Google+ is turning into one of those ‘love it or hate it‘ type of websites. The social network from Google already has many fans, some who say they’ve already dumped Facebook for the new digs. Others aren’t quite so ready to jump ship and throw their lot in with the shiny new website. I’m a bit more balanced in my view. Right now Google+ is making up for some of the lack of features on Twitter and Facebook and is a ‘hybrid’ that appeals to fans of the company’s products.

I believe that Google+ is already a very important social media destination, especially for social media marketers, and is very likely to become much more important as more people start using it.

When you join Google+, you’ll quickly realize that many of its fans are already Google users, who love Chrome and Android. That’s not surprising. So far there seems to be less of the typical mainstream users that make up the other major social networks and more of a tech-heavy, social media-savvy crowd you is actively engaging with each other and utilizing the new tools. This is to be expected since the social network is so new. Google+ remains in a beta, having not yet been promoted to the masses.

Google+ is the fastest website to ever reach 25 million registered users, amassing that huge crowd in a fraction of the time it took Facebook and Twitter. Google hasn’t even started marketing the website to its estimated 1 billion daily users. When they do, watch out!

Real Identity A Must

Google has laid down the law as it relates to individuals using their real name in order to access the service. The company wants your primary Google+ identity to be your real name. That idea is not without controversy but it helps to set a ‘business‘ tone that should serve the destination well. Despite legitimate uses for pseudonymity, many cases of abuse are executed by the hands of those who work to keep their identities hidden. Google+ won’t allow that comfort. They want people to use verified information, which should help the overall professionalism of the website. Google has also started a real name verification process, but so far it’s reserved for celebrities and people who have been Circled a ‘large number of times.’ Google’s insistence on using real names indicates a turning point for the company, and a desire to reduce spam on their network.

Business Pages Not Introduced Yet

People can’t promote their businesses on Google+, which is a big deal to most people who use social media for marketing their organizations, products, or services. Google has stalled on the release of business pages, which they know are a key factor to getting people to switch from Facebook or LinkedIn. Facebook fan pages are among the most-visited business pages online, so Google is going to have to do something special with their program in order to generate real enthusiasm. Google knows this and I expect them to put a very unique spin on their business pages.

If you’ve been reluctant to start on Google+, I suggest you give it another chance. The site is growing nicely and is attracting a strong stream of decent discussions on almost every subject imaginable. Google+ is also unique enough to try. Although it does imitate popular features from other social media heavy-hitters, it does so in an interesting way which allows for a different take on content creation and sharing.

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