If you have an ear to the online sphere, you know Google+, Google’s newest social platform, is all the rage. While Google+ is still in “invitation only” mode, early results indicate it could be a keeper. The Wall Street Journal estimates Google+ had 20 million visitors in three weeks. (Google itself declines to comment, and leaders are cagey when asked for specifics.)

Many early adopters are excitedly proclaiming the new network a replacement for everything from LinkedIn to Twitter and Facebook. No one knows how things will shake out in the social networking sphere, but there is no doubt Google+ heightens the importance of your Google profile. If you use Google for search and have a profile already, you may have noticed Google providing search results “from people you know.” Current Google search results may include links (even on page one) identified as being shared by your community. (Assuming your contacts share links regarding the topics you search. They pass along these links by giving articles +1, Google’s version of a Facebook “like.”)

All of this serves to make a profile you probably created casually much more important. If you use Gmail or other Google services, you likely already have a Google profile. Now is a good time to re-visit what you included to be sure to get the most from Google’s new social scene.

Read the rest of the post on my U.S. News & World Report column.

photo by the trial