Thirteen Third-Party Tools for Google Plus to Improve and Customize Your Experience

Through reading Google Plus-focused blogs, following what tools Google+ users are excited about and asking you directly, LAUNCH compiled the following list. Tools range from a people-finder database to a service that shortens Google+ profile URLs. Share your favorites -- or tell us what we missed -- in the comments.

1. Find People on Plus offers a database of more than 9.5M Google+ users. The site lets users search by name, profession, location and more. There are also options to sort results based on demographics and detailed profile information, such as by employer or by relationship status.
2. Social Statistics offers an up-to-date list of the top-followed people on Google+ and the most popular posts on the network. Also, track your own Google+ stats.
3. ManageFlitter connects Twitter, Facebook and Google+ accounts.
4. Group As (pictured below) has crowdsourced circles, so users can easily find people to follow on Google+. Existing groups include Photographer, Entrepreneur and Celebrity.
5. Migratus is an app that makes it possible to find the Google+ profiles of Twitter followers. The only caveat is that both parties must be registered with Migratus.
6. Hangout Party (pictured below) streams exclusive concerts and events held on Google+ Hangouts. Google+ users can join the Hangout streams and chat with other viewers while watching the live show. The next scheduled event stars +Heather Fay, who is performing her second open mic on August 5th.
7. Plusya (pictured above) lets users create a shorter URL for Google+ profiles and enables them to share, track and analyze profile traffic.
8. The Unofficial Google+ Wiki is a useful source for Google+ newcomers. The wiki covers posting, managing circles, hotkeys and more.
9. Where to Hangout tracks both scheduled and ongoing hangouts. Let Google+ users know about upcoming hangouts or find other hangouts.
10. G+ Search lets users search all of the public content on Google+. Sort results based on what appears in posts, profiles, Buzz and Google Reader.
11. Google+ Counter offers a picture collage of the most followed Google+ users, whether or not they have posted anything publicly.
12. Women of G+ highlights and features intelligent women on Google+ so tech-adopting women can connect with each other.
13. Cause+ provides a place for activists, nonprofit organizations and NGOs to more easily connect with each other on Google+. Some organizations listed include Village Network Africa and Mother Nature Network.

SCREEN SHOTS

Hangout Party streams events from the main window and features a chat window directly to the right of the show. Users can also check upcoming events on the calendar located below the chat window.

Group As features groups and top people in those groups on its main page. From here, it is also possible to add Google+ users by profile or URL to groups.