeeshan

***************************************
Permalink to post: bit.ly/gp_resources
Google Doc version:


logo by: Emilio Boronali

Google+ | How to structure and format your lengthy posts

» A blogging platform
One of the appealing features of google+ is the ability to write lengthy posts. Combine that with the excellent commenting system and we get ourselves a very functional blogging platform. However, there is also another mis-used feature which all g+ content curators stand to benefit from if used properly: rich text formatting

Often times I see very long posts that are a giant block of text with no formatting or structure applied to them. They might contain top quality content but because they're not presented in an appealing way, mosts users do not bother to read through them. The lack of engagement then surprises the original author. This is even true for some of our power users.

Google+ offers us the chance to get rid of the ridiculous TL;DR (too long; didn't read) culture on the internet. That will only happen if we make our posts easier and simpler to read. Our readers should be able to take one look at the post and see exactly what it is about. The structure of the post should draw them in and encourage them to read all of it.


» The need for a template
It is always good to give examples when it comes to such things so I've created a sample template of a formatted post on g+. Hopefully fellow content publishers will be able to mold their posts into this template and consequently see an improvement in engagement.

That being said I've always maintained that no-one-size-fits-all. Everyone has their own tried and tested method that they rely on. Consistency is as important as structure and formatting. As such this template is only a guideline and should be used as you deem fit.


» Google+ formatting options
Before we look at the sample template, let's quickly recap the three different formatting options that are available to us on google+:
— Bold: Any text between two asterisks (*) becomes bold when you post.
— Italic: To make a piece of text italic, put it between two underscores (_).
— Strikethrough: Text between two hyphens (-) gets the strike-through effect.


» The Template

—— [START] ——


Title of Post
optional tagline

» Introduction (paragraph heading) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent lacus magna, rutrum vel posuere et, sodales in orci. Nulla vel est ipsum, quis pharetra metus. Etiam interdum purus in sapien porttitor quis porttitor ipsum suscipit.


» Further introductory discussion
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent lacus magna, rutrum vel posuere et, sodales in orci. Nulla vel est ipsum, quis pharetra metus. Etiam interdum purus in sapien porttitor quis porttitor ipsum suscipit.


» Main Body
The article/post/blog will be divided into sections as follows:
Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | ...

— 1. Section 1 (section heading)
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent lacus magna, rutrum vel posuere et, sodales in orci. Nulla vel est ipsum, quis pharetra metus. Etiam interdum purus in sapien porttitor quis porttitor ipsum suscipit. Cras fringilla, felis a pharetra fermentum, diam est feugiat turpis, sit amet convallis quam lorem eget dui:
• bullet 1
• bullet 2

— 2. Section 2
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent lacus magna, rutrum vel posuere et, sodales in orci. Nulla vel est ipsum, quis pharetra metus. Etiam interdum purus in sapien porttitor quis porttitor ipsum suscipit. Cras fringilla, felis a pharetra fermentum, diam est feugiat turpis, sit amet convallis quam lorem eget dui.

— 3. Section 3
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent lacus magna, rutrum vel posuere et, sodales in orci. Nulla vel est ipsum, quis pharetra metus. Etiam interdum purus in sapien porttitor quis porttitor ipsum suscipit. Cras fringilla, felis a pharetra fermentum, diam est feugiat turpis, sit amet convallis quam lorem eget dui.


» Conclusions
A brief summary of what was said together with closing remarks. Thank your readers and request them for feedback, etc.


Cheers/sincerely/regards,
+YourName (as a +tag)

****************************************
Permanlink to post: (use a URL shortner like bit.ly)
Relevant hash tags: #hashtag


—— [END] ——


» Download the template
I've created a Google Document as a Raw Template with text that you can paste directly into your Share box to format your posts exactly like above. You can grab it at bit.ly/gp_template_doc and then edit it accordingly to add your content. To see what a proper long post based on this template can look like please check out: bit.ly/gp_netiquettes


» Some more examples of formatting
As I mentioned at the beginning, everyone has their own method and style of formatting they use to publish their posts. If you're looking for more ideas and inspiration please scroll through the posts from these users: +Denis Labelle +M Sinclair Stevens +Alida Brandenburg +Mike Elgan +Robert Scoble +Jaana Nyström +Ryan Crowe +Gabriel Vasile +Johnathan Chung +Mike Alwill +Trey Ratcliff +Natalie Villalobos +Alireza Yavari +Cadbury UK


» Concluding remarks
The idea behind the template is simple: make your posts attractive and more readable for your readers. A well-formatted post stands out. This is why I almost always use a Title for my posts. If the articles are lengthy, I divide them into Sections and list the section headings as a table of contents at the beginning of the post so that users know exactly what's to come. A good Conclusion is always necessary in any form of writing so that readers can recap what they've read. Additionally it goes a long way to thank your audience for reading your post.

Finally, after publishing your post, try using a URL shortener like bit.ly to add a Permalink at the end. Not only will this give your readers a convenient and short URL for sharing your post but it'll also allow you to sign up for bit.ly to get detailed analytics on the number of clicks your post will receive.

Thank you for reading through. I hope the template will help users achieve effective and quality content publishing. As always your feedback is most welcome. If you know of any other users who have good formatting methods please mention them in the comments so I can add them to this post.

