Tech Corner Post: Google+

Written by Kelsey Garrison

Google+

            Google+ is a social media network that allows you to connect with friends, family, and acquaintances, while also keeping you up to speed on what’s trending in the Google+ world. Created by Google, it was launched in June 2011 in an “invitation only/testing” stage. By September 2011, it was completely open to the public. Today, Google+ has about 400 million users, 100 million of which are active members on a monthly basis.

As I explored Google+, I took a look at the similarities and differences between this social media network and others, like Facebook and Twitter. Along with all of the essential applications to connect you to the world around you (such as text chat, creating events, photo uploading, and status updates), there are several new features in Google+ that we have not seen in other social media networks before. One example of this is the Hangouts feature. This feature allows the user to video chat with multiple people at a time. For a company, this could be very helpful for use in conference calls and meetings where long distances might be a factor. Another example of a feature that Google+ offers that other social media network sites do not is the Circles feature. Although this feature is a little similar to Facebook “lists” , the Circles feature on Google+ is much more user friendly. Circles allows you to create groups to separate the people you are connected with. This allows you to decide who is able to see what information you post on your page. For example, if you have pictures from a fun weekend in Vegas that you don’t necessarily want your boss and co-workers to see, you can make it visible to only your circle of friends. This feature makes privacy much more accessible and user friendly than on Facebook. This feature could also be very helpful in a workplace environment. For example, the General Manager of a company could utilize this feature when working with committees and delegating tasks. It is an easy way to communicate within the different groups. It also makes it very easy to share information between each other, without other companies (that you are connected with) being able to see the shared information.

Although Google+ has very many features that could be beneficial to a company, I do not believe it is a necessary social media network to a business. Externally, a company’s Google+ profile page is no different than a company’s Facebook page. To the consumer, there is no difference. However, I do believe that companies could really benefit from utilizing Google+ internally in the work place by using applications such as Circles, Hangouts, and several other features offered by Google+.