The New Google Social Network– Google+

Google Plus, the new social networking site trying to rival Facebook, reportedly already has more than 25 million registered users.

Twitter and Facebook took more than three years to reach that level. And, unlike the aforementioned sites, Google Plus is not open to everyone because it is in beta, meaning it’s still a work in progress.

Joining requires an invite from someone who is already on the site, and a user must create a Google/Gmail account in order to get started. If you’ve signed on but haven’t done anything with your profile or if you have an invite pending in your inbox and are curious to see what Google Plus is all about, here are a few tips for getting started:

1. Get a Gmail account, if you don’t already have one.

2. Go to the top right corner of your Google Plus page (the cog and wheel icon) and adjust your privacy settings. This is where you will decide how often you want to get email notifications, who can tag (mention) you in a post, etc.

3. Search for “friends.” You can do this by importing your email contacts (an option on the “find friends” page), searching by name or, once you find even one friend, looking over his or her profile to see who you may know. Unlike Facebook, you do not need permission to connect with others.

4. Once you’ve found people you know, organize them by putting them in circles (groups). You can use the pre-set “acquaintances,” “friends” and “family,” and create your own.

5. Post to The Stream. This is like your newsfeed or wall on Facebook and you can add photos, text, videos and links to share with others. Determining who sees what is simple, but you need to confirm your settings for each post.

6. Interact and chat. You can also have conversations via “Hangout,” a live video stream that allows others to join in.