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When the announcement was made at the start of this year that Larry Page was moving to the helm of Google many wondered just what that might mean for the search giant. Now we are halfway through the year (with the official date of Page’s tenure beginning just at the start of April and things are changing rapidly.
Here is a rundown of what to expect over the next six weeks:
Google+ goes public – The grand experiment that is Google+ is expected to go from this limited field trial it is currently running to a full blown public service. This will be a watershed moment for Google since the widespread adoption of the social network will be critical for the search giant’s credibility in the social realm. That launch, whenever it happens (rumored on or before July 31), will be very interesting to watch.
Removal of private Google Profiles – As of July 31 all Google profiles will be public. Prepare for the usual privacy backlash etc etc but this one will ultimately be a non-issue since it will serve to introduce the fact that Google Profiles even exist to many people.
Introduction of Google Photos and Google Blogs brands – Google is working very hard to unify its brand and that is evidenced most by the retiring of the Picasa and Blogger brands in favor of a brand nomenclature that follows the Google Voice and Google Places naming model. Smart move and one that is long overdue especially if this push is aiming for people who simply aren’t aware of the depth and breadth of Google beyond search.
All in all, it’s interesting to watch Google’s brand mature from being the various spawn of company purchases or 20% engineer time ideas to a group of tools that are grouped together as a family of tools and services under the Google umbrella.
What’s your take on Google’s new approach to branding itself?
