It's no secret that Google intend to integrate Google+ into every single product and service they offer as today's Play store update demonstrates. As of today, all future reviews placed on the Google Play store will only be published when tied to a valid Google+ profile. Both your full name and profile picture will be displayed alongside the body of your review.
All nicknames associated with previous Play store reviews have now been stripped out and replaced with a generic 'Google User' moniker. It's not yet clear whether it will be possible to tie your previous reviews to your Google+ account, something that very active reviewers might wish to do. Hopefully Google will shed more light on this in the near future.
A pop-up dialogue on the Play store states that: "From now on, reviews you write will be posted publicly using your Google+ name and picture. Your name on previous reviews will appear as "A Google User."
Some individuals put a lot of effort into their reviews and may wish to tie them in with their profiles. Passionate book and music critics are good examples of this. Now that you can have your detailed reviews link back to your Google+ profiles, these changes could provide additional avenues for social engagement.
The changes to reviewer anonymity should help to reduce the number of offensive and spammy posts submitted to the store, improving the accuracy and value of future reviews, now that users can no longer hide behind cryptic nicknames.
Google+ integration with the Play store provides yet another path into Google's social network experience. Google+ has seen considerable growth over the past few months, especially when it comes to brands and businesses embracing the platform to interact with customers.
Do you welcome these new Google+ integrations, or do you value your anonymity when posting reviews on the products and services you use? Bearing in mind that YouTube could be next to get the Google+ treatment!
If you're already an avid user of Google+ you can follow me, Alex Masters, and The Independent, here.
Tagged in: alex masters, google, Google Play, Google Play store
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