Cheers,
+Ahmed Zeeshan

****************************************
Permalink to post: bit.ly/gp_formatting
Raw template file: bit.ly/gp_template_doc

Hash tags: #googleplustips #googleplustutorials #plustips

Talking to myself

Yep! #lol  

#lol #gaming

Fighting the Boss

via www.explosm.net/comics/2637

#mindblown

In the cockpit

Most of us travel as passengers on aeroplanes, not as pilots. I've always wanted to sit in the cockpit of a plane while flying to somewhere. The view from there must be stunning.

Now I've found this video which is the closest you'll get to flying online with the pilots. It's both exhilarating and mind blowing. Some of you might find it scary but I think it's beautiful.

Watch in full-screen HD.

#lol #northkorea

Secret footage of North Korea's Missile Launch revealed

#mondays

Time is evil

It'll be monday for me soon and the weekend will be over :( I'm not at school anymore but this still applies to my work life!

Where's wall.e? Have fun finding your favourite robot :)

don't point it out if you find wall.e. let others have a go at it too

1943 Times Square, New York - In Color

via reddit at: http://i.imgur.com/exV1S.jpg  #photography   #oldschool  

RESHARE:
This.

Reshared text:

Man of Steel - Trailer 2

Holy Shmooks! Finally a Superman movie that the fans deserve. The new trailer has me drooling on my laptop keyboard for the past 10 minutes.

Share it with ALL the geeks out there!

#mindblown   #manofsteel   #movies  

#googleplus #guides

Google+ Resources | Complete Collection

Hello Everyone!

I humbly present the complete set of articles I wrote with the help of our diverse and enthusiastic community here to enhance our Google+ Experience:

1. The Starter Pack - bit.ly/gpstarter
Guidelines to help you join g+ at a run by giving you a quick and meaningful overview of everything you need to know after your first log-in. In here you will also find a list of people that you can follow to bring your Stream to life.

2. The Circles: Dividing, Nesting and Prioritizing - bit.ly/gpcircles
The most important feature of g+ are its circles. If properly configured they can mirror your real lives in terms of sharing and much more.

3. The Early Adopter's Guide - bit.ly/gp_early
These tips can help you become a true Google+ Early Adopter regardless of how popular you are on the network.

4. The Etiquettes - bit.ly/gp_etiquettes
Being part of such a diverse and rapidly growing community raises the question of general netiquettes. This article seeks to discuss and list suggestions that can make us a community built on tolerance and understanding.

5. The Average Facebook User and Google+ - bit.ly/gb_fb
The bulk of the internet is not composed of power users and early adopters. So what is g+ for the masses?

6. How to Structure and Format your lengthy posts - bit.ly/gp_template
Improve the readability of your posts by applying rich text formatting to them. Learn how to make your articles simpler and more attractive for the readers.

7. How to use your Post as a Poll - bit.ly/gp_poll
Often times you would like to ask your readers questions with specific answers. At the moment there is no polling feature in google plus but using this clever work-around you can achieve an excellent compromise.

***************************************
The guides look to enhance your Google+ experience while at the same time allowing you to explore the true potential locked behind this gorgeous set of features and UI.

It is also important to note that these articles are not binding rules and the methods listed in them are not the only way of using Google+. In fact, the real beauty of this network lies in its multi-functional use. Therefore, I strongly encourage all of you to take read them with a grain of salt and apply them as you deem relevant to your needs.

I am also delighted to announce that the articles are now being translated to different languages to cater to our global e-society. Some translations are already complete and can be found at the bottom of each article. This could not have been made possible without the highly enthusiastic and immensely helpful group of translators that volunteered to translate each and every article - for that I am eternally grateful to them.
This will remain a work-in-progress and hence more translations would be required. If you are interested in contributing to the translations please read this post: http://bit.ly/gp_trans.

***************************************
Finally, I would like to thank all the people that have helped spread these articles to the masses during their early stages and the readers for providing thoughtful feedback to make them better. However, there is always room for improvement and so I am looking forward to more insightful comments across the network.

Please feel free to spread the word. You can publish these articles elsewhere on the internet to your blogs, websites, etc. You can also use them as a source of ideas for your own publications/projects related to g+. I do not wish to claim credit for this work. I only wish for it to help people both inside and outside Google+.

Thank you for reading through.

cheers,
+Ahmed Zeeshan

***************************************
Permalink to post: bit.ly/a_gpresources

Note: Some of you might have already seen this post. Reposting it for new users that have joined us since google+ went public. Hopefully this can spread to all of them using the What's Hot stream. Therefore please re-share.

#famousquotes #success

Downtown Dubai

Snapped this at sunset next to the Dubai Dancing Fountain. You can see the famous Burj Khalifa in the background too.

+Trey Ratcliff any photography advice would be more than welcome, Sir. :)

I know it's not #caturday  but they were so fluffy I had to share.

via reddit

#lol

AHA...So it has always been you, Human!

Ugh! This is why I prefer curtains

#fffffffffuuuuuu  

#LOL  !

