Businesses warned off Google+
The new social networking site is up and running but Google is asking companies to wait for a business-oriented version before connecting in.
Google+ has been the buzz word in tech the past week or so (or if you're hip to the jive, it may even have been trending on Twitter). But if you're a business, back off. Google wants you to wait your turn.
In a much-less-dramatic-than-that-introduction blog post by Google+'s product manager Christian Oestlien, Google is discouraging businesses from using regular profiles to connect with Google+ users.
"Our policy team will actively work with profile owners to shut down non-user profiles."
Mr Oestlien said Google had noticed Google+'s shortfalls where businesses were concerned over the trial period of the social networking site.
"In fact, it was kind of an awkward moment for us when we asked Ford for his (or was it her?) gender!"
Google+ looks set to become Facebook's biggest rival with its Hangouts video chat feature, which lets friends know when people are willing to interact, or as the youth put it, 'hang out', its customised sharing settings (Circles) and its instant uploads of photos to a private folder, unimaginatively called 'Instant Upload'.
And with this latest post, it looks like Google will be taking on Facebook in the social marketing sector too, albeit not for a while.
Mr Oestlien said Google was building a business-oriented Google+ experience, since the way users spoke to brands was different from how they spoke with each other. The "optimal team of engineers" should have something to show later this year, he said.
"The business experience we are creating should far exceed the consumer profile in terms of its usefulness to businesses. We just ask for your patience while we build it."
This experience will include rich analytics and the ability to link with other Google services.
The next few months will see Google running a "small experiment" with marketing partners to see how including brands in Google+ pans out. For those "non-user entities" who wish to participate in the experiment (supply own cheese), Google's invitation can be found here.
Alex Walls
Fri, 08 Jul 2011
Fri, 08 Jul 2011
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Businesses warned off Google+
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