Rejoice! You can now use whatever name you’d like to on Google Plus – be it alias, company or brand name. In their recent policy shift announcement, Google apologized for the bad experience some users have had with their names policy: “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. ” Read their entire post about this change here. As a user who has had personal trouble with this name policy for a simple typo, this comes as a welcomed change – even for me. The question (and speculation) is: will Facebook follow suite? Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview with Bloomburg News in January 2014, “I definitely think we’re at the point where we don’t need to keep on only doing real identity things. If you’re always under the pressure of real identity, I think that is somewhat of a burden.” I had always guessed it would be Facebook loosening this noose before Google… but alas, as my wife tells me – I’m not always right. 🙂 [smartcast] Should You Change Your Google Plus Name? As with anything we do online, authenticity goes a long way. Ultimately, the real difference between most bloggers and their content/value is them – their own personality and identity. As humans, we like to connect with other humans. If you’ve already established that relationship – don’t change it. So, what if you have a brand that people are attached to? Well, the same holds true – the difference is that your brand holds it own personality. If this is the case, I would create a matching Google Plus page and move forward with...
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Read Morehttp://smarttimeonline.s3.amazonaws.com/5Questions.mp3 Picture this: You’re backstage, standing in a dark corner with your eyes closed. Your palms are sweaty and your heart is pounding as you hop up and down with anxious excitement. It’s exactly 09:59 a.m. and in less than sixty seconds, you’ll be stepping in front of the largest crowd you’ve ever spoken to. Thoughts riddle your mind: Will they like me? Is my speech good enough? Do I even remember my speech? Did I prepare enough? What if the sound system sucks? Around the 30 second mark, you gently pat the cold sweat from your forehead as the silent anticipation of thousands fuel your excitement. Suddenly, the emcee starts to recite your introduction. You begin to countdown the last 10 seconds with eye blinks and slight head nods… 3… 2… 1… It’s show time. Before you know it, you’re walking up the stage into waves of applause, shouts and raised eyebrows. You humbly nod, give thanks, say your very first words and go on with your speech. How do you imagine your speech going? Are you at all nervous about how valuable your audience feels you are to them? Are you paying attention to facial expressions and body language as you look through the crowd? If you’re a normal human being, you probably are thinking about these things (and if not — well, then you must be superman). What’s ironic, though, is that when it comes to business, many people tend to be on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Instead of considering their audience first (customers, vendors, followers, etc.), people often worry about themselves and what’s to gain. “This dude wants my help for free? I don’t have time for that!” “How can I get Jack and Sally to pay me some money the first time they see my face?” “Who wants me to do an interview for what? Their podcast hasn’t even launched! No thanks…” Now — don’t get me wrong. In some circumstances, there are times when we have to turn down the interview request date, or kindly request that a host reach a certain number of episodes before committing to an interview (thinking about you, Seth Godin). What we’re discussing, though, is...
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