#lol #truestory

How My Brain Works

The Starks of Winterfell

Another one for the keeping. I like how they gave Bran his Direwolf's eyes. It's all in the little details. ;)

#gameofthrones   #asongoficeandfire  

Samsung and Apple Suing Each Other

Via Reddit at: http://i.imgur.com/25IvI.jpg

#lol   #samsungvsapple   #blackberry  

#google+

G+ Notifications now in Title Bar

Is this new? I think it's new. I started noticing it yesterday. Now the notifications for g+ also appear in the title bar of your browser. This gives us two benefits:

1. We won't need to switch to the g+ tab everytime to see if there are any new notifications.

2. Notice that the notification is to the left of the title. This implies that if we have too many tabs open we will still see the notification number. If it was to the right we wouldn't be able to see it because the tab would be too small to display the whole title.

***********************
Permalink to post: bit.ly/a_titlenotif

Aspect Ratio Rage

via xkcd at: http://xkcd.com/1187/

#lol

I still dream of getting that letter...

Meanwhile in Russia...

#lol  

Where's WALL-E?

I posted this back in August but it never gets old. If you find wall-e don't spoil the fun in the comments by telling everyone where he is... you can try to name all the bots in the picture instead.

Let's find out how nerdy you really are.

#mindblown #design #illustration

Wow, just wow!

Over the last year we've all seen eye popping time-lapse videos on vimeo... from the Northern Lights to the Milkyway, we've been dazzled by them all.

This gem here though will give them a run for their money. This isn't just the best time design/illustration timelapse, to me it's the best time-lapse period!

Why? Because it shows not only the gorgeous end product but also the incredible talent this guy has. +Jennifer Bailey you'll love this.

Watch it in fullscreen HD and watch ALL of it!

#trailer #marvel

The Avengers

The first proper two minute trailer showing our favourite super-heroes is out! What do you make of it? Looking forward to the movie more (or less) now?

Movie Info: www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/
Release Date: May 4, 2012

The Evolution of Joseph-Gordon Levitt

#lol   #looper   #brucewillis  

#mindblown #universe

The Known Universe

A few days back I posted a youtube video that gave us an idea of how planets from the solar system would look like if they were as close to us as our Moon. The realization of how small we are is actually quite over whelming.

Usually we're presented with numbers and light years of distance which doesn't really give us the kind of visual representation of scale we're looking for. Hence, when I say that at 13.7 billion light years from earth we reach the extent of our known universe, even though it's a seemingly massive number the scale of it still doesn't sink in properly.

Therefore, today I give you this video from a couple years ago. It does an amazing job of showing us our known universe and how our Earth fits into it. The video has 8 million views thus far but the whole planet needs to watch this.

Everytime I am faced with some big hurdle in my life I watch this and realize:
- how insignificant I am in the grand scheme of things
- there is so much out there to explore and discover
- we're slowly destroying earth, our only home, in so many ways
- and most importantly how frikking big the universe is and that's just the known bit

So share this with everyone everywhere. We all need to watch it.

**************************
Permalink to post: bit.ly/a_knownuniverse

#lol

The Actual Shower Temperature Scale

Besides being hilarious this is also incredibly true. That ideal temperature is so hard to find so I can certainly relate to the picture.

#eidmubarak

Happy Eid!

Wishing everyone a splendid day full of happiness, colour, friends and family!

#mindblown

This is how Rain looks from a Plane

I've been through rain clouds during flights but this is a pretty unique shot. Discovered via reddit at: imgur.com/omuuM

Incoming: Tsunami Cloud
Location: Lake Michigan

via reddit at: http://i.imgur.com/DxvT6.jpg
#photography  

#7billion #earth

Life in a Day of the 7 billion

On 24th July 2010, Ridley Scott along with Youtube asked people from around the world to record moments from their life on that day. All the videos that were received were used to make a 90 minute film produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald.

Today we've reached 7 billion people.. that's a massive number. 7 billion people with each one of them unique in their own way. This film offers a much needed insight into how diverse we all are even on one particular day.

Set aside 90 minutes and watch the beauty of human life.

The North Korean Missile Launch

I know things are getting pretty serious out there in the East but to me the #northkorea  missile crisis seems like a very prolonged bad joke. This conversation is how it is probably going down over there between Kim and his "Army". Also, the attached GIF is now very relevant  #lol  

Army: "Proceeding with launch. Preparing final countdown."
Kim: "Excellent. Excellent. All according to plan."
Army: "We'll go right ahead. Any minute now."
Kim: "Great. You go shoot those evil imperialists if they don't stop that business this minute."
Army: "Will do."
Kim: "Weapons free."
Army: "Weapons are free. Locked and loaded."
Kim: "Fire at will."
Army: "Awaiting the final command."
Kim: "Final command granted."
Kim: "Missiles read to launch?"
Army: "All missiles ready for launch and awaiting command."
Kim: "Commence countdown for missiles."
Army: "Countdown commencing."
Kim: "Prepare for end of countdown."
Army: "Army is prepared for end of countdown and open war on the imperialists."
Kim: "Excellent. Go forth and destroy them all, for my father's memory."
Army: "We will now go forth and destroy them all, for your father's memory."
Kim: "Be sure to destroy them all. Don't show any mercy - they deserve none."
Army: "We will show them no mercy as we ruthlessly mow them down."
Kim: "Are all the troops accounted for and ready"
Army: "All troops accounted for and ready"
Kim: "And the missiles?"
Army: "We did those already. Missiles ready and ready to commence launch."
Kim: "Commence launch"
Army: "Commencing launch of our dangerous missiles."
Kim: "Good. Proceed with the launch of our deadly, dangerous missiles."
Army: "Proceeding with launch. Preparing final countdown."
Kim: "Excellent. Excellent. All according to plan."


