5 Pluses (And 5 Minuses) For Google+ Business Pages
November 9th, 2011 9:09am
Like a Ricola commercial, the call went out loud and clear on Monday when it was announced that finally, after months of promises, Google+ Pages would be available for businesses.
About. Time.
Our own Erica Conroy setup CoupSmart's Google+ Page and we've had a few hours to poke around to see what all the fuss is about.
Here's our take so far:
The Five Pluses of Google+
1. Less noise. Ahhh! So it may not be the sound of silence (what with my earbuds rocking out to Enya), but it is the look of silence. Sweet, sweet, clutterless silence. It's a bit disconcerting at first, but it's nice to get a clean slate on which to create your branding.
2. Adding links to your page a cinch. As it should be. It's Google, after all. No more click, click, edit, add link. Just paste, click.
3. Easy functionality. Like most things Google+, sharing and commenting seem to be seamlessly integrated. The UX is a lot friendlier than that one Zuckerberg site.
4. Personal brands seem a lot more human. Even Tony Robbins' teeth seem natural on Google+.
5. No one can spam you unless you follow them. Welp, that just made my job easier.
The Five Minuses of Google+
1. Poor image quality for profile pictures. For those wanting your GeoCities flashback, you've got it. For the rest of us who like our graphics more than 8 bit and our logos looking snazzy? Not so much. Oh, and no photo cropping? You've got to be kidding me, Google!
2. Business Pages thus far seem thrown together. Yeah, so I was expecting something different about the Google+ Business Pages. Of course, the fact that they call them 'Pages' should've been the first clue that nothing new is here. Makes you wonder: why the delay?
3. Only one admin allowed per page. Seriously? So, if Carl is sick that day and we need to adjust something, tough luck? This is a serious flaw, especially in an era when every employee should be on social media.
4. So many lists, so little time. I already have enough lists with Twitter. Can't I just keep some people floating in a "listless" state?
5. The tangled web of a Google Accounts. So, I can't merge my personal G+ account with my business' Google+ Page? Great, now I have to sign into two different Google Accounts on two different browsers. Having a G+ Account with your personal email account and not being able to merge it with your work email to use it for business hours use is dumber than that Dumb and Dumber prequel.
Nice summary Erica.
As I am following all these new developments I have to wonder. How are the local independents going to deal with all this? Majority of them don’t even use email on regular basis (or are stuck with AOL email … no, seriously!) And now they need to be on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, tracking their reputation on Yelp! and Urbanspoon. When are they ever going to have any time to actually cook and serve their customers?
Your thoughts?