Introduction

What is a Google+ Community?

• This is an online space within Google+ to gather groups of people, share information and easily keep in touch, or even have face-to-face discussions using Hangouts.

• These communities can be private or public. • You can also stay connected to your

communities on the go from your mobile phone.

Why use a Google+ Community?

• If you are getting together an online community of teachers for example, or running course with students, a Google+ community is an excellent free tool to use.

• Use it to share links, photos and videos; announce events; discuss and commenting on topics; speak face-to-face via Hangouts, give reminders of deadlines etc. It can even be used to complete assignments.

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Join Google+

• If you have a Gmail account you have a Google+ account! (Just update your profile)

• Go to http://plus.google.com to sign in to Google+. Use your organization's email address if your institution uses Google Apps and has Google+ enabled, or otherwise use your own personal Google account.

Step 2: Login to Google+ to create

your Community

Log in to Google+. (An alternative way is to just go to your Gmail account and click on your Google + sign.

Google+ sign

Step 3: Click on Home

Once you're logged in to Google+, click on the down arrow next to Home (left menu) and then on Communities.

In Google+ click on Home and then go to Communities

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Step 4: Create your community

Step 5: Decide on public vs private

You'll then need to choose whether to make your Community public or private. I recommend you make the Community "private". This will let you restrict membership to your students or co-workers, etc.

Public or Private?

Step 6: Name your community

Step 7: Do you want it to be searchable?

Step 8: Fill in the required details

Step 9: Invite others…

…when creating the community

Step 10: OR invite others…

… by asking them to search and apply to join

Use a community for

running an online course

a) Invite the students to join the communityb) Turn notifications on to receive updates by

emailc) Create categories down the left hand side for

the various class activitiesd) Let your students introduce themselves and

add a photoe) Get your students submitting via Google

Documents and let them add the links to their submissions via a community post

Create categories for your activities

• A community works very much like a website or wiki where you have categories down the side and the members post their activities within the categories

• You can search for individual members or activities as you manage the community

Each category here has its own page where the entries are made

Members and activities are searchable

All the posts appear on the opening page of the community as well as in their specific category

Further reading

1. Quick Tip: Set up a Google+ Community2. Google+ Communities: A Beginner's Guide