Via reddit user the_good_time_mouse at: http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1c3uj0/n_korea_missile_launchpad_moved_into_firing/

#valentinesday

#deathbycute

A Strawberry! OM NOM NOM!

#facebook #instagram

Oh Boy... Brace Yourselves!

[LoL]

Facebook Changes

My laugh of the day goes to... via +Rodrigo Wahl

Google+ | The Netiquettes v2.0
On the path to a better online social community


» A little foreword
Back in September last year, when google+ was only four weeks old, we could already see the exponential rise in users on the network. The increase meant we now had hundreds of thousands of users where each one of them had their own way of using the platform. This lead to the formation of a very diverse network. Some practices, however, were having a negative effect on our rapidly growing community and so I wrote down a set of g+ netiquettes in an attempt to maintain the quality of engagement.

Fast forwarding to today, I realize a mere six months can bring in so much change on the internet. Google+ has come a long way since last September. Besides all the new features, we now have more than 90 million users. The network is open to public and anyone above the age of 13 is welcome which means we have an even more diverse and massive global society here than we did back last summer.

All this suggests that we re-ignite the debate on social etiquette for google+ and in doing so agree on what is acceptable, what isn't and what we should have more of.

My original article listing some general guidelines can be found at bit.ly/gp_etiquettes. I'll be relying on it heavily to present a more refined set of etiquette suggestions below.



» Why we need netiquettes
Online social networks are designed to mirror your real-life social interactions. Different sites have had different levels of success in achieving that replication. Facebook, for example, is an ideal platform for mutual sharing of content with your real-life friends. Twitter on the other hand is more suited for public sharing similar to public speaking.

In my opinion the newest player in the market, Google+, has achieved the best replication of our real-lives on the web thus far. With the right usage of circles, comment threads, streams, asymmetric relationships and hangouts, we can now mirror not only our complicated social circles but also interact with them in ways that are very similar to real-life. We can exclusively communicate with our close friends and at the same time reach larger audiences while keeping both levels of interaction completely separate from each other. We can take part in discussions across comment threads or we can simply socialize in person from the comfort of our bedrooms using hangouts.

Essentially, that means my real-life daily interactions, both private and public, can now take place on g+. It is for these very reasons that Google+ has attracted millions of users within a period of seven months. However, it is also the right time to realize that, given the above discussion, we are now part of something much bigger than us. We’ve mirrored not only our local communities on here but also our societies at large leading to the formation of one big global e-society. How?

• We’re a society because we’re all from different classes and different groups interacting in one place.
• We’re a collection of communities because we share similar interests with different groups of people.

Consequently, our actions on this network affect millions of people at the same time. Therefore, as members of this google+ society, we need to act responsibly. As such, this article will try to establish some general points of etiquette that can universally apply to all g+ users.



» The g+ netiquettes
I am going to break down this section into seven sub-sections based on the different google+ features so you can get a nice over-view of what's to come:

Sharing | Re-sharing | Commenting | Following | Hangouts | Advertising | General


— 1. Sharing

This includes all content that you publish except re-shares. It can be standard text-posts, pictures, links, videos, etc. Once again from a social point of view, we have to realize here that our posts affect other people. Even though we have complete freedom of speech, we cannot disregard the consequences of our actions on others in a society. Therefore, let’s look at what is generally desirable and not-desirable in terms of content sharing:

• Be mindful of what you post: Your followers are from all kinds of backgrounds in terms of culture, religion, personalities, jobs, etc. What may seem harmless to you might be taken in a completely different way by your readers. You're not expected to consider all possible consequences of your post but rather just be mindful of it.

• Format your posts: One of the killer features in g+ is the ability to format your posts with bold and italic styles. Use this feature to structure your posts for easier reading and better understanding. For ideas you can look at this simple example: bit.ly/yG9Ric

• Use hashtags(#): To give your readers a better idea about the topic, use hashtags inside your post. Furthermore, your readers can click on these hashtags to open up a list of posts on the same topic. This is a great way of discovering new and related content. For ideas you can look at this simple example: bit.ly/yG9Ric

• Don’t post everything publicly: This is where Circles come into play; just like your real-life, you do not share everything with everyone. Therefore, keep your private and personal posts within your closed social circles to make your online interaction more effective.

• Put in a time-gap between successive posts: This is for your own good. Posts go down on g+ streams quite quickly. So if you post 10 GIFs in the space of 5 minutes then users will probably not bother scrolling down to look at the initial ones. Spacing out successive posts allows users to pay proper attention to each of your posts which is what you want right?

