Google Plus instantly offered something new, but not entirely familiar. Conversations answering the question of "What is Google+ all about?" were followed by "How can you make the most out of Google+?" The latter is a question that Vincent Mo, a Google engineer, felt compelled to answer. He explains that, rather than trying to read everything and exhausting yourself, you should focus on using your circles to organize your digital life. Here's how:

• Make circles for sharing. Create circles of friends from similar groups (e.g., Work, Family, Church). These are the circles you will use to share your posts. You might share different content with your Family circle and your Work circle. Mo points out that "people can be in multiple circles… for example, a coworker might also be in your photography club."
  
  
• Make circles for reading. "Decide on a few people you really want to keep up with," says Mo, and create a separate circle for them. This circle might have a selection of friends from all of your circles, and by selecting it in your activity stream you’ll keep track of the most fascinating people in your circles.
  
  
• Follow campaigns, manage campaigners with circles. Using the principles of "reading" circles and "sharing" circles, organizers can make use of Google+ to have fine control over their messaging. Group on-the-ground leaders into separate circles for individual programs, specific geographic areas, or even by topic or role. Because users can belong to multiple circles, you can reproduce your matrixed campaign within Google+. Your Dallas Get-Out-The-Vote campaigner can belong to a "Texas" circle and a "GOTV" circle.
  
  
• Make your sharing mission-focused. Who you share with largely determines the function of your content. As Mike Elgan points out, your blog posts are addressed to a "Public" circle, your tweets are addressed to your "Friends" circle, and you can even compose newsletters and share them with your "Supporters" circle. You can even target a single person if you wanted to share an intimate message.

For those who are entirely new to Google+, check out Cy Hussain's Google+ Start-Up Guide, a colorful slideshow that walks you through some great tips and tricks about the system.

Cross-posted from the NOI Education Fund's Tip of the Day