You may or may not have heard the news, but Google rolled out brand pages for Google+ on Monday. Brands like Macy’s and The Muppets have already hosted hangouts, and H&M shared videos from its launch party for a collaborative line with Versace on Tuesday night. What does this mean for associations?

Associations can now create – yes, yet another – social presence online. Personally, I’m not fully convinced that Google+ will be a “Facebook killer” or whatever it’s supposedly labeled as. But, it’s got Google money behind it and it’s also not something to completely ignore. If members are really into Google+ – and some people are – there’s no reason not to create a profile for your association.

Here are some things to keep in mind regarding Google+:

- “Circles” are G+’s version of Twitter lists or Facebook friend lists. I still think the concept of circles is a bit confusion, but you can add people to more than one circle and only share certain things with specific circles. This could be good for members who are also volunteers and may be privy to additional information.

- Hangouts are video chats that take place within G+ and can include multiple people. I love this concept and this could be useful for small staff associations who work remotely.

- To send someone a direct message on G+, navigate to your home stream page and start out by typing the + symbol, followed by a specific person’s name.  Once you choose their name from a drop-down menu, it will only be shared with him or her.

Wondering where social networking should fit into your small staff association’s priorities? From Delcor’s KiKi L’Italien, this is a great primer on how to prioritize your social media efforts. If you have any questions about why or how to integrate social media into your communications, definitely check this out.

I came across this infographic someplace — I don’t remember where, to be honest — and wanted to share it with readers. I think it’s a good summation of some of the more popular social media networks. To have a well-rounded social media strategy, it’s important to include aspects of each use: Traffic Generation, Social Networking and Branding. It can certainly be argued that those three are the main goals of social media, and when the various platforms are used correctly, social media can produce incredible results for your organization.

I think it’s interesting that Ning and LinkedIn are smack dab in the middle. Although Ning is now a paid service, many associations are turning toward a custom social network for their members to engage with one another. And of course, LinkedIn is by far the most professional of the social networks, so many organizations are taking advantage of its Group features.

What social media platforms has your association experimented with? Social media is so trial-and-error, which can be nerve-wracking when you’re just starting out. But with the right mix of platforms and engaged members, it can be a great addition to your communication arsenal.

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This is the fifth in an ongoing series called “Beyond The Big Three,” which highlights social networking sites other than Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. There are tons of other social media outposts on the Web, and they’re great places for associations to curate content. The first installments on Flickr, Delicious, Tumblr/Posterous and YouTube can be found here. Stay tuned.

So none of the other social networks available work for your organization? But you still want to find a cool place for your members to hang out at online? No problem! Ning is a service that allows your create your own branded social network. As of November of this year, Ning boosts 37 million users – pretty nifty!

In addition to member profiles, Ning features sections for videos, photos, chat, music, groups, events, forums and blogs. The basic service is free, but there is also a paid premium service, which allows for a custom URL, more customer support, ad space and more storage space.

Ning can be a great outlet for niche organizations. Its purpose is to create community – but unlike Facebook and Twitter, it’s completely customizable.

Some of the great features include:

- RSS feeds in and out: Stream information from your outside blog, a news Web site or another source.

- Chat: Much like Facebook’s chat, members can chat in real-time when they’re logged on.

- A variety of other apps, as well as search engine optimization

If your members aren’t active on another social network, consider how Ning could benefit your organization. It’s more inclusive than Facebook and still allows your members to maintain their privacy while interacting with one another. Ning is all about building a targeted community for your members. As it says on the home page, “Ning lets you create and join new social networks for your interests and passions.”

The International Society for Technology in Education has set up a fantastic Ning network for its 2010 conference. The conference isn’t until June, but the network already has 553 members, 23 groups and a good sampling of photos and videos. ISTE is building hype and anticipation for the main event, and there’s even a great countdown in the right column!

Take a look around, get some inspiration and see if Ning is right for your organization or event.

This is the second in an ongoing series called “Beyond The Big Three,” which will highlight social networking sites other than Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. There are tons of other social media outposts on the Web, and they’re great places for associations to curate content. The first installment on Flickr can be found here. Stay tuned.

You know when you find a cool blog post, video or Web site and add it to your Web browser’s “Favorites” folder to reference later? What if there was not only a better way to organize your Favorites, but a Web site that let you access them from any computer or Internet browser?

Such a site does exist! Maybe you’re already familiar with Delicious, but in my opinion, it’s one of the most underrated social networking sites. It’s a great way to jump into social networking without devoting your entire marketing or PR strategy to the social web.

Upon creation of a Delicious account, you can sign in and bookmark any Web sites from any computer or browser, and you’ll be able to access them from anywhere. Additionally, you can tag your bookmarks – some of my favorites for the MemberClicks account include “socialmedia,” “associationmanagement” and “strategy.” (Tags must be one word only.)

You can search your bookmarks by multiple tags, which makes cross-referencing bookmarks a snap. Want to find all your bookmarks that include “socialmedia” and “strategy?” Easy! Want “socialmedia” and “associationmanagement?” No problem!

Delicious also allows for interaction between users. Your bookmarks can be public or private, but this is after all a social media site, so going private is a little counterproductive. (After all, this isn’t your private diary we’re talking about. They’re just Web sites you liked!)

Therefore, when your bookmarks are public, others can find them based on the tags you give them. You can also add other users to your network and search their bookmarks. Delicious even shows how many times a link has been added and ranks bookmarks based on popularity – when you go to the homepage, you have the option of viewing the newest bookmarks, or the most popular ones.

Delicious recently added a “Share” feature, so you can e-mail your bookmarks to contacts whom don’t use the tool.

There are lots of add-ons for Delicious. For example, I use the Firefox add-on so when I right-click on a Web site, there’s an automatic option to bookmark it in Delicious. Very handy.

I highly recommend Delicious for sharing useful information with your association’s staff and members. The URLs are easy to remember (ours is delicious.com/memberclicks) and it allows you to aggregate relevant and important content to refer back to whenever you (or your members) like.

Are you already using Delicious, or does your organization? Don’t forget to add us to your network so we can share links!