• Post in first person: This suggestion does not apply to the majority of us and is directed at the celebrities on google+. Famous people tend to let their PR agents update their social profiles for them in third person. While that is understandable given various constraints, I would like to request celebrities to post in first person. The whole charm of following you guys is to be able to communicate with you on an equal level. So anything on your profile that makes me feel like you’re not the actual person behind this account will most likely push me to un-follow you. I receive news about you in newspapers and other websites, but I follow you here for a more personal interaction even if it is one-way. +David Beckham, +Dane Cook, +Mike Elgan, +Vic Gundotra, +Felicia Day, +Michelle Marie and +Daria Musk are some very famous people on here that are doing it right. Please try to follow in their footsteps.


— 2. Re-sharing

Now we come to a very controversial aspect of content publishing that has been debated upon many times and not just on g+. The way I see it there is one question you must honestly ask yourself before you publish any post here: Did I find this post on Google+ or via another Google+ user?. You should proceed further depending on the following two answers:

• If the answer is Yes: You should re-share the post by clicking re-share. If their post is already a re-share then make sure that when you re-share it, you +mention the person that was re-sharing originally. Space out the re-shares to get the word out to larger audiences. To make it more effective, allow a time-gap before you re-share the original post. This way people who missed it the first time now get the chance to view it again. Use the space in the description box when you click re-share to give your feedback on the original post. Besides this being helpful criticism, it shows your readers why you thought that post was worth re-sharing and thereby encourages in discussion in the comment thread. Even a simple “wow!” or “amazing” goes a long way.

• If the answer is No: Just go ahead and publish your post. If your post contains external content/attachments then it's also appropriate to credit your source.


— 3. Commenting

Google+ comment threads allow for excellent debates and help with instant feedback. However, the commenting system has also been abused and we definitely do not want it to become a replication of youtube as the network grows:

• Be mindful of what you say: Again, to re-iterate, what you think is okay might not be viewed in the same light by others.

• Everyone is entitled to their opinion: There is no need to flame anyone down just because you disagree. If both publishers and commenters are mindful of what they're saying then we will get a system where everyone presents their opinions with due respect to others any way!

• Use the +1 button: The +1 button is at the heart of google+ and so its proper use is essential to the network. To illustrate, let’s assume someone posts a funny picture. The first comment on the post you see is “lol that was hilarious”. Now, instead of typing in a new comment to say “I laughed so hard”, just +1 the first comment because it expresses the exact same thing. This is not so important for trivial cases like the one I just outlined; however, we need to realize that the comment system on Google+ allows for excellent constructive and intelligent discussions. The +1 buttons in such discussions can be used to voice your agreement to a particular argument instead of making the same point again in your own comment. In the end you get a nice thread with varying points of views which is infinitely better than a thread with the same thing being expressed throughout.

• Respond to other comments/questions: This especially applies to your own posts. If you publish something, people will respond with feedback in the comment thread. They might even ask questions. Take out time to answer these people in your comment thread. If there are hundreds of comments then try to respond in a way that can generally address most comments in one go, but do engage with your readers to some extent.

• Keep it relevant to the topic: Make sure what you’re posting in a comment thread is relevant to the actual post. If you absolutely want to say something to someone that is not related to their post then just message them directly. Interrupting an ongoing discussion in a comment thread with saying something completely un-related is very disruptive to the flow of that discussion.


— 4. Following

Asymmetric relationships that google+ has given us are very beneficial. They allow us the type of freedom that we certainly cannot find on facebook and twitter. You’re at complete liberty to follow whoever you want without having to wait for any reaction from their side.

• Being added to circles: From my personal experience, when I see some random names adding me to circles, I find myself wishing that I knew a little bit more about these people. I, for one, enjoy meeting new personalities on here. So if you follow someone, it would be nice to leave them a short private message saying how you came across their profile and who you are. Obviously, you don’t have to do this if you’re not comfortable with it. Still though, I think choosing to introduce yourself can greatly enhance the experience of social networking. Think of it as meeting new people in real life and having a little chat with them to break the ice.

• Adding to your circles in return: As mentioned above, the nice thing about asymmetrical relationships is you don’t have to follow someone just because they started following you. But that does not mean you should choose to ignore them completely. There are millions of interesting people on here, each one of them unique from the rest in their own way. So if you find someone adding you, try to make the effort of visiting their profile. This way you can get to know them a little bit and might even find them interesting enough to add to one of your circles. This will allow you to connect with other people who have the same interests as you. Isn't that what social networking is all about?


— 5. Hangouts

Google+ can win the popularity vote because of hangouts alone. It’s a great way to video chat from the comfort of your home/office/anywhere with up to ten people from anywhere on planet earth... and for free, too! But just like real-life hangouts, Google+ hangouts, also demand a certain degree of ethical conduct from its users. Here are a few pointers to think about the next time you enter a hangout:

• Greet everyone upon entering.
• Be polite and respectful.
• Don’t talk over someone.
• Allow everyone to talk. Don’t take over the conversation.
• Don’t do anything that interrupts the general flow of conversation.
• It is okay to mute someone if you find them annoying.
• Be mindful of what you say or how you behave.
• Use the side chat-box to voice your opinions if too many people are talking into the microphone at the same time.

If you are the one hosting a hangout then it is also advisable to give your hangout a name so people know before-hand what the topic of discussion is. If you're streaming the hangout live to YouTube then inform your followers well in advance to avoid any privacy issues coming back to bite you later.


