We’re all about new ways to connect. And the more ways you have to get feelers out there, the better.

If you’re living under a rock and you don’t know about Google+, here it is in a nutshell: Google+ is a brand new social networking site brought to you by – you guessed it – Google. It’s designed to be a competitor to Facebook and LinkedIn, though it has some twists of its own.

The project is still in its infancy. As of this writing, the site had taken a temporary hiatus on accepting new members.

The site has a number of pluses – no pun intended:

A sleek, intuitive interface. Think something akin to the difference between the user interfaces of the Blackberry and the iPhone.

Improved grouping functionality. Google+ makes it easy to segment your friends list in groups. For example, you can have separate group for co-workers, family, friends, lovers, drinking buddies, and bookies. You don’t have to worry about segmenting. “Leakage” of embarrassing information or posts between your personal and professional life is less of an issue. This is a huge plus.

Huddles. Think text messages, but among a group of people. For example, most of us are accustomed to having to key in several people into a text message. Or having to IM just one person at a time. Some phones support group texting, but it’s awkward. Google+’s huddles are going to make this capability an industry standard.

Instant video and picture uploads. You won’t have to plug your camera into your computer before you upload vids or photos. If your camera is also a cell phone, Google+ supports uploading it from right where you are.

Impact on Hiring

Our sources in the human resources community – that is, the people who recruit and hire – tell us they like the earlier reports. The segmentation allows prospective employers to separate their own professional and personal messaging, just as you do.

More pragmatically, they also like the Huddle function. Look at it this way – if you are a human resources professional and you are trying to juggle several executive’s schedules because the applicant needs to meet with multiple people, this is a huge timesaver.

Above all, though – Google+ looks fun! And this, more than any particular functionality, is going to be driving its success going forward.

While in Beta, Google + is only available per invitations, which we are giving out. To get an invitation please leave a comment on this article, having included your Gmail address and do one of the following:

1. Like our Facebook fan page;
2. Follow us on Twitter;
3. Follow us on LinkedIn.

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