Finding the right tools for learning and connecting are important for anyone trying to stay on top of new developments in their profession. I’ve been playing with Google+ for a couple weeks now, trying to determine how well it will fit in with my own professional development toolkit and whether or not I want to make the leap away from Facebook with my personal friends and family members. It’s still in the trial stages, but that makes using it even more fun because you can give feedback about what works and what doesn’t. A lot of people are trying to use it in a lot of different ways, so the conversations there are useful. If you know someone with access to Google+/Circles they can send you an invite – just ask.

Google Circles allows me to share different information with different groups of people. I like that I have more control over what I share and with whom. I can send some things to family only, while other conversations occur only with Professional Contacts. I am eagerly awaiting integration with Google Reader. When that feature gets turned on, Google+ will likely become a major player in my personal learning toolkit!

Every day that I use it, I like it a little more, though I still have a lot to learn about how it all works.  It still has some limitations for businesses and folks who use pseudonyms like some musician friends of mine. Google is working on that and is going to open a Beta for businesses very soon, so be patient.

You can learn more about how Google+ works from Google.
To keep up with Mashable’s take on Google Circles, you can follow their articles here.

And here’s a video about how to get started setting up your Circles.

Who else is playing around with Google+ and Circles? Can you see potential for using it in your professional development/personal learning network? What do you love about it so far or think needs to be changed?