— 6. Advertising and Spam

This cannot be stressed enough. Please do not use the freedom granted to you by the network to spam comment threads or public streams with your website URL, profile link, company or business. If you do, then:

• It won’t work anyway because everyone hates spam.
• Users will report and block you.

The best thing to do is put links in the About section of your profile. That space is there to embed links that are relevant to your profile/job/business. People do notice them there and if they are interested they will click on them. Shoving them into people’s face, however, will only annoy them and will be counter-productive for you. Comment threads and streams are not the right place for advertisements so let's keep it that way.


— 7. General

Here we have a few points of etiquette that don’t necessarily fall under one category but are equally important in general:

• Be polite and respectful.
• Do not flame or offend anyone.
• Be mindful of what you say.
• Think before you tag people.
• Don’t single out people in your posts to hate on them. Block them quietly instead if you must.
• Do not force your way of using google+ on others. We can only make suggestions. It is up to the people to decide what is best.



» A final word and a note of caution
There is a wealth of academic material out there dealing with ethical conduct on social networks. The moral value and impact of an action on a social network is always open to much debate and can heavily depend on cultural, religious, moral and ethical values.

As such, in writing this article I do not seek to create a binding law; rather I wish to list suggestions that, if followed, can enhance your social experience not only here but also on other social networks. Proper social conduct on Google+ can shape this network as an e-society built on tolerance and understanding. But as they say, no one-size-fits-all when it comes to social interactions. Therefore, I encourage all of you to take these points of etiquette with a grain of salt and apply them as you deem fit!

The article is meant to serve as a platform for a larger social discussion on what is ethically acceptable (or not acceptable) on the g+ society. For that very reason, I am greatly looking forward to the feedback and discussions in comment threads across the network.

Thank you for reading through.

Cheers,
+Ahmed Zeeshan

****************************************
Permalink to Post: bit.ly/gp_netiquettes

Note to fellow readers:
> Please do leave feedback. It helps to improve the article and starts a healthy discussion.
> Please feel free to re-share the post.

Hash tags: #google + #googleplustips #nowthisiscommunity #plustips #googleplusetiquette #nettiquette

Reshare tags: +Natalie Villalobos +Katherine Gramann +Alida Brandenburg +Denis Labelle +Ryan Crowe +Toby Stein +Trey Ratcliff +Alireza Yavari +Brian Rose +Ayoub Khote +Yonatan Zunger +Johnathan Chung +Gabriel Vasile +Jaana Nyström +Jennifer Bailey +Mickey Mellen +Google +Google+ +Google+ Your Business +GooglePlusInside +GPlusTips

#protip

Use your pillowcase to store your folded sheets. You'll never have to match them again.

via reddit at i.imgur.com/eQYeo.jpg

Little England

I'm presently enjoying a road trip in Sri Lanka with my wife. A couple of days ago we came across this lake in Nuwara Eliya. Little England they call it. It's a bit of heaven hidden in the mountains in Sri Lanka. We stood there gazing at it as the minutes raced by. Our chauffeur had a hard time convincing us to finally get back on the road.

I took this photograph to share the beauty of Nuwara Eliya with you all. I know what my next wallpaper now is.

The 7 Deadly Sins - As GIFs

A comic artist has come up with some fantastic and fun GIF images depicting the 7 deadly sins. They're actually quite funny but still carry a valuable lesson for us all.

Via reddit at: http://imgur.com/a/bqiSO

#sevendeadlysins  

RESHARE:
Get Well Soon Malala

Reshared text:
One of the most powerful images and quotes I have ever read.

#lol #lmao

Every time someone types LMAO...

Good Morning Google+!

Opened reddit when I got to work and found this. Looks awesome but don't try it on your way to work :)

#whitespace #lol

Ridiculously Photogenic Guy will make you love your WhiteSpace

Yesterday, I went on a boat safari in Southern Sri Lanka. Our boat captain had caught a baby crocodile during one of his fishing outings and he was kind enough to let me hold it.

It felt surreal having an actual crocodile in my hands!

RESHARE:
#coffee

Mmmmmm... just what I need right now

Reshared text:
hi

#words

Why do birds stay in the same place? - Today's dose of thoughtful words.

[Portal]

Live Action Portal Short Film

To fans: Mind = Blown!

Fullscreen HD and Headphones recommended

Man of Steel - Trailer 3
with Hans Zimmer's new epic score

Lara: He'll be an outcast. They'll kill him.
Jor-El: How?

Enough said! #manofsteel  

Browsing Google+ after midnight #lol

#halloween

Brace yourselves, the Halloween pictures are coming!

Not sure what year this one is from or if it even is a halloween picture but it's my favourite.

Maybe I'll Log Onto Facebook Today

#lol   #endoftheworld  

#photography #reflections

On first glance this might look like an ordinary photograph but look again...

via bit.ly/FPO9Xy

#trailer

Marvel Avengers - Trailer 3

The third and final trailer for Avengers is out and it is the best yet with over two minutes of new scenes from the movie. Share and re-share... this is not to be missed!

RESHARE:
[RE-POST]

Apologies for a couple of broken links in the guide posted yesterday. Fixed them today. Also added a Google Doc version at the end to make for easier sharing and embedding.

