The first thing you will notice that makes Google+ different than most social media pages is the "Circles" feature.
When you add someone to Google+, you are prompted to put them in a "Circle." The whole point of the Circles is to make it easy to customize what content you send out to your audience. This way you can share almost everything with your closest friends but only family appropriate content with your grandparents.
Another aspect that separates Google+ from other social media pages is the ability to +1 websites or content shared by those in your circles. When you think something is cool, or worth sharing, just hit the +1 button.
One of the unique features of Google+ is the ability to edit photos while using programs through this social media site.
To begin the editing process, choose the photo that you want to edit and click the "Edit photo" button in the top right corner.
A new window will pop up with the editing features.
If you have used Picnik before, then this interface will look really familiar.
The editing options range from just basic recoloring to sharpening to face paint and fake mustaches as you see below. If you just want to make the picture look great in one step, you can click the "Auto-Fix" button.
Hangouts are a great way to interact with the people in your Circles.
A Hangout is basically a video chat with extra features and you can have a hangout with up to nine people. Through these apps you can play a game of poker with your friends, share presentations and documents and go the more silly route by trying out different effects.
Hangout On Air is a feature for people who want to broadcast their hangout to a bigger audience. If you want to stream your hangout publicly, then this is the option. Once the hangout is finished, the entire session will be saved instantly to YouTube so you can share it further.
If you follow your favorite celebrities and other personalities on Google+, you can join in on live discussions when they decide to host Google+ Hangouts.
And do not forget to add WHSV Web-Producer Kitty Capelle to your Circles to watch a hangout in action on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. For more instructions on how to watch and join hangouts go here: support.Google.com
Follow Web-Producer Kitty Capelle on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Google+.
