It may have taken a while, but Google has now officially opened up Google+ to business and brands, not just individuals. It's calling the new feature Google+ Pages, but there appears to be little difference between a Page and an individual account in practice -- you're able to add Pages to any of your regular Circles, and Page owners are able to post as usual and take part in Hangouts. Pages also naturally turn up in Google search results, and the company's introduced a new Direct Connect as well that lets you search specifically for Google+ Pages -- just type "+Google" or "+Angry Birds" in a Google search box and you'll be taken directly to the respective page. Both features are rolling out on a limited basis starting today, but Google's promising they'll be open to everyone soon.

Update: Well, that certainly didn't take long -- Google has now opened up Pages to everyone. You can circle us at +Engadget if you like, and find Distro at +Engadget Distro.Continue reading Google+ launches Pages for businesses and brands
Google+ launches Pages for businesses and brands originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  Official Google Blog  | Email this | Comments

Ian Lamont writes "Patrick McKenzie has written about the do's and don't's of working as a software engineer, and some solid (and often amusing) advice on how to get ahead. One of the first pieces of advice: 'Don't call yourself a programmer: "Programmer" sounds like "anomalously high-cost peon who types some mumbo-jumbo into some other mumbo-jumbo." If you call yourself a programmer, someone is already working on a way to get you fired.' Although he runs his own company, he is a cold realist about the possibilities for new college grads in the startup world: 'The high-percentage outcome is you work really hard for the next couple of years, fail ingloriously, and then be jobless and looking to get into another startup.'"


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Tom Peters

An anonymous reader writes "It's nigh impossible to avoid all the chatter and buzz around the concept of gamification — using game mechanics to create engagement outside the world of videogames. Silicon.com has an interview with author Aaron Dignan, whose book Game Frame delves into the topic to try and pull out a few rules of engagement for businesses seeking to tap into the power of gaming to better motivate their staff. Dignan is fairly convincing, yet I can't help feeling there's a lot of hype and not necessarily a great deal of substance to all this gamification chatter. Perhaps the term itself is the problem — maybe 'playfulness' would be a better name for the concept. What do Slashdot readers make of the gamification movement and its evangelists?"


Read more of this story at Slashdot.