Blogger Introduces Google+ Integration

Blogger Buzz have just announced the integration of Google+ on their testing platform, Blogger in Draft. The option to use a Google+ profile on the normal blogging platform (www.blogger.com) will be available in the coming weeks.

The announcement came not long after it was found that the “Edit User Profile” section on Blogger’s profile settings showed a message and links to connect Blogger to Google+. Although the links were redundant, this message caused quite a stir and incited speculation on what the integration might mean for users of it’s platform. This message and links were later removed and the announcement posted shortly after on Blogger Buzz.

The integration is exciting news and by logging into Blogger in Draft, you are now able to replace your Blogger profile with your Google+ profile by clicking on the “Get started” promotional message that will appear at the top of the screen or alternatively, by using this link.

Although the switch is seamless, Blogger have suggested that you backup your original profile information as it will not be transferred to your Google+ profile. If for some reason you want to switch back, you can do so within 30 days by using this link. If you don’t switch back during this period, your Blogger profile will be permanently deleted from their system once the 30 days is up. Once you switch to the new profile, blog comments that use your original profile will be automatically redirected to your new Google+ profile.

The integration certainly has a lot of benefits. For one, you don’t need to maintain two separate profiles and as announced on Blogger Buzz, you will be giving your readers a more robust and familiar sense of who you are and your social connections will see your posts in their Google search results with an annotation that you’ve shared the post.

Blogger have indicated that blog owners who switch to the new profile, will automatically get access to the new Google+ integrations as and when they are rolled out. One of these new integrations could see the replacement of the old (and probably soon to be discontinued) Google Friend Connect widget with a Google+ widget which will give blogs and their owners a wider social connection.

With Google’s latest announcement that they will soon accommodate pseudonyms (see post: Google+ To Accommodate Pseudonyms), it will not be mandatory to associate your blog with your real name. However and when pseudonyms are finally allowed on the social network, it is recommended that the switch should only be done by those who want to associate their real-world identity with their blogs.

As yet and probably because the integration is still in draft, new blog comments made using the new profiles are only viewable on the blog and not on Google+. It shouldn’t be long however, when full integration between the two platforms is evident. This will probably happen when the switch is widely available on the normal blogging platform in the coming weeks.

As I mentioned above, this is exciting news and I personally cannot wait to see what the new integrations will bring. If you have yet to switch your profile, you can do so by visiting Blogger in Draft or find out more information by visiting the FAQs page or the Blogger Help Forum.

Have you tried the new Google+ profile integration on Blogger Draft? Do you think the new integration will improve the blogging platform? Please let me know by leaving a comment.

About the Author: Derek Jones is the owner of Derek’s Home and Business Blog, a blog which provides the latest news and reviews plus helpful information, SEO and marketing tips to small business owners, affiliate marketers and bloggers. You can view his blog by visiting: http://www.derekjones.co