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The other day, a friend of mine said he recently received several strange emails from every online company with which he has an account.

“They’re all notifying me that they’re updating their privacy policies,” he said. “It seems the Facebook thing has sent some shockwaves throughout companies all across the internet.”

That “Facebook thing” was the ongoing fallout from a recent privacy scandal, in which it was revealed that the personal user data of 87 million users had been improperly obtained and used by consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

Since then, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in two congressional hearings. In the UK, parliament has questioned two key parties involved in the scandal this week. And now, rumors are circulating that Zuckerberg might testify again — this time, before European Parliament in Brussels.

But that’s not why my friend — and many others — received these emails. These emails are the result of the looming GDPR, and the confusion around it is widespread.

The Chaos and Confusion of the GDPR

About the GDPR

When I informed my friend that he was receiving the emails not because of Facebook privacy fallout, but rather because of the GDPR, his response was, “GDPR?”

For those who might share in that confusion — and as I’ll go on to explain, you’re far from alone — GDPR stands for General Data Privacy Regulation, a new EU Regulation that significantly enhances the protection of the personal data of EU citizens and increases the obligations on organizations who collect or process personal data. (You can read more about it here.)

Even if an organization is based in the U.S., if it controls or processes the data of EU citizens, the GDPR will apply — which is why so many of them are updating their terms and policies, and subsequently notifying users.

In my line of work, I hear about the GDPR on a daily basis, often several times a day. But most people don’t, as I learned when I shared this story with others. I learned that they, too, were a bit unfamiliar with the new regulation — and the reason why they were receiving these notifications.

The Misunderstanding of Updated Terms Notifications

To be fair, there’s been some mixed messaging within these various notifications from brands about their updated terms and policies. This one from Airbnb, for example, doesn’t mention the GDPR:

However, this one from Etsy does mention the GDPR:

In fact, when I did a personal inventory of my own inbox, I found that there were only three brands (out of dozens) that even mentioned the GDPR within their notifications.

Within the U.S.

But being the data nerd that I am, I wanted to find out just how widespread this confusion is — so, I ran a survey of 300 internet users in the U.S. to see how many were under the impression that these notifications were the result of the Facebook privacy scandal.

As the chart above indicates, nearly three-quarters of U.S. internet users believe that these notifications are the result of the fallout experienced Facebook.

But that didn’t necessarily indicate that these consumers were unfamiliar with the GDPR. So, I ran another survey of 305 U.S. internet users to find out if they were familiar with the new EU regulation.

Evidently, two-thirds of U.S. consumers aren’t familiar with the GDPR after all.

But that’s somewhat understandable, as the new regulation applies to EU consumers, not U.S.-based ones. And for many of the latter, data privacy has become a more salient topic in the wake of a misuse of our personal Facebook data. Out of the 87 million users whose information was compromised, about 80% of them — 70 million — are based in the U.S.

Within the UK

That could explain why so many U.S. consumers are under the impression that these emails are a response to this turn of events from Facebook. But still, I wanted to find out if this was limited to this country alone, where the GDPR won’t apply. 

I ran a third survey — this time, of 305 internet users in the UK (where GDPR will apply until the UK leaves the EU in March 2019) to find out if they, too, thought these updated terms and policies were the result of Facebook’s privacy scandal.

As it turns out, nearly the same percentage of UK internet users believe that these are the result of the fallout around Facebook as those in the U.S. do — 72% versus the U.S.’s 74%.

But what about their knowledge of the GDPR? In a nation where the new regulation will apply, I thought, perhaps more consumers will be familiar with it. To find out, I ran a fourth, final survey of 300 UK internet users.

The numbers are slightly better here — 39% of U.K. consumers are unfamiliar with the GDPR, versus 64% in the U.S.

What’s Behind the Confusion?

The idea of over a third of consumers in a region where the regulation will apply not knowing what it is was perplexing, at a minimum.

It didn’t exactly come as a surprise, however, as research conducted by HubSpot in February indicated that only 36% of marketers and businesses leaders in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland had even heard of the GDPR.

But now, with the GDPR coming into force in less than a month — why are consumers still so confused?

“Privacy Literacy is a core issue here,” says HubSpot Marketing Fellow, Sam Mallikarjunan. “The Cambridge Analytica issue, for example, wasn’t based off some technical exploit — just a lack of privacy literacy. Your data and anecdotes are showing this very clearly.”

But it’s not exactly a new phenomenon. “Most of this is not technological — it’s literacy,” he continues. “Just like we had to teach people to shred their bank statements, we need to teach people the basic ways in which your privacy can be abused.”

As the days remaining until the GDPR comes into force continue to wind down, it will be interesting to see if the numbers change. And once the regulation does take effect, I plan to run similar surveys again, to determine to what extent consumers understand or are aware of it.

But we have a long way to go, Mallikarjunan says, until consumers have a vast understanding of how what they put online can be used — and misused.

