I'm going to give this a try. Anybody else found other uses for it ?

I'm going to give this a try. Anybody else found other uses for it ?

Originally shared by Mike Elgan

The joy of Google+ people search

Because Google+ launched without real search, I think we all got into the habit of not using it much. But it's a fantastically well crafted feature.

It's great for finding topics of conversation. Just pick your passion, type it in and discover some awesome conversations.

But I've recently begun using Google+ to find people, and for three reasons:

1. Ego search. Try this. Type in your name, run the search, then click "Most recent." It shows things you've posted. It shows posts you've commented on and forgotten about (so you can comment to comments that came after yours). It shows your private messages. It shows any recent mentions of your name on the Web. It shows instances where people are talking about you, and mention your name. Try it!

2. Check out people before you circle them. If you're going to circle a stranger, get to know them first. A search of their name tells you much more than just checking out their profile. It shows what kinds of things they comment on, and what kinds of things they say.

3. Sync up with your top circle friends. In my own case, I miss a lot of the posts by some of my favorite Google+ denizens. It's usually because they're on the East Coast or in another country, and I use Google+ while they are sleeping, and vise versa. Search is better than going straight to their profiles because you can see where they've commented on your posts, which you may have missed, and also find out what conversations they're having.

Google+ search is probably the single best underutilized feature here. Use it!! : )

UPDATE: As Adam Baylis-West points out in the comments, you can save your searches, and they live in the right nav bar of your Google+ screen!

(Picture unrelated. ;)