SOCIAL BUSINESS

Google+ as a Business Tool

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 10-31-11 | Comments

Google+ is now available on Google Apps, the online office suite used by millions of business and universities. The adoption signals the beginning of a major push for Google+ as a business tool.

When Google+ was unveiled earlier this year, its practical uses for business were still unclear. One setback was that the social media tool was unavailable on Google Apps, the company�s suite of online office tools used by many businesses and universities. This month, Google announced that Google Apps users would now be able to use Google+. Could this be a game changer for Google�s social media presence?

The company claims that 4 million businesses in a wide range of industries use Google Apps for day-to-day tasks. If an organization has chosen to automatically enable all new services, Google+ will become available to employees almost immediately. Otherwise, administrators can now enable Google+ their organizations.

While Google Apps users will have access to all of the standard features of Google+, some extra elements have been added. Users will �have the option to share with everyone in your organization,� a blog post from the company explains, �even if you haven�t added all of those people to a circle.�

Google+ already boasts 40 million users, and adoptions like this are sure to bring more. The business possibilities for the site seem endless, from online staff meetings to document collaboration. Its easy filtering tools mean quick segregation of work-related and personal material.

Google also announced a migration tool for users who already have personal Google+ accounts.

�For those of you who�ve already started using Google+ with a personal Google Account and would prefer to use your Google Apps account, we�re building a migration tool to help you move over,� a company statement explained. �With this tool, you won�t have to rebuild your circles, and people who�ve already added you to their circles will automatically be connected to your new profile.�

The integration of Google+ with Google Apps might just be the beginning of the company�s push for the social media site to be a tool for business. According to Wired, Google will host CIOs for a brainstorming session about Google+ and big business.

Does your company plan on using Google+ as a business collaboration tool? How do you envision its role for big business?