Google+: The Name Game

In a report from Mashable’s Ben Parr, Google+ will not tolerate “pseudonyms” as valid names for Google+ profiles. Much of the outcry comes from people citing safety issues with too much identification on the web. Others are concerned with those who only go by a name or title that is not their actual name, the primary example being Lady Gaga. As Ben Parr questions, where will the line be drawn? Will celebrities and other media personalities be able to keep their monikers, or will they too need to use a name that nearly no one knows them by?

One aspect not brought up, however, is how this will effect social media as a marketing tool. As it stands now, there is no way (that I am aware of at least) to create a Company page likeon Facebook. That means if a company wanted to create a presence on Google+ then they’d have to do it either through an individual, or not at all as only “common names” will now be accepted. From what I can tell this is probably intentional, as Ben Parr quotes Google+ Product Manager Saurabh Sharma as saying that the change was deliberate, “…to make connecting with people on the web more like connecting with people in the real world”. This effectively puts a big wall in front of companies, saying “No, you cannot come in here. People only.”

How do you think this name game will affect Google+?

Be sure to see Ben Parr’s full article at mashable.com