Google's attempt to take over the world of social networking, Google+ never really gained the traction the company hoped. And any hope of it catching up to Facebook were scotched last week when a massive hack was revealed resulting in the search giant announcing they would be shutting the service down next year. But in order to protect yourself now, here's how to delete your Google+ profile.

Google has announced the closure of its ailing social media network Google+ in response to a data leak that exposed up to 500,000 users. If you were one of the few people still using the platform - or created an account and forgot about it - here's what you need to know.

Previously, Google required everyone to make a Google+ profile in order to get a new Gmail account. This made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move. Now, that requirement has been lifted. Sort of.

A change in policy from Apple has caused problems for developers who want to integrate Google+ into their iOS apps. Here's how to work around that.

Android: Google has released an update to its Google+ app, and it brings support for casting your stream to your Chromecast. If you like the idea of lying back on the sofa while your Google+ updates roll by on the big screen, now you can.

Good news for Google Apps for Business users: Google's well-regarded Hangouts video chat service no longer requires you to have a Google+ profile, making it a more viable option for business users.

Working to craft the perfect profile at Facebook or LinkedIn? This infographic collects everything you need to know about the ideal photo size for different social networks.

If being required to use your real name has stopped you from signing up for a Google+ account, you now have an opportunity to reconsider: Google has apologised and dropped all real-name requirements from the social networking service.

If you want to keep using Gmail and rest of Google's tools, but want to ditch Google+, AddictiveTips shows the simple steps for removing the social network functions from your Google account.

Even if you don't use Google+ for its social aspects, you might want to use the service for its stellar photo capabilities alone. From unlimited photos storage to automatic enhancements and robust photo editing tools, here are the things you can do with your photos on Google+ that you might be missing out on.

Android: Google+ received a big update today, bringing a brand new UI for the mobile app, as well as improvements to photo management and Auto Awesome features. The new UI makes Google+ even more consistent with Google's current collection of Android apps.

Google is slowly but surely improving Google+ and trying to bring the social network to the masses. Yet some of its best features are less than obvious for both avid Google+ users and those who are still wondering what the point of it is. Here are some of the less obvious tips for getting the most out of Google+.

Google has tweaked Gmail so that anyone who can find you on Google+ can send you an email, even if they don't have your email address. If you don't fancy being spammed by the wider Google+ community, there's a setting to switch the option off.

If you haven't noticed, Google is making a serious play to make sure everyone signs up for and uses Google+. Whether it's to comment on YouTube, post photos, or even share a Google Map or driving directions with someone else, you need to go through Google+. Not all is lost, though! Let's look at where you can escape the clutches of Google+, and where you have no choice but to submit.

YouTube's comment system is getting a big overhaul from today, integrating with Google+ to create conversations and better moderation.

Google+'s brilliant auto enhancement feature for photos (including automatic animated GIF creation) is now coming to videos uploaded to Google+. You can also expect sweet new video editing features.

Another day, another checkbox that affects your online privacy. This time it's Google and its ad endorsements, which could see your image being bandied about Google's various services, giving your smiling approval to something you gave a +1 to or left a review for.

Google doesn't make it easy to crosspost from other networks to Google+, but that's OK -- turn it around and use Google+ as the feed for your other social networks instead! Here's how to funnel all of your Google+ posts (or just the posts you want) over to Facebook or Twitter using IFTTT.

Chrome: Today, Google announced that it is integrating Snapseed's collection of photo editing tools directly into Google+. Just click "Edit" while viewing your own photos and away you go. Neat!