Google To Change Nickname Policy Of Google+
After disabling many users' accounts for not using their real names,
Google tooday announced that it would soon revise its controversial
nickname policy.
Google sparked an uproar this weekend for deleting the accounts of
Google+ members without warning or explanation. The reason was that
these users had used names other than their real names as their
usernames on Google+, a violation of the social network's policy.
Google+ vice president Bradley Horowitz blogged about the issue announcing changes that will arrive in "a matter of weeks."
"We've noticed that many violations of the Google+ common name policy were in fact well-intentioned and inadvertent and for these users our process can be frustrating and disappointing," Horowitz wrote. "So we're currently making a number of improvements to this process - specifically regarding how we notify these users that they're not in compliance with Google+ policies and how we communicate the remedies available to them," he added.
Under the new policy, Google will warn users and give them a chance to correct their name in advance of any suspension. At time of this notice, a clear indication of how the user can edit their name to conform to Google's policy community standards will be provided.
Google will improve the signup process to reduce the likelihood that users get themselves into a state that will later result in review.
Some people are using their profile name to show-off nicknames, maiden names and personal descriptions. While the profile name doesn't accommodate this, Google wants to support users' friends finding them by these alternate names and give users a prominent way of displaying this info in Google+.
Last but not least, the "Employment," "Occupation" and "Education" fields in users' profiles will appear in their hovercard all across Google+ -- to those with permission to view them.
Horowitz also clarified that not abiding by the Google+ common name policy cannot lead to wholesale suspension of one's entire Google account.
Google+ vice president Bradley Horowitz blogged about the issue announcing changes that will arrive in "a matter of weeks."
"We've noticed that many violations of the Google+ common name policy were in fact well-intentioned and inadvertent and for these users our process can be frustrating and disappointing," Horowitz wrote. "So we're currently making a number of improvements to this process - specifically regarding how we notify these users that they're not in compliance with Google+ policies and how we communicate the remedies available to them," he added.
Under the new policy, Google will warn users and give them a chance to correct their name in advance of any suspension. At time of this notice, a clear indication of how the user can edit their name to conform to Google's policy community standards will be provided.
Google will improve the signup process to reduce the likelihood that users get themselves into a state that will later result in review.
Some people are using their profile name to show-off nicknames, maiden names and personal descriptions. While the profile name doesn't accommodate this, Google wants to support users' friends finding them by these alternate names and give users a prominent way of displaying this info in Google+.
Last but not least, the "Employment," "Occupation" and "Education" fields in users' profiles will appear in their hovercard all across Google+ -- to those with permission to view them.
Horowitz also clarified that not abiding by the Google+ common name policy cannot lead to wholesale suspension of one's entire Google account.