'Net Features : google+ google plus

Social Plugins Keep Consumers Connected

Allison Howen — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:05:00 GMT

For merchants, keeping consumers connected to their brand on the ’Net is a top priority, which is why e-commerce solutions provider Demandware has launched some new social plugins that aim to make this a much easier task.

The new social plugins help accelerate the integration of an e-commerce site with two of the Webs most popular social networks – Facebook and Google+. This is because the integrations allow merchants to leverage the capabilities of Facebook Open Graph, Facebook Check-In and the Google +1 button as part of their e-commerce strategy. Learn more about the new capabilities below:

• Facebook Open Graph – Retailers can leverage this plugin to enable social action buttons on product pages, such as “Want”, “Own” or “Purchased”. Additionally, this plugin allows retailers to maintain control over brand expressions , more seamlessly integrate into Facebook search and target advertising to Facebook members.

• Facebook Check-In – Retailers integrating Facebook Check-Ins with their sites can create personalized and engaging cross-channel experiences for consumers both in-stores and online. This plugin enables retailers to customize check-in experiences, as well as use check-ins in combination with loyalty or reward programs.

• The Google +1 Button – This plugin allows retailers to add the Google +1 button to their product detail pages. When a consumer clicks the +1 button, members of his or her circles will see the recommendation in their Google search results, which gives the retailer free word-of-mouth advertising while also improving the retailer's overall SEO.

"Facebook and Google+ are becoming ever more important components of a retailer's social commerce strategy, but many are still trying to figure out how to best leverage and tap into its millions of members," said Jamus Driscoll, senior vice president of marketing at Demandware. "These innovations from Demandware Labs provide our clients with easy access to the tools that will help them reach consumers on their social networks, creating a foundation for ongoing social commerce growth."

Google+ Unveils Newest Updates

Michael Garrity — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:30:00 GMT

Continuing their undying effort to take over the Internet, Google Chief-of-Staff Matt Waddell came out with a list of great new updates to the company's new social networking site, Google+. Here are a few of the most important new features.

- Mobile Circles: Users can now re-order their circles by simply dragging them to the left or right on the Circles page. Once done, they will stay in that order consistently all across Google+. There is also now an option to crew new circles in-line from the "Add to Circle" menu, which is also all across Google+.

- +1 Improvements: The site's "+1" button will now render up to three times faster than before. In addition, Webmasters can see and test updates to the button before they launch to all of the site's users. Plus, they can now make things go even more quickly by using a new async JavaScript snippet.

- Huddle Up: Google+ will also provide more choices when it comes to group video chatting. Users can now choose who can start a huddle with them: anyone, their extended circles, or just their circles. This selection can be made by visiting "Google+ Settings" on the desktop or G+ settings on Android.

- Photo Feature: The names of photo albums can now be edited by users directly inside of Google+ by simply going to the "Photos" page, clicking "Your Albums," choosing an album, and clicking on its title.

And, as if that wasn't helpful enough, they've also added a "What's new in Google+" page that will keep track of new features and fixes that take place in the future.

Keeping up with these changes and features that are taking place with Google+ could prove to be very helpful for businesses and companies looking to join the new social networking site when that option becomes available to them in the future.

What The Web's Saying About Google Plus

Linc Wonham — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:00:00 GMT

Google CEO Larry Page confirmed this week, as predicted, that the company’s new social network has surpassed 10 million users in less than two weeks. While neither Facebook nor Twitter had anywhere near the global reputation that Google has when they launched their services, the 10 million mark was a long time in the making for both.

Google Plus, then, has all the makings of a real winner, and not only for the company but for millions of users and Web professionals. The big question for businesses, of course, is how to take advantage of this new and potential-filled opportunity.

To answer that question as thoroughly as we could, we scoured the Web to hear what others are saying about Google Plus, and below is some of the best actionable advice we could find:

Tips

From practical advice to tips and tricks for better success, Google+ users have plenty of resources at their disposal. Here is just a sampling from one of the links listed below:

“Business owners should be utilizing their employees who are social media savvy and passionate about the company. Use them as touch-points and allow them to post content about your business. This will also mean that, when it comes time for the “business features” of Google+ to be released, you’ll have employees that understand the etiquette and environment of the network, which will be key in connecting with people.”

Google+ Tips for Business Owners

5 Google+ Tips for Advanced Users

12 Tips to Master the Basics of Google+

Extensions

It didn't take long for Google+ users to form opinions about the best extensions to use with the service, and here's an example of what they're saying from one of the links below.

"Start G+ - Automatically post to Facebook and Twitter when you share something on Google+. Additionally, it puts your Facebook and Twitter streams inside your Google+ feed. The only downside is that you cannot reply to or like a Facebook or Twitter post within Google+. This extension is far from perfect, but it will do until Google adds these features."

5 Chrome Extensions that Improve Google+

6 of the Best Google+ Extensions

3 Useful Google+ Extensions

Cheats

Users have been adding to the earliest known Google+ cheat sheets almost daily, and here's an example of some the latest comments from one of the links below:

“There have been lots of updates about the platform's new features, tips and tricks, and here is the latest one that contains most of the common syntax, hotkeys and tips you need to know to use Google+ more proficiently.”

New Google+ Update

The Google+ Cheat Sheet

Simon Laustsen’s Google+ Cheat Sheet