How to Protect Your Google+ Account

There is a lot of talk lately about internet privacy and how to control who sees the content on your social networks. Many people feel uncomfortable using social networks like Facebook due to privacy concerns. There is a lot of anxiety over where you’re personal information actually goes and who can see it.

Then along came Google+.

Google+ is the hottest new social network to hit the web and for good reason. This new network has vowed to protect users’ privacy and keep privacy settings simple and transparent. Here are the basics to controlling your privacy, who sees your posts and profile, and other various tips for your G+ account.

Edit Your Account Settings
On your Google+ home page, Click on your ‘options’ button in the upper right hand corner of the page, then click ‘Google+ Settings’. Here you can adjust the following:

• Delivery Options
• Control SMS notifications
• Add or change a phone number
• Photo tagging and geo-tagging
• +1 button permissions

Every option is simplified yet thorough, and leaves no question as to what you’re sharing with the rest of the world. If you want to look at your profile through another contact’s point of view, click on the ‘View Profile As…’ search box on your profile page.

Privacy Optimization While Editing Your Profile
While signed in on your Google+ profile page, click the ‘Edit Profile’ button to the right of your name. Not only can you fill in all of your profile information here, you can change who sees it. Click on any section to edit. A window will pop up with a text field. If you click on the ‘Your Circles’ button, you can change who sees that information. With just one click, you can share with the following:

• Anyone on the web
• Extended circles
• Your circles
• Only you
• Customize a personal list

Understanding Circle Privacy
Circles are a great way to keep your contacts organized. Adding different people to different circles creates a perfect way to keep control over what your contacts can see. Family, coworkers, creepers – you can create any type or amount of circles to share only certain information with. All of your circles are private by default too. Essentially, you could have a professional profile and casual profile all under the same user account.

When you add someone to a circle on Google+, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in one of their circles. However, if someone adds you to one of their circles, there is no approval process – so make good use of your privacy controls and be conscious of your settings.
In a new age of the internet, it is fundemental to know what your identity is up to in the virtual world. Among any other social network, Google+ is leaps and bounds ahead of any other, leaving you finally feeling safe and secure on the web.


For more information check out the following articles:

http://www.buzzom.com/2011/07/how-to-protect-your-privacy-on-google/

http://www.flyteblog.com/flyte/2011/07/managing-your-google-privacy-using-circles.html

http://betanews.com/2011/08/25/google-forces-facebook-to-tweak-sharing-settings/