Terminology used for different networking sites can get rather confusing. Here’s a little insight into what the basics are for Google+
Profile – The page that shows information about you
Business Page – A profile page for your business
Circles – Categories you can create to organise people who follow you and the people you follow. These can be anything you like but the most common categories are Friends, Business, and Family. When you post some content you can choose which circles you would like to receive that content.
+1 – Shows people like or appreciate your content
Streams - this is what you see on your profile page – a stream of comments from others in your circles
Share – Looks like an arrow and lets other users share your post to their streams
Hang out – A video chat with up to 10 people at once
Hashtags - Hashtags are used to tie different social media posts together. Relevant words you want to tie must be preceded by a # sign (i.e. #howtouseahashtag). Hashtags are a powerful tool to help you engage your target audience and increase your brand awareness. Essentially, it makes the content of your post accessible to all people with similar interests, even if they’re not your followers.
Tag – When mentioning an individual or business in your Google Plus content, make sure to tag them. When you do, they get a notification that you have mentioned them. Before typing the person or businesses name, include the “@†symbol. This will produce a drop-down box that will change based on the letters you type. Find the person you are trying to tag and click on their name.
Communities – Google+ Communities is a place to create conversations and share information around one specific topic or service