Google Confesses that Google Plus Naming Policy is a Mess and Applies Fixes

Things started fine for Google Plus. People were desperate to get in and some dedicated users found ways to get them in. Google has decided to open the flood gates on the project and when they saw that things didn’t go as planned, they deleted profiles and entire Google accounts that they deemed didn’t have a valid personal identity.

This has sparked controversy as Google chose the most extreme route to deal with its mistake. It was a route that proved to Google Plus users that Google was ready for business and wanted strict control over the eco-system.

However, with Google Plus still remaining incomplete and without options for bloggers who want to advertise their bogs and have people follow their blogs – not them – on Google Plus, and for small businesses that want to advertise their services, Google Plus left them with no options.

Google Plus’s platform was so well established that a Google Plus profile could easily be a Page as well. Unlike in Facebook, there is no game of adding “friends”, in Google Plus, you follow people that you want to stay in contact with. If you want to get the latest news from a blog, the same platform can apply.

In a Google Plus post, the product’s Vice President Bradley Horowitz acknowledged that many of the violations on Google Naming policy were "well-intentioned and inadvertent" and that for these people, the process can be "frustrating and disappointing."

Google Plus has captured 20 million users in 24 days, the quickest start up of any social network. Within that time frame, many complained about the real name requirement and preferred to use nick names. Many have also seen their accounts automatically suspended for it.

Responding to the feedback on Google’s naming policy, Horowitz announced the following changes:

1. People who violate the rule will receive a warning and chance to submit a real name.
2. The sign up process will be modified to suit the rules
3. Google will compromise with those who want a nickname, but you must register with a valid name.
• People will be able to search for the other name
• Employment, Education and Occupation fields will appear in Google Hover cards – granted you give permission.

Beyond these changes, Google urges that other new features will be coming in the future to address these issues.

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