A Nobody can become Somebody on Google+

A life changer!

After receiving an invitation to join Google+ in June 29, 2011 I've never looked back.

There was just something in this platform that swept me off my feet: I decided already in August that year that Google+ will somehow be the lode star of my new career.  I saw this as an opportunity especially for the small entrepreneur without unlimited marketing budget to get the message out there...

I quit my job and started to study entrepreneurship, business and social media. Teaching myself how to use Google+ and different social media platforms.  I'm an avid believer in life-long learning!





Usually I'm a bit shy in sharing references or testimonials in public, but this one is just too good to pass:

"Jaana Nyström was instrumental in the process of writing What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us. Since then she has risen to the top of Google+ experts, and she continues to help the Google+ community with her informative posts and blog. 

When Google+ matters, you couldn't be in better hands than Jaana's."

                                                       +Guy Kawasaki  

How I became the most followed Nobody in Finland

I started my own business in 2012 after 23 years in the travel trade: Coaching businesses and non-profits in social media and especially Google Plus.  "How to market your business without money"!

Consistently NOT posting solely about my own topic but sharing a wide variety of interests with my Circleverse: I've also been helping a lot of people and dishing out my knowledge for free since the beginning: I blog, manage my own business Pages and communities in two languages.

+Gplus Expertise in English and +Gplussa  in Finnish are my main Pages, but as a hobby I also curate news and articles to +Finland Explorer and +Travel Pro Tips.

One of my clients for whom I cover the social media is a Finnish non-profit +Outward Bound Finland: Not just on Google+ but also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. I train the staff and help them with the photos, website & blog, giving tips for marketing and strategies.  Since I started managing the account in April 2013, the visitor count to the website has tripled and their courses sell better than ever.

Everyday I also answer Google+ related questions in several languages in my communities, as well as working as a Google-approved Top Contributor in the official Google+ Help community, reporting bugs and helping plan a better Gplus with suggestions and listening to the "man in the street" or the user.

Curating Google and Google+ topics, sharing good articles and my own posts to help people learn more is a passion.

Unfortunately my passion is not shared with some tech writers who have no idea about Google+, don't use it but still feel they can write about it:  +Amanda Blain wrote a brilliant response to all the doomsday (so-called) journalists!

+Stephan Hovnanian also posted about the TechCrunch article and how it could actually be good for Google+:

What's the best part about Google+? The relationships. The human connection. Getting genuinely excited when you get to meet someone in real life who you met here on G+.

Guys, we've been doing this in business for decades, but of late, the rat race of online marketing has caused so many of us to forget that human connections are what drive business. People buy from people.

• Authorship: it's about the people
• Hangouts: it's about the people
• Circles: it's about the people
• Business: it's about the people 

It's not just about any people, to my mind:
Especially the Finns have been whining about not having their friends from Facebook or Twitter also in Google+. They come here, look around and go away.
Where is the sense in that?
Why would you add yet another social media to socialize with the friends and family you have already connected to on other platforms?

Why can't they see the bigger picture?
Google+ is all about networking, learning new stuff and getting an international audience.

You don't go to LinkedIn to fraternize with chums either, or if you do, well...

My life has truly changed just because of Google+

I saw the opportunity and embraced it.
I have been chatting with +Anthony Bourdain in a Hangout on Air, watched a live HOA from the ISS with astronauts, experienced the Great Barrier Reef in the world's first underwater Hangout.
I use limited Hangouts on Air to train businesses, classrooms and nonprofits in the best ways of getting most out of Google+.

This platform is my window to the world: I'm frequently engaging with people from all over the globe. If I have a problem or need to know something, I just post about it in Googleplus and get help from experts in those fields.

Google+ is an extended family with its black sheep and geniuses: I'm loving every moment and my Circleverse!

Here is my interview by +Ronnie Bincer and +Christine DeGraff about thoughts on Google+:

How is it possible to manage all this on my own?

People frequently ask me how can I manage between the volunteer Google+ help work, my business and managing the social media field for my clients:
Using the Bufferapp for scheduling and sharing around the Interwebz has made all this possible for me. Whenever I come across a good article I immediately buffer it to be shared later, in one or more of the twelve accounts inside my +Buffer .

+Scoop.it  is a fantastic platform too, even though the follower count is nowhere near my Google+ profile or even my Pages, but for many Twitter users it seems to be the best sharing option.

+RebelMouse and +Paper.li are great for sharing, the Mouse I perhaps like better because I can get my Google+ posts among my other social media messages, all in one place.

The most important point in my rise to the half-a-million club on Google+ has always been not faking it: Being myself, creating original content and also sharing posts from other good sources. Just doing my "thing", sharing stuff that interests me.

I've been lucky too, being a couple of times in the Google+ suggested users list has helped me along enormously and hopefully has made it possible for more G+ newcomers or Goobies to get their hands on my free advice and tutorials.

Do your thing and they will come, even if you have a double vowel and an umlaut to your name. 
:-)

Would you like to add something?

My Paper.Li    My Scoop.It    My RebelMouse