Google shines the spotlight on Google+ star Daria Musk

Élyse Betters | Mar 28 2012 - 3:34 pm PT

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Daria Musk is a singer-songwriter that joined Google+ last July and went from zero followers to over 1 million with the help of Hangouts in less than 8 months.

Check out the video above to hear this performer’s awe-inspiring story. It looks like YouTube isn’t the only Google service turning-out stars these days (ahem—Bieber). The official Google Ad Words blog also highlighted Musk in a post today about how to go global with Google+:

“For Daria, that has meant instantaneous global concerts that have included a round-the-world New Year’s Eve Hangout and a Hangout on stage at her TEDxTalk — allowing her to share key moments with her ‘G+niuses,’ her followers,” wrote Account Manager Becky Bowman.

Musk filmed her first music video last month, and she even used audio snippets from Hangout concerts in her upcoming album. Due to her over-night success with the social network, Musk offered Google+ diehards a few recommendations to help with business or image promotion regarding Hangouts, such as:

Announce the Hangout: Be excited! Hang a virtual poster on your stream and tell users what you will be doing or discussing.
Encourage participants: If you’ve noticed great comments, invite those users directly to get a lively discussion going.
Follow up: After the Hangout, post a summary on your stream. What happened? What was discussed? What will you do with what you learned?

“Google+ makes Daria feel like an innovator — and it’s open to anyone. All you have to do is sign up and start engaging,” Bowman concluded.