Google has been introducing new features to Google+ so that it can now be used to help with administration, organisation, and communication in your company. It is planning eventually to introduce a comprehensive suite of tools that can be controlled by administrators and used to help run your business.
Google has recently released some of these planned new tools for Google+ business users. In the coming months, as well as the new features detailed below we will see the introduction of even more new administrative controls to Google+. Google’s plan is also to make a mobile version of Google+ for business enterprises to use while on the move.
New features of Google+ for business users that have administrative control
Administrators have the advantage that they can control both these new features. They are able to set up sharing defaults for company wide posts and hangouts on calendars. Here are details of the two latest features of Google+ that have just been released.
1. Private Sharing
With this new feature you are now able to dictate just who exactly can share a post, and who it can be shared with. Maybe you do not want anyone outside your organisation to see something? Well this private sharing feature means that you can restrict sharing to your own company.
Maybe you want to include a few selected external partners, well if this is what you want you can share outside your organisation with them alone. By marking a particular post as restricted, you will be able to choose who exactly it is visible to, and who it can be re-shared with.
2. Integration of Hangout and Calendar
Hangouts are a way groups can be organised to get together online. Up to now it has been possible for Google+ users to organise these hangouts from Gmail, or during meetings with open Google Docs documents. Now however a new feature means hangouts can be attached to Google calendar events.
This means that potential attendees can join a hangout directly from an original invite or calendar entry, making it easier than ever to keep those lines of communication open between you and your colleagues or peers.
3. Admin controls
Administrators can now launch company specific sharing for posts and administer the members and access of Hangouts.
With the other new administrative tools, that Google+ are planning on rolling out in the coming months, companies and businesses will be able to organise and communicate more effectively. With the addition of the new version that is being introduced for mobile devices, enterprises are going to be able to do this from anywhere and while on the move.
Until the end of 2013 all these features will be free but the plan is to start charging for their use after this time. Users will need to have a subscription to Google Apps for continued use and access. Google Apps is Google’s cloud based software that already integrates several Google applications including Gmail, Google groups, Google calendar, and Google docs.
