A recent article on Hypebot does a good job explaining why content creators (especially authors!) need to be using Google’s social platform.
Here’s the quick summary…
3 reasons why authors need Google+
1. YouTube comments may soon require Google+ accounts
Not only will you need a Google+ account to leave comments on YouTube videos (and respond to comments on your own videos), but comments made about videos shared on Google+ will be displayed on YouTube too.
2. Google Authorship requires Google+
Ya know when you search for something in Google and a blog author’s avatar shows up beside one of the search results? That’s Google Authorship — a tool that helps Google view all the content you’ve created both as an online collection and as individual pieces — and it helps your search ranking too. If you want your picture to appear next to your blog articles in search results, you need Google+.
3. Keywords are going away
Well, that’s not totally accurate. It’s just that Google is making keyword data more… obscure, hidden, secretive, hush-hush. Why? Well, they want to encourage content creators to focus on the quality of their writing — rather than gaming the system with a bunch of keyword trickery. As keywords begin to play less of a role in search, the social engagement with your content will become more important. That means Google will be looking at Facebook and Twitter, yes. But guess where else they’ll be looking? Google+.
Are you using Google+ to promote your books? If so, how’s it going? If not, why? Let us know in the comment section below.
