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 that… especially if you do not yet have a Google Plus page for your brand.

Before now, Google gave us no way of syndicating content onto a single brand Google Plus page if you had multiple people producing content for you. This severely limited their social network engagement on both sides of the spectrum, ultimately contributing to the reason why Google Plus never really took off.

Unlike Facebook, Google Plus doesn’t have a “Pages” feature where businesses can create entirely new profiles (unless you own a brick and mortar business and sign up for a Google Plus business page). This has all changed now, and it’ll be interesting to see the direction Google heads in with their social network.

It’s Still About Building Meaningful Relationships

Regardless of whether you decide to change your name or start a new Google Plus page using a name other than your real one, just make sure to stay authentic – and connect. Make sure anyone who is working for you understands how your brands voice connects with your audience - they are your brand advocates.

After all, it still is (and always will be) about building meaningful relationships with people.

Leave a comment below! Do you think Facebook should follow suit with this Google Plus name change policy?

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