Public Relations & Social Media Insight

A PR Pro's Guide to Google+ Communities and our prediction for its success

...The concept of a group discussion site is nothing new (think Facebook Groups, Yahoo! Groups and LinkedIn groups) but what sets Google+ Communities apart is the integration of the topical groups into the social platform.  For example, members of a group can capitalize on the hangout feature of Google+ and take part in a video chat within the group. Additionally, because the communities ‘live’ on Google, the Events calendar feature is enabled within communities, allowing photo sharing and event management to happen more easily.

One of the biggest differences in Google+ Communities versus other discussion groups is that you don’t have to actually visit the community’s URL to take part in the conversation. Users can share links directly with their communities simply using the +1 button that is now integrated into most social sharing technologies.  Another function unique to Google+ Communities is that conversations can be tagged and categorized, so members can find pieces of the discussion that are most relevant to them....