“If we decide that privacy is legitimately something that we’re going to continue to value in our society — which I would not say is a given,” he explains, “then we need to invest in true privacy literacy with vigor.”

A hanging indent is when the second and subsequent lines of text on a page are indented to the right, so your first line stands out as the only line hitting the margin of the page. Typically, you’d use a hanging indent in a bibliography, Works Cited, or References page.

Here’s an example of a hanging indent on a Works Cited page: 

See how the second line, beginning with “Journal”, is indented 0.5 to the right, compared to the line above it? That’s a hanging indent.

Hanging indents are a requirement of MLA (Modern Language Association), CMS (Chicago Manual of Style), and APA (American Psychological Association) styles. Whether you’re in school or work in the academic field, it’s likely you’ll eventually need to know how to create a hanging indent for academic writing or research reports.

Luckily, it’s easy to do. Here, we’ll show you how to create a hanging indent in a Google Doc in four simple steps.

How to Create a Hanging Indent in Google Docs

To create a hanging indent in Google Docs, you’ll need to first make sure your ruler is visible. A ruler is the measurement tool at the top of your Doc, used to help align text, graphics, tables, and other elements. To make your ruler visible, simply click “View” in your navigation bar, and make sure “Show Ruler” is checked.

Now that your ruler is visible, you’re ready to create a hanging indent.

1. First, select the text you want to indent. You can highlight one or multiple paragraphs.

3. Now, drag the First Line Indent marker (the light blue rectangle) back to the left margin.

4. And there you go! Your hanging indent is created.

If you’re just getting started with local SEO, your Google My Business listing is a great place to focus your early efforts. After all, when people search for a product or service near them, they’re usually very close to making a purchase — one in two people who conduct a local search (think “watch repair near me”) visit a store that day. So it’s important the information about your business that shows up when people search Google is as accurate, complete, and optimized as possible.

To learn how to create your Google My Business account, verify your business, and make its listing as strong as possible, read on. 

1. Create an account and claim your business
2. Verify your business
3. Optimize your listing
4. Download the GMB app
5. Know the difference between Google My Business, Google Places, and Google+

Create a Google My Business Listing

• Step 1: Log into the Google Account you want associated with your business (or create a Google Account if you don’t already have one).
• Step 2: Go to google.com/business and select “Start now” in the top right-hand corner.
• Step 3: Enter your business name.

• Step 4: Enter your business address. 

• Step 5: If you go to your customers’ locations, rather than having them come to you, check the box “I deliver goods and services to my customers.” And if you work out of your house or another address you don’t want publicly shown, Check “Hide my address (it’s not a store) Only show region.” Finally, select your Delivery area.

• Step 6: Choose your business category. Try to choose the most accurate category possible — you’re essentially telling Google which type of customers should see your business listing.
• Step 7: Add your business phone number or website.
• Step 8: Choose a verification option. If you’re not ready to verify your business yet, click “Try a different method” → “Later.”

How to Verify Your Business on Google

There are several ways to verify your GMB listing:

• By postcard
• By phone
• By email
• Instant verification
• Bulk verification

Postcard Verification

• Step 1: If you aren’t already logged into Google My Business, sign in now and choose the business you want to verify. (If you’re already logged in, you’ll be at the verification step.)
• Step 2: Make sure your business address is correct. Optional: Add a contact name — that’s who the postcard will be addressed to.

• Step 3: Click “Mail.” The postcard should reach you in five days — make sure you don’t edit your business name, address, or category (or request a new code) before it comes, because this could delay the process.
• Step 4: Once you’ve gotten the postcard, log into Google My Business. If you have more than one business location, select the location you want to verify. If you only have one, select “Verify now.”
• Step 5: In the Code field, enter the five-digit verification code on your postcard. Click “Submit.”

If your postcard never shows up, or you lose it, you can request a new code by signing into Google My Business and clicking the “Request another code” blue banner at the top of the screen.

Phone verification

Google lets some businesses verify their location by phone. If you’re eligible, you’ll see the “Verify by phone” option when you start the verification process.

• Step 1: If you aren’t already logged into Google My Business, sign in now and choose the business you want to verify. (If you’re already logged in, you’ll be at the verification step.)
• Step 2: Make sure your phone number is correct, then choose “Verify by phone.”

• Step 3: Enter the verification code from the text you receive.

Email verification

Google lets some businesses verify their location by phone. If you’re eligible, you’ll see the “Verify by email” option when you start the verification process.

• Step 1: If you aren’t already logged into Google My Business, sign in now and choose the business you want to verify. (If you’re already logged in, you’ll be at the verification step.)
• Step 2: Make sure your email address is correct, then choose “Verify by email.”
• Step 3: Go to your inbox, open the email from Google My Business, and click the verification button in the email.

