Here’s a question for my G+ers and those of you not yet on Google+:
Why are you here?
And
Why are you NOT here?

Let’s tackle the first question first?
Why are you here?

For content providers (Writers, Photographers, Bloggers etc) G+ is a boon if used in the right way.  If you’re a content provider, there is no reason you shouldn’t be here.  If you are a blogger you should take advantage of Google Authorship.  I won’t go into great detail here except to say that Authorship is another way of ranking searches.  To make it even easier, Colin Clerkin  wrote Google Authorship WILL Raise Your Online Profile.  Read the column to get a better understanding of exactly what Authorship will do for you.  Those who are on Google+ and have implemented Authorship on their blogs will find their avatars show up in searches.  The idea behind the concept is to draw people who know you to your content.  Would you rather trust someone you know who provides authoritative content over someone you don’t?

If you’re a blogger, this is yet another reason to jump on the G+ wagon and implement authorship on your blog.

Google is using G+ to build an entirely new search engine based on social search and those of us fortunate enough to understand this new search paradigm will benefit most from it.  So, again I ask you why are you on G+?

You do understand that Google+ is vastly different from any other social platform that is available at the moment?  In order to get anything out of the service it is imperative that you build relationships.  I have two columns on this subject you may want to refer to:
The Power of Social
Sharing, Re-Sharing and Circles

Building relationships here is different because you have the ability to “circle” people you don’t know.  That’s one of the advantages to Google+.  Take a look at the two columns above for further information.

I keep getting sidetracked.  Why are you on G+?
If you are a content provider you should be here to promote, to market, That’s where G+ excels; especially if you implement Authorship.  Google built itself on search.  It only makes sense for them to incorporate search into anything they do.  What I like most about the way they have built it into their social platform, is HOW they did so.

By giving their users an opportunity to rank higher, if they are on Google+ and they put Authorship into effect, Google has made it more important to join this new social platform.  They are showing their users the benefit of joining and using the service correctly.  The advances the company is making, at least at the moment, is to help their end users.

That’s why I believe content providers belong here rather than any other social network.  We can take advantage of the advances in search that Google is implementing and the sooner others like us join this fast moving vehicle that is “social search,” the better off all of us will be; and speaking of search:
Who do you trust more to build a better search engine?  Someone whose sole business has been search since its inception?  Or someone who is hodgepodging it together?

In the time I’ve been on Google+ I’ve found the platform to be immensely helpful for promoting all of my work.  Social Media is the new Advertising venue.  Google+, especially, has hit this product WAY out of the ballpark.  With Author Rank/Authorship coordinated with Google Search it is imperative for content providers to jump on the Google+ wagon sooner rather than later.

So the answer to the question Why are you here? is if you are a content provider:
You’re here to promote what you have to share.
You’re here to build NEW relationships.
You’re here to be of service.

This MAY sound harsh.
This MAY sound negative.
But ESPECIALLY for Google+, I can’t wrap my head around why someone would be here if they don’t have a product to promote; whether a blog, whether art, whatever.  G+ is the perfect vehicle for promotion more so than any other social platform available today, only because Google is building search directly into G+.

As to the second question:
Why are you NOT here?

Because that other network has you in its grip.
You do know however that G+ is different than that other network, don’t you?
G+ is for building new relationships
That other network is for maintaining the “friends” you already have.
If you must maintain the other network, you can certainly do so and I imagine that once you wrap your head round G+ you’ll see the advantages here over the network there.

If you ARE a content provider, I highly recommend signing up for G+ and seek out people to help you get started on the platform.  Social Search is here to stay and I’d hate to see anyone get left behind.

Be Happy!  Be Well!  Be Positive!
Blessings to you.
—
Chris