NBTMV - Create a Google+ page for your organization (or even your blog)

If you are on Google+, you already know that corporations and other organizations can now have Google+ pages. Many companies such as Amazon.com, New York Times, and many more have already started putting up their Google+ pages. What you may not think about is that you can create a page for your blog or personal webpage as well. I did just that for my NBTMV blog. Here's how.

When you are viewing your Stream on Google+, you’ll see a link on the right hand side that says “Create a Google+ Page” . Clicking that link will take you to a webpage where you can create your Google+ page. For my NBTMV page, I picked the Arts and Entertainment category from the left and then, on the right side, after entering a name for the Google+ page and my blog URL nbtmv.blogspot.com , selected Blog as the category. Click Create and you’re done.

Now you can switch between your Google+ account and your Google+ page by clicking the small button under your name on the upper left corner in Google+. When you are on your Google+ page, click Get Started link on the upper left corner and you’ll see helpful suggestions for promoting your page and linking your website or blog to the Google+ page. In particular, you’ll see a link for your Google+ page, similar to this: https://plus.google.com/104988589735282319665 that you can email or tweet to all of your contacts. And click the “Get the badge” link and follow the instructions on how to put a Google+ badge such the following one for my NBTMV blog:

With this Google+ badge on your website or blog your readers will easily be able to get to your Google+ page.
That’s about it! Now all you have to do is start posting updates and news on your Google+ page. And wait for your customers or readers to circle your Google+ page :-)
Seriously though, since Google+ page just got started around Nov 7, 2011, it’s a good strategy to set up your Google+ page as soon as possible. I hope you do so and best of luck!

Here's some more information to help you...

The best source of information about Google+ Pages is Google. You can start by reading Google's official blog post on Google+ Pages, then browse this page on Introducing Pages for Google+. If you are the one maintaining your organization's web page, this Google Webmaster Tools support page provides helpful tips on Google+ Pages. I'm sure there'll be lots more helpful information and books in the future, but this should get you going for now.

Why I love Google+

By now, I have posted a number of 3-minute videos (TMV), but, today I wanted to pause and tell you why I love Google+.  You see, I won’t be talking to you in this video if it were not for my joining Google+.

What I like best about Google+ is its integration of mail, calendar, documents, photos, and much more. When I get into Google+, I already have access to all of these applications right from the toolbar.That plus when I log into Google+, I can get to everything with the same login. I was already using Gmail with 2-factor authentication (please, do turn on two factor authentication for improved security, just go to your Account Settings page -- if you are on Gmail or Google+, click on your name on the upper right corner and select Account Settings to configure it - - the upshot is that when you log in, after you enter your password, you also must enter a verification code that Google sends to your phone via a text message).

Anyway, I began by sharing some photos with family on Google+ and then discovered that I could post videos on Youtube with the same login. After posting a few vacation videos, I thought why not make some short videos and share some of what I know with others. It was fun getting started with the videos that I am calling "Naba Barkakati's three minute videos" or NBTMV for short :-)

.After posting a few videos, I realized I need to provide some more helpful information, especially names of books or links to websites that I couldn’t possibly provide in the videos themselves. So I got into Blogger and, again, surprise, I could log in with my GMail login. So, I went ahead and created a blog - - nbtmv.blogspot.com and posted each video in a separate blog posting together with the transcript and other helpful information. Of course, I also began sharing these videos on Google+.

Everything was so painless that in no time at all, I had gone from a beginner on Google+ to creating my own 3-minute videos and posting them on my blog, and, of course sharing them on Google+, all of this facilitated by the single login access to mail, calendar, documents, photos, videos, blogs, and much more.

That, in a nutshell, is why I love Google+ and will continue to use it. I hope you agree and will join me on Google+.
(In my video, I didn't mention anything about circles, but I do love to be able to share my posts with selected groups of people based on my circles, but all the productivity applications in one place takes the cake for me :-)

Here's some more helpful information

To keep up with news about Google+ and some interesting posts, check out posts with the Google+ label on the official Google blog.

There are already a bunch of books on Google+, including one Dummies guide that will be published around mid-November 2011. Here are the links to a few books:

Tags: Google+, 2-factor authentication, Gmail, Google Docs, Youtube, Blogger

How I record videos at home

How I record videos at home

By now you’ve seen a few of the videos I have posted and I think I should briefly describe how I record these at home. That way, you can do the same, if you want to...

You have probably noticed how I raise my hand to turn the camera off at the end of my videos. That’s because there is no one in the room helping me with the recording. Luckily the digital amera I am using - - a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 model - - seems to work out best at arm’s length, so I can reach the start/stop button easily.

Besides the digital camera, which I already had, all I had to do is spend about $40 to buy were three clamp-on lights from the local hardware store. I bought two 10-inch ones  for the Key and Fill lights and one 8-inch one for the backlight - - the Key light with a 100W equivalent Compact Fluorescent Light bulb is at 45 degrees to the left in front of me, the Fill light with a 60W equivalent bulb is at 45 degrees to my right, again, in front. The backlight is slightly behind me, to my left. I clipped on white handkerchiefs in front of each light because the light was too bright otherwise. I think the light is still not that great, as one of my friends already told me, so I plan to tweak it either through camera settings or by moving the lights back some more.

For the backdrop, I clipped on some dark sheets on a bookshelf behind me. I sit on a bench and put the camera on a tripod on a small desk placed in front of me.

Behind the camera desk, I put a small LCD TV facing me that I connected the camera’s Audio-Video output to the TV. That way, the TV becomes my monitor to check on what the video looks like. The camera displays the recording time, so that display on the monitor also cues me when my time’s up.

With all that set, I sit down, turn the camera on, make sure I appear centered in the monitor, then press the Start button and start recording... that’s all there is to it. :-)

Here are some more things to help you get going...

Here are links to some the items I used for my setup. Of course, you probabaly already have a digital camera that can capture video, but, if not, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 was great... or consider the newer DMC-LX5... and you may want to get an AC adapter (model number DMW-AC5PP) so that the battery does not run out while you record video. And you need a high-capacity SD memory card to record those videos as well.
You know, with Amazon's free shipping for orders over $25, I would have definitely ordered what I needed from Amazon instead of running around local hardware stores :-)

Naba Barkakati's three-minute vidoes (NBTMV)

I have started posting 3-minute videos on Youtube on various topics. In my first posting, I described what I intend to do:

I started this blog to post the transcripts and other helpful information related to each 3-minute video, as well as the video itself. Hope you enjoy the convenience :-)


To learn more about my video recording setup at home, see NB-TMV: How I record videos at home