Google is trying to enter the Facebook realm. They have developed a new social media site called Google Plus. If you have a blog, it is a good idea to set up a Google Plus profile and then create a page for your blog. Google has tweaked their search engine to include results from Google Plus pages and this could mean more exposure for you blog.

If you don’t have a Google account (mail, etc.), you will first need to set that up. You can set up an account at http://accounts.google.com and click on create a new account. You will need to provide you name, birth date, gender and choose a name for your gmail account. You can also provide your mobile phone number if you wish. You must agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. There is also an option about personalization. If you check this box, it allows Google to tailor content (such as ads) to you across the Web based on your Google profile, +1 activity and social connections.

After creating the account, you will need to click on the button “Get Started” on the welcome page. To start setting up your profile, click on “Create a Profile” on the next page.

Verify the name you want displayed and add a picture of yourself and create your profile. The next page lets you add information about yourself such as your education, occupation, employment, places lived, etc. Click on each section to change the information. When you are done, click the “Done Editing” button. You can make changes later as well.

To join Google Plus, click on the +You on the top toolbar. You will be asked to verify your information and again there is a check box for Google to personalize information across the web, make sure to uncheck this box if you don’t want this feature. Click on the Upgrade button to join Google Plus.

You will be asked if you want to find people you know, by asking your other accounts, you can skip this step. You will then be asked to add people to your circles, you can save this step for later, just click on continue. The next step is to choose if you want to follow any public people, such as celebrities, politicians, sports figures and more. These are grouped together in sections, when you click on one section, it will add them all to a circle created for you. I added the Technology group. Click on continue.

If you want to add additional information to your profile, you are asked for it here. You can always add this information later. Click on finish. You will now be taken to your Google Plus Page.

You can see from my sample, that I have my name (Suzie Blogge) and in my “Stream” is information from the Technology group that I added to my circles in the previous step. Don’t worry if you didn’t add anyone yet. The next post will deal with adding people to your circles.

Look around your page, you can edit your profile, privacy and account settings by clicking on your name in the top right hand corner to bring down the menu.

NEXT: Setting Up a Page