Google+ Adds Post Locking, Browser Notifications & More
For those Google+ users out there, you are probably familiar with the set of options that allow you to control how your content is shared after have posted it. These features include the ability to disable comments and even “lock” off your posts, entirely disabling the ability for others to share them. The problem with this feature so far has been the fact that users must wait until after they have posted the content before they can use it, meaning they are more likely to forget to do so, which was often more than annoying. Well, now the problem has been solved! Just over a week ago, in a host of simple but brilliantly handy updates that have been rolled out to the Google+ network, the option to lock your posts before sharing them has been added. So no more quick trigger fingers getting to your posts before you do, which is good news. If you are wondering how to use the post-locking feature, here is how you do it: Right below the status box, click the arrow and choose the “Lock this post” option. This feature will immediately stop any other users from sharing your post in any way. Another new useful option featured in the new update is so simple I wonder why it was not implemented in the first place. Users are now able to see when new notifications are available on their browser bar, acting as a good incentive to keep users coming back to the Google+ site to keep up to date. But this update doesn’t only benefit the regular user; it is also great for internet marketing consulting companies, SEO companies in the UK, and developers. Also included with the update are three additional APIs for those out there wishing to create third-party applications. These new APIs are for the search, comments, and +1s—all key features developers have been crying out for. Perhaps now the third-party applications released for social media management will be a little more useful and a lot more interesting.