Home Google+ Gets More Business-Friendly with New APIs

Google+ Gets More Business-Friendly with New APIs

Google+ is growing up.

The fledgling social media platform, which has increasingly been seen as more of a threat to Facebook and Twitter, just took another step towards social media maturity with the release of some new hooks to let other social media management tools connect directly to Google’s social network.

Businesses and organizations have been chomping at the bit for these APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), so that social media management tools like HootSuite and Buddy Media can fully connect with Google+ pages, ever since Google introduced its Pages feature to the social platform back in November.

Some conections were available, but only to a select few software partners, according to Google developer Eduardo Thuler.

“In recent months we’ve been been previewing a new set of Google+ management APIs with some of these companies (including Buddy Media, Context Optional, Hearsay Social, HootSuite, Involver, and Vitrue),” Thuler wrote on his Google+ page.

But even that access to Google+ Pages was limited. HootSuite, for instance, was not allowed to let too many users access the social media management app to control a Page account. So only paid users of the app were given this access.

Now that the APIs are available to all, no such restrictions are in place, and social media management is a wide-open field for Google+.

Businesses Only

The APIs only let third-party tools manage a brand or business page, not a personal Google+ account. But this is a huge help for businesses that want to capitalize on Google+, because now they can use third-party tools to schedule, monitor and track posts as needed.

This represents a big change for Google+, if only because businesses will start to take it much more seriously. Google+ was slammed at its initial launch for having little to no tools for businesses to make their presence known on the platform, and even after Pages were introduced, Google still guarded its APIs strongly.

If anything, today’s change means that Google+ has shaken off any “lab” reputation it might have had, so Google’s annoying tendency to drop services that people still like probably won’t apply to Google+.

Google+ is growing fast, thanks to all the new Android users who get signed on when they activate their phones. That’s a big audience to tap into, and the new APIs make it easier for businessesto climb on board to be a part of the experience.

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Get the biggest tech headlines of the day delivered to your inbox

    By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

    Tech News

    Explore the latest in tech with our Tech News. We cut through the noise for concise, relevant updates, keeping you informed about the rapidly evolving tech landscape with curated content that separates signal from noise.

    In-Depth Tech Stories

    Explore tech impact in In-Depth Stories. Narrative data journalism offers comprehensive analyses, revealing stories behind data. Understand industry trends for a deeper perspective on tech's intricate relationships with society.

    Expert Reviews

    Empower decisions with Expert Reviews, merging industry expertise and insightful analysis. Delve into tech intricacies, get the best deals, and stay ahead with our trustworthy guide to navigating the ever-changing tech market.