Instant verification

If you’ve already verified your business with Google Search Console (a free tool that lets you manage your website’s search performance and health), you might be able to instantly verify your email.

• Step 1: Sign into Google My Business with the same account you used to verify your business with Google Search Console. (Some business categories aren’t eligible for instant verification, so if you don’t get a notification asking you to verify the listing, you’ll have to use a different verification method.)

Bulk verification

If you operate more than 10 locations for the same business — and you’re not a service business or an agency managing locations for multiple businesses — you might be eligible for bulk verification.

• Step 1: If you aren’t already logged into Google My Business, sign in now and choose a location. Click “Get verified” next to its name.
• Step 2: Click “Chain.”
• Step 3: Fill out the verification form with your business name (as well as the parent company, if applicable), country or countries where you operate, all contact names (i.e. everyone who will be using the Google My Business account), contact phone number, business manager email (someone at the business who can verify you’re a representative of that business), and the email address of your Google Account Manager. 
• Step 4: Submit the verification form. It can take up to a week for Google to review and process your claim.

How to Optimize Your GMB Listing

Once you’ve verified your business, it’s time to finish fleshing out your profile. 

Go to the Google My Business dashboard, click the listing you’d like to work on, select “Info,” and then choose a section to fill out or update.

Add as much information and media as you can, including a business profile photo, the area you serve, your hours, attributes (e.g. “wheelchair accessible,” “free wifi”), the day and year you opened, and a public phone number and website URL.

Anyone can “suggest an edit” to your listing, so it’s important to A) get everything right the first time (so you don’t encourage random people to make their own changes) and B) periodically log into your GMB dashboard and make sure all the details look right.

At any point in time, you can edit your business profile by logging into your GMB dashboard, clicking on “Info,” clicking the pencil next to the field you’d like to edit, making your change, and then choosing “Apply.”

Google My Business Photos

According to Google, businesses with photos see 35% more clicks to their website and 42% higher requests for driving directions in Google Maps. 

Photos should be at least 720 pixels wide by 720 pixels high and JPG or PNG files. 

Not sure how many pictures to add — or what they should be of?

Cover photo

Your Google My Business cover photo is one of the most important, as it shows up front and center on your listing. 

Profile photo

Your profile photo is what appears when you upload new photos, videos, or review responses.

Along with your profile and cover photos, you can and should upload other pictures to make your listing more informative and engaging.

Google My Business Videos

You can also add videos. Videos must be:

• 30 seconds or shorter
• 100 MB or smaller
• 720p resolution or higher

Videos can add some variety to your profile and make you stand out among other businesses in your category; however, don’t worry if you don’t have any — unlike photos, they’re not a “must have.”

Google My Business Reviews

One of the best ways to encourage future customers to leave positive reviews? Respond to current ones. Not only does leaving an appreciate response show the original reviewer you’re thankful for their support, it also makes that positive review stand out on your listing and influences people to leave their own reviews.

Here’s a sample reply to a satisfied customer:

Thank you for your business, [name]! We’re so glad you enjoyed [product, e.g. “the blueberry pie”] — it’s one of our favorites, as well. Hope to see you back at [business name] soon. 

You should also respond to negative reviews to show you take them seriously and placate the unhappy buyer. But make sure you’re extremely courteous — attacking them back will only make you look unprofessional and their review more credible.

Thank you for the feedback, [name], and I’m incredibly sorry [product/experience] did not meet your expectations. [If you’ve made a change, mention it here — e.g., “We’re now double-checking orders to make sure everyone gets exactly what they asked for.”] If you’d like to come back in, we’d be happy to give you [product] on the house. In any case, thanks for your business, and I hope we can do better next time.

Google My Business App

Google My Business is also available in app form for both iOS and Android.

You can use the app to:

• Update your business hours, location, contact information, and description
• Post statuses and pictures
• View search insights

You cannot use the app to:

• Delete your business listing
• Change its settings
• Give ownership of the listing to another user

Google My Business vs. Google Places for Business vs. Google+

If you’re confused about the many names and options for managing your Google presence, you’ve got a right to be. Google Places used to be Google’s tool for owners to manage their business profiles, but it was retired in 2014. Now Google My Business is the central hub to manage how your business appears on Google Search, Maps, and Google+.

So, what’s Google+? It’s Google’s social network (the closest example is probably Facebook). You can join or start Communities — public or private groups organized around a theme, like Knitting — and follow or create Collections — think Pinterest boards. 

A Google+ account for your business lets you interact with niche groups and post pictures and updates. In other words, it’s like a Facebook page for your business. You can access your Google+ account from your Google My Business dashboard (but a Google+ account isn’t necessary to have a GMB account).

Here’s the TL;DR:

Do you need a Google+ account? No — and if you’re short on time, it might be better to focus on other marketing and/or social media channels. 

Do you need a Google My Business account? If you’re targeting local customers, I highly recommend it.