Google+ Drops Name Restrictions

Google announced last night on Google+ that they have removed their naming restrictions, preventing you from using nicknames and pseudonyms.So if you wanted to use the name "rustybrick" because you didn't want to use your real name, for privacy reasons, you can. If you wanted to use "GoogleGuy," you could.

This was how things were back in the day, very few people 10 years ago used their real names. Everyone used nicknames within the social network or discussion forum they participated in. Now, it is less common.

Google+ is now allowing for it because, well, I guess they want to solve their YouTube comments problem. Here is the post:

"When we launched Google+ over three years ago, we had a lot of restrictions on what name you could use on your profile. This helped create a community made up of real people, but it also excluded a number of people who wanted to be part of it without using their real names. Over the years, as Google+ grew and its community became established, we steadily opened up this policy, from allowing +Page owners to use any name of their choosing to letting YouTube users bring their usernames into Google+. Today, we are taking the last step: there are no more restrictions on what name you can use.
We know you've been calling for this change for a while. We know that our names policy has been unclear, and this has led to some unnecessarily difficult experiences for some of our users. For this we apologize, and we hope that today's change is a step toward making Google+ the welcoming and inclusive place that we want it to be. Thank you for expressing your opinions so passionately, and thanks for continuing to make Google+ the thoughtful community that it is."

So go get em!
Forum discussion at Google+ & WebmasterWorld.

Comments

Google Earnings Report Shows New AdWords Ad Format Increased Click Through Rates

Google announced their Q2 earnings last night and beat estimates, although some are worried about mobile ads being an issue and Nikesh Arora leaving the company. But the earnings report showed a couple things advertisers here would be interested in, at least two things: (1) The new ad format used for AdWords ads in the search results, that blend in better, had a nice increase in click through rates and that lead to more money for Google despite lower CPC prices. Here are before and after on the ad formats: Old ad format: New ad format: (2) Google broke down where the paid clicks came from in more detail for the first time: Aggregate paid clicks, which include clicks related to ads served on Google sites and the sites of our Network members, increased approximately 25% over the second quarter of 2013 and increased approximately 2% over the first quarter of 2014. Sites paid clicks, which include clicks related to ads we serve on Google owned and operated ...

Is Google Testing The Penguin 4.0 Algorithm?

I think we are on the verge of seeing Penguin 4.0 launch soon at Google - I think we are just about there. I know, I know, it's been a while. I have seen some chatter in the industry, on and off chatter, over the past 12 hours or so, that people are noticing some drastic changes with the Google search rankings on and off. It can be nothing, it can be a blip, it can be a different algorithm or it can be people making stuff up - but it also can be Google testing Penguin 4.0 to a limited set of searchers. The folks at WebmasterWorld over the past 12 hours or so have been asking about it: JS Harris, a senior Webmaster World member said: I have a small list of 10 distinct keywords for my site that I check when I wonder if a major update has occurred. The bottom few results on page one generally come and go but the top spots stay immortal. They stay there, that is, until there is a major update. I'm only ever mildly surprised when I see a would be con...

Google Update Early in This Month

So after reporting a Google update on May 1st, then waiting and watching the community over the weekend to say - oh boy, there was a Google update rolling out over Friday through the weekend - we then had Google tell us there was no update. I used a Panda bear giving an evil stare because most of us knew something changed. And Google, after a bunch of arm twisting, finally gave me/us confirmation, which I posted on Search Engine Land. Google told us this was not an update for web spam, but a normal Google core search quality update. That is what I said earlier but I didn't have it on record. I assumed it wasn't related to Panda, Penguin or core spam, but rather a normal Google search core algorithm update and it was. I am not sure exactly why Google wouldn't confirm it back then but now they are and hopefully in the future they will as well. So the 10% of you that call me out as a traffic whore (or whatever you call me) for being the first to report on ...

Internet Marketing

Search This Blog