I resisted at first--oh, for about a day after Google+ became available to the public--before even acknowledging yet another social network. After all, with a LinkedIn, Facebook, and a few Twitter accounts to manage (not to mention a recent foray into Foursquare), I figured I had my bases covered.

But the easiest way to get a good look at what all the ‘+1' and ‘circles' business is about, I found, is to go ahead and spend two minutes creating a profile. "That's okay," I thought. "I'll just put up the bare bones and probably delete it later. Just a quick peek for the benefit of my dear FiercePracticeManagement readers." See what I do for you? For a photo, I chose a recent favorite I'd modified into an artsy black and white using iPhone's Instagram app. Nope, not easily lured into this kind of thing at all...

To my utter indifference, Google+ made it extremely easy to add people to my new--I mean, dummy--account. The faces of people I already have in my Google contacts list appeared smiling at the top of my screen, beckoning me to add them to my "circles." For the likes of some of my favorite go-to practice management experts--Brandon Betancourt, Charlene Burgett, and Mary Pat Whaley--I created a custom circle labeled "healthcare."

Perusing who each of these trusted sources held in their circles, I added a few more well-known folks with whom I haven't yet had the pleasure of speaking. To my surprise, a few of them even added me back to their circles (although Google+ doesn't tell me which particular circles, i.e., whether I'm filed under "friends," "acquaintances," "journalists," "healthcare," or something else). Regardless, I feel a little faint being graced by celebrity.

I do some more sorting and searching. I build up my circle of people who welcome mischievous-preschooler stories under "parenting," social and digital media experts under "media," a bunch of other real-life and virtual acquaintances I admire under "writing." When I click the "home" button, I see an information stream much like a Facebook news feed (sans some of the recent updates). It's a buffet of information from all kinds of sources I enjoy. Like Twitter, I can see the posts of people I follow whether they notice--I mean follow--me or not. (I'm still totally quitting because I already get this info from Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., when I happen to catch it.)

Down the left-hand column, though, is a feature I've desired from Facebook for ages but figured I'd never see. With Google+, I can view just one stream at a time. Finally, before my eyes, all the latest healthcare news written or recommended by some of my most highly esteemed healthcare folks. The fact that only a small portion of the people I follow on Twitter and Facebook are on Google+ so far is both a drawback and a benefit. The more people I add, no matter how much I adore them, the sooner my brain will see my once-refined stream as a chaotic jumble it can't process (which sometimes happens to me with Twitter, even when using its "lists" feature).

And since this shiny new network remains relatively cozy at this point, chances are pretty good, I think, that those who've been gracious enough to add me to their circles will actually see the content I post (with the added benefit of a slower pace because posts can take a day or two to fall off the bottom of the screen).

The process of sharing--to my dismay, since it appears I've been officially sucked in--is the simplest of all the social networks I've used. I don't need to go to an outside website, shorten links, or sign into anything. Right in the top-right corner of my Gmail inbox, which I keep open all the livelong day, is an unobtrusive "share" blank I can expand with one click to post a link, a photo, a question to the universe, or what have you.

Though it's an option, I don't have to share any one item with my entire Google+ universe, however. Any post can be public (accessable to anyone who adds me to a circle, whether I add them back or not) or visible to just one circle or more. In other words, my healthcare contacts won't be bombarded with photos from the playground, fellow moms won't be bored by my work stuff, and so on.

At some point, I'll probably take advantage of the opportunity to create a "hangout" to hold a video chat with a number of people sharing my specific interests. Very possibly, I could use this medium to host discussions that will directly contribute to stories for FiercePracticeManagement. The possibilities are literally--and virtually--endless.

If you're a rabid social media addict--I mean, avid fan--like me, I recommend checking it out for the benefits described above. If you have yet to really dabble in social media so far, Google+'s clean design, managable speed, and "best of" qualities make it a nice place to start, in my opinion.

For more thoughts on how Google+ might affect healthcare, check out a recent post on the topic from Hospital Impact blogger Nancy Cawley Jean.

And via whatever channel is your favorite, including our comments section beneath, please tell us your thoughts about this latest social network and how you might use it to benefit your career or practice. As for me, it's looking pretty clear that I'll be sticking around. - Deb