Reshared text:
Google+ | The Early Adopter’s Guide

Note: This guide specifically targets the Google+ Early Adopters, Bloggers, Social Media Enthusiasts, Photographers and All Users with a following of 1k+. However, other users are more than welcome to read through, provide feedback and re-share.

It has only been 4 weeks since Google+ went into field trial. Us social media enthusiasts and early adopters flooded in like this gif: http://bit.ly/iZGosF. In this short span of time g+ has taken over our online presence. Why? Because g+ offers us a publishing platform catering to our social needs like no other network before it:
- The posts can be as long as you want them to be while holding videos and pictures.
- Feedback here is instant and meaningful. For example, Photographers have found an excellent following here. They can publish pictures in elegant portfolios as well as share their skill and technique with other photographers.
- There are no spams.
- I’ve never been a fan of blogging and hence never had a blog/website, but Google+ makes me want to write, publish and share!

And the list can go on for much more I'm sure.

The issue I want to highlight and possibly solve is that even though most of us know how to work google+, we still don’t use it to its full potential. It is important we do so because:
- It will make our presence on google+ more organized and manageable both socially and individually.
- It will increase our rewards on the time we invest into google+.
- Our followers, especially the new comers, rely on our knowledge of the system for guidance and support. The google+ community managers are already swamped with support requests so surely we can help out with what we know.

For these reasons and more, I believe that there is an unknown but very real need for a guide that will fully unlock the power of g+ for the early adopters and social media gurus. We are quick to provide Google+ with a list of features that we would like to see but we ourselves aren't even using the complete set of features that have been giving to us. Using them properly will show you that most of what we need is already in here just waiting to be discovered.

The guide is divided into six main sections:

Circles | Sharing | Commenting | Chrome Extentions | Sparks | Educate


***************************************

Circles
a) Organization
I know of quite a few users on here that are popular; they follow a lot of people and are likewise followed by even more. However, they are of the opinion that even though they really need to sort out their circles, they would rather not because it’s a hassle and there is no time. Instead they just put everything into one or two circles and share everything publicly.
I humbly refuse to agree with that. Granted that it can be a hassle to sort out 10k+ people but if you are spending 12 hours a day on google+ then you definitely have two hours to invest as a one-time investment to organize your circles. Doing so will save you a lot of trouble in the future when the list of your followers will grow even further. Circles are the most powerful feature of google+ in my opinion. If used in the right way, they can make the sharing and reading experience a 100 times more efficient and manageable. How? Here is one way to do it using Dividing, Nesting and Prioritizing: http://bit.ly/gpcircles

b) Etiquette
More importantly, managing circles is also a matter of etiquette. Even though people are following you, that does not necessarily mean they’re interested in all the things you’re posting and would rather not have you clogging their stream. However, they’re still interested in some of the information you share relevant to their interest. Therefore, I would suggest creating circles meant purely for interest-based sharing. For example: Mobiles, Movies, Books, Music. Then poll your readers; let them know that you have created the above-mentioned circles and will be posting to them accordingly. In response, they should let you know which circles they want to be a part of based on their interests. Afterwards, add them to your interest-based sharing circles accordingly. This way you will accomplish two things:
- You will be filtering content automatically so that your readers get information from you that they’re interested in specifically.
- You will add your readers to your circle. Even if you’re a famous actress or a social media guru with 50k followers, you adding your readers to specific circles makes them happy and lets them be a part of the google+ community. An inspiring example of this is +Trey Ratcliff setting up his photographers circle. Think of the world of good that will do to the aspiring amateur photographers.

So, don’t just amass followers. Add them to circles based on interest. That way content will be filtered and people will feel wanted on here. This is something I am working on too by setting up my Movie Maniacs circle.

c) Bookmarking
So much content is being generated on here that it’s hard to keep track of it. A bookmark circle is one of the most popular tips being shared on g+. Surprisingly though, a lot of people haven’t created it yet, and if they have then they don’t use. Create an empty circle called Notes or Bookmarks and bookmark things in it by sharing content with that circle only so only you will be able to see it. I find this an excellent way of saving long articles I’m typing as drafts or to go through interesting content on google+ as per my own convenience.


Sharing
a) Content Filtering
One of the important aspects of sharing was already mentioned above with content filtering using circles. So to recap don’t share everything publicly, rather use Interest-Based sharing with the help of content filtering that is made possible by circles.

b) Formatting / Layout
A brilliant aspect of google+ is the ability to format your posts. And yet it is so under-used. When you’re posting something, take the time to format your text and lay it out in an aesthetic way. This will make your posts more readable, presentable and will definitely attract more attention. A well formatted post stands out in the stream. Furthermore, add helpful text so people can give one look at your post and tell what it’s about. Here is what I try to do mostly: http://bit.ly/pz1wTU. Some note-worthy tips from that link:

- Give a bold category heading at the top. It further helps filtering based on interests.
- If you’re sharing a link/picture/video then give your own description of the link even if it silly. It gives readers something to talk about in your comments and gets a discussion going.
- Keep it precise but make sure the users get all the necessary info at a glance. For possible ideas please refer to the link above.

c) Re-sharing
Don’t re-share a post straight away. Space it out. If someone popular with 50k+ users just shared a post publicly then that means tons of people see it already. So you re-sharing will clog the streams of users who already got it the first time and will be counter-productive. The better thing to do would be to wait thirty minutes so that the original post has disappeared down in the streams. Re-sharing after that time-period will spread the message more efficiently because users who missed it the first time will now get another chance to see it.

d) Crediting
Always give credit when you re-share what someone else posted. That is a big question of etiquette. Doing so will earn you respect on the network. The aim is not to earn followers and +1s, rather it is to allow everyone to share original and quality content.


