Google+ has (ironically) become a buzz word as of late, it's certainly captured my attention, with critics and advocates alike letting their voices be heard. Some, like Roger McNamee believe that social itself is reaching its plateau while others like LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner feel that there's simply no more room for another social network. Despite this, many people are still excited at what Google is doing with their Google+ platform and are eager to take full advantage of its features.

In particular, many business having been sitting idly by for a chance to be among the first to try out these features (currently only personal accounts are permitted). However, businesses may not need to wait much longer, as a Google spokesperson announced that there are plans for business profiles which will

"...see a level of analytics and measurement that you’d typically find in Google products as well as a nuanced approach to how things are shared."

What makes Google+ different from other social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and (to a degree) LinkedIn is that virtually 100% of how content is shared is dependent on the individual user. “I could go post stuff about Google all the time, but that won’t necessarily appeal to the Circles I’m sharing them with,” said the spokesperson. “It’s up to individuals to decide what they share, and it’s up to users to decide whether they want those people in their Circles.”

This new dynamic between advertiser and consumer ultimately means that businesses will need to be more careful in identifying what drives their customers to use social networking tools and how they will become a part of a very real conversation. One of the best points made in Google Product Manger Paul Adams' pitch for Google+ is that until this point most companies have been driven primarily by how many followers (or friends) they have. However... what good is 170,000 "friends" to your brand if none of them are actively sharing conversations about you?