Google Phasing out G+?

[JoyHawkins]

Last week Google moved photos away from G+ and this week they announced you'll no longer need a G+ profile to access most Google products. Looks like the concept of forcing people on G+ didn't have the impact they were hoping for.

"So in the coming months, a Google Account will be all you?ll need to share content, communicate with contacts, create a YouTube channel and more, all across Google. YouTube will be one of the first products to make this change"

 

[Dustybones]

Great news! Thanks for sharing Joy.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks for starting the conversation Joy!

Yep plus unverified G+ pages going bye-bye and all the things they've done to make it harder to get to the G+ L page from search and maps.

Things are changing which leaves lots of questions!

I wonder how this will impact reviews? It will be easier to get them if you don't have to set up a profile – but does that mean if you get a review you won't be able to see who that person is or where they're located or what they do? Or see other reviews they've left? Would the name be attached to the review if there's no profile?

Thoughts???

 

[Susan]

Here is another article shared by Loren Baker on this same topic with some additional interesting points:

Google is dropping its Google+ requirement across all products, starting with YouTube | VentureBeat | Social | by Emil Protalinski

 

[ridgerunner]

This could be totally wrong, but when I step back and look at this. It looks like they might be turning G+ into a direct competitor to YELP.

Now that they are stripping away everything all that is left, in my eyes is a review system.

It will be interesting what G+ ends up becoming.

 

[Dave]

Thanks for starting the conversation Joy!

Yep plus unverified G+ pages going bye-bye and all the things they've done to make it harder to get to the G+ L page from search and maps.

Things are changing which leaves lots of questions!

I wonder how this will impact reviews? It will be easier to get them if you don't have to set up a profile ? but does that mean if you get a review you won't be able to see who that person is or where they're located or what they do? Or see other reviews they've left? Would the name be attached to the review if there's no profile?

Thoughts???

Hey Linda: The questions on reviews are GREAT. On a very recent basis, one of our smb's was losing reviews. I scanned through the forum over the last 2 months and noticed that was a recurring problem. In our case, I learned we had been doing multiple on site reviews from customers--> a so called review station.

We've stopped.

Now I don't know how many of the complainers in the forum "fessed up" and admitted using review stations. Hey the smb in question stopped and we've had 2 reviews added....and they were both off site. Interestingly some of the reviews that were filtered were definitely off site....so Google gave us a "shot across the bow"

In any case, among the "known" issues that could cause reviews to be filtered are things like new reviewers and first time reviewers. Actually in my experience when reviews are often filtered....the google algo grabs and filters the newbies FIRST.

So I'd like to know and to be able to scan who is leaving reviews, and what their history is. Will be able to do so going forward???? I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if google strips this information from us.

 

[Dave]

Two additional points.

I was looking at my own reviews in my g+ profile. 6 are filtered. The link to Google's policies takes you to the list of things you can't do....but google doesn't tell you explicitely what you did wrong.

I thought it funny that a review I wrote on a google location was filtered!!!!! Ha ha. I bet if I wrote something similar about any other place on earth it would have been left alone!!!!!!

On a second note...I was going to add this to the post above,,,but just realized one can't edit one's own post. Or did I miss something???

 

[MiriamEllis]

Linda - first thing I thought, too. Does this really mean you won't need a G+ account to leave a review?

 

[Linda Buquet]

We just got word from Google on this.

A Google profile will still be required for reviews, so nothing is changing on that front.

 

[MiriamEllis]

A-ha! We all jumped the gun with wishful thinking! Thanks for getting confirmation, Linda. You are the best.

 

[Eric Rohrback]

I don't see how they could do reviews without forcing someone to sign in. That would take us to a bad place (again) where it was easier for companies to manufacture large amounts of fake reviews. I know companies are still placing fake reviews on sites, but at least requiring a google+ account adds another layer of complexity that will deter most from trying it. Maybe this time around Google's come to a more accurate decision on what needs a Google+ sign in, and what services can be more open.

 

[Margaret Ornsby]

Here's another thought on the whole G+ thing...

The History of Google+ Impending Doom | SweetIQ Blog