Commenting
a) On other posts
Don’t just post your own content. Interact with other users on the network. Only then will you become social on this network. Go through your stream. Comment on other people’s posts. Discuss. That “Incoming” circles stream is there for a reason. It is most definitely not to block out people that have followed you. You are not the only one sharing interesting content on Google+. Therefore, see what the users are posting and provide feedback to them for it. This will also earn you more respect on the network and people will look forward to having you online.

b) On your own posts
After posting something, do not leave what you just shared for other people to comment on. As mentioned earlier, the great thing about google+ is you get real-time genuine and helpful feedback. So respond to people when they leave comments by +mentioning them. It is the least you can do. This will not only show them you actually care about what they have to say and but it will also make them feel integrated too. You needn’t respond to each and every one of them but make your presence felt in the comment threads regardless of the number of followers you have.


Chrome Extensions
Google+ has an excellent, clean and functional UI. It is pleasing to the eyes. There are some handy extensions for Chrome that make the Google+ experience even better. Here are some of the ones that I use and would strongly recommend them:

Google+ Photo Zoom: http://bit.ly/rurhrR
Replies and more for Google+: http://bit.ly/pMH2GB
Usability Boost for Google+: http://bit.ly/pPXWa1

There are lots more out there. If you have some really helpful ones to share then please link them in the comments. I will add them here as necessary.


Sparks
Sparks is the most un-used feature of google+. I agree that there are some flaws in Sparks that need to be ironed out but it still provides an easy way of looking up the most popular content on the internet relevant to your interests. So create Sparks for yourself. It is a great way to find content not just for you but also for your Interest-Based circles.

Some sparks that I’m using so far are: Android, The Dark Knight Rises, Movies, Google+, WTF, Samsung Galaxy S II, etc. If you have more terms for Sparks, please do leave a comment and I will add them here.


Educate
As the well-settled adopters of google+, we now have a responsibility to the social network. We’ve all wondered and written about whether google+ will last long and eventually be a big force in the market both for companies and individual users. But what we don’t realize is that the network has to spread through us. I already mentioned in my previous article, Google+ Starter Pack (bit.ly/gpstarter), the average facebook user (AFU) uses the internet strictly on a personal level to share with a small group people within their real-life social circles. If they browse the internet for looking up content related to their interests, they either use their facebook stream, follow a popular twitter account or lurk on sites like reddit.

This AFU is now giving Google+ a try thanks to the invite system opening up recently. However, when they come here they see a large community of well-settled users, like me and you, who have a relatively huge following compared to theirs and who publish regularly. As a result, they feel blocked by a learning curve making it harder for them to become a part of the g+ community. We as Google+ early-testers can help bridge this gap by guiding these people with what we already know about the network. Here is what you can do to play your part:

- I’m sure you’ve all come across posts/tips both on googIe+ and elsewhere that helped you with your first few days on the network. Include this collection of articles and tips in the About section of your profile. The Introduction textbox is most suitable for this as it allows formatting and embedding of links. New users always look at About sections of other users. Therefore, any helpful tips and articles found there will greatly assist them with getting started smoothly. If you can’t find a good collection of articles then you can use mine:
Google+ | The Starter Pack - bit.ly/gpstarter
Google+ for the Average Facebook User - bit.ly/gb_fb
Circles: Dividing, Nesting and Prioritizing - bit.ly/gpcircles

- In a similar way, use the Introduction text-box to advertise any Interest-Based circles you created for sharing. Users can then message you and request to be added. Again, this will help them with getting integrated into the community while immediately exposing them to content relevant to their interests. For ideas, please look at my Introduction text-box: http://bit.ly/zeeshan_about. If you know of other helpful About profiles, please do share in the comments below.



That marks the end of the guide. Indeed, there are many ways of using Google+ and each person utilizes the available features as is most convenient and suitable to them. However, in writing this guide, I hope to show you all that Google+ offers a lot more than we actually see at the moment. Exploiting the true potential of g+ will do wonders for you and the community in terms of content, management and integration.

Thank you for reading through.

Cheers,
+Ahmed Zeeshan

***************************************

Note to fellow readers:
> Please do leave feedback. I will incorporate your suggestions into the starter pack as best as I can.
> Please feel free to re-share the post.

Permalink to Post: bit.ly/gp_early
Google Doc version: bit.ly/gpearlydoc

Tags for getting the word out: +Natalie Villalobos +Mickey Mellen +Jacqueline Passey Mason +Alida Brandenburg +Toby Stein +Ben Parr +Zee M Kane +Robert Scoble +Chris Cho +Trey Ratcliff +Rebecca Woodhead +Lauren D Rogers +Tom Anderson +G. Hussain Chinoy +Vic Gundotra +Alyssa Milano +Pete Cashmore +Matt Cutts +Timothy Jordan