Google +1 Plus Google Apps Equals Nothing

google-1-button

The internets are all worked up today over the release of Google’s latest attempt to be meaningful in the social networking arena: Google’s +1 button.  It sort of reminds me of the excitement over the soon to be shuttered Google Wave, which was actually an awesome application, and the probably soon to be shuttered Google Buzz, which isn’t.

Being deeply in love with most things Google, most particularly the Chrome browser, I’d love to give +1 a try.  Except that I can’t.  Once again Google Apps users- yes, some of whom (not me, yet) are paying customers- are left out of the premiere party.

No worries says Google, again- Apps users will soon have the ability to use Google Profiles, and +1.  Soon may be a relative thing, however, given that Apps users still can’t use Buzz, over a year later.

Look, I realize this is not a huge deal.  But here’s the thing.  I would venture that Apps users are among the most loyal Google users.  People who would jump right in and do their part to kick-start just about any new Google app.  I know that, like a digital vampire, I have turned every Internet Explorer and Firefox user I can find into the walking Chrome.

I don’t understand why Google can’t roll features out to all users- including its most avid- at the same time.

I’d love to write about using +1.  Instead, I’m writing about the fact that I can’t use +1.  That’s a lose, lose equation.

Anyone want to +1 me up, since I can’t play?

68 thoughts on “Google +1 Plus Google Apps Equals Nothing”

  1. I am an apps user too, or else I would. I’ve already got the useless button on my site too, though. You really would think that we’d get all the new features before they are released to the unwashed_masses@gmail.com, wouldn’t you?

  2. It gets better: I DO have a non-Apps Google profile, but I’m using Firefox 5 beta, which isn’t supported. I’m using Chrome, which IS supported, for my GApps stuff … so it becomes a circular argument as I’m barred from using it while I’m logged into this profile! I guess I COULD go to Safari, log into my personal profile and then … oh, well. 🙂

    Of course, you really SHOULDN’T complain … so much that you DO get in the US still isn’t available here in Australia (especially Voice, which would be useful … unless of course that isn’t available in GApps either?)

  4. As did I. In fact, the only reason it took me so long to completely transition to gApps was waiting until I could port my gVoice vanity number.

  6. I like the ported experience, but dialing out is a little kludgy.  I wish it could work with the native dialer, but I suppose Google will have to be a carrier for that to happen.

  7. As a Google Apps user it also pisses me off that I still can’t great a Google Profile for personal branding and use in for instance Google Groups.

    Google promisses a lot, but isn’t able to deliver here and this way forces people to look for alternatives. Any suggestions?

  10. You don’t need to use two separate browsers to access two separate Google Accounts, which should solve your browser issue, unless you have some dependence on Firefox for something else. All you need to do is enable ‘multiple sign-in’ in your Google Account settings and then sign into another account. No more incognito windows, no more other browsers 🙂

  11. This doesn’t surprise me as Google Apps is designed for businesses which typically don’t want every new feature deployed to all users as soon as Google releases it. Businesses typically want to be in control of deployment of new versions of business software. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Google start rolling 6 month update for GApps that contain all the bits deployed to non-GApps users over the previous 6 months, possibly even with a 6 month lag.

  12. I get that.  My company is still using XP, and says they might upgrade to W7 next year.  But Google is (or should) positioning itself as the newer, better IT solution.  Shouldn’t they at least give Admins the option of adding this stuff sooner?

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  15. “I would venture that Apps users are among the most loyal Google users. 
    People who would jump right in and do their part to kick-start just
    about any new Google app.”

    This was probably their thinking with Wave as well, and look at how well all those Apps users kick-started that.

  16. Crazy thing is, I think Wave was just before its time.  I think there is a place for Wave.  I didn’t think so when it first came out.  It’s hard to explain why some things take off and some don’t.  But as far as potential usefulness goes, I’d rank Wave pretty high.

    Google tends to toss thing on the wall, and then let them stick or fall.  I wish Wave- and Notebook- had stuck longer.

  17. Google should be positioning itself differently because they should want to not compete with existing enterprise solutions. As long as they can handle supporting all possible configurations, they should give the option of adding features to GApps customers.

  18. I couldn’t have said it better. And I’m still waiting for something that is actually important for my gApps account: two factor authentication!

  20. Another Google Apps user who feels slighted by Google when it comes to the release of new apps.  Our business is offering Google Places Optimization services Google Places is partially implemented.  It’s frustrating and unfortunately, even though I love other features of being a Google Apps for Business user, I wouldn’t suggested it to other businesses.

    Thanks for putting this out there.  

  21. The thing about Wave though, it’s actually making it’s way into Google Docs, so it’s not going to be lost forever, it just didn’t catch on in that form, but live collaboration on docs is very cool indeed.

  22. I would +1 this but Google does not let me. Infact its 3 months since Google said ‘coming soon’ about Profiles being enabled for Apps users http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/03/coming-soon-to-google-apps-1-button-and.html but they are not even approving new comments there at the moment and as you point out Apps users are among the strongest advocates of Google services. The issue is though, as with Buzz, if you get it wrong with business sector, and you can never really tell untill its in the wild, you risk a long term loss of trust that could be really damaging, probably more so than a delay of a couple of months. Buzz went wrong and despite rectification thereafter, never recovered trust among, so my inkling is that it wont be long before +1 is enabled for Apps users along with other services.

  23. Same boat here. Absolutely stupid being restricted from using a Google product because you are using another Google product

  25. Interesting article and discussion, agree with the points here.  I do think that Google needs to consider branching Apps off a bit, one branch for the business users and another branch for people who use it with their personal domains (like me), but also want all the social features that are available to gmail users.

  26. Well put. Doesn’t make sense to treat your loyal, paying customers this way. Maybe we won’t be so loyal or willing to pay in the future if this is how Google continues to operate. I do love our company switch to Google Apps. It’s awesome. But, why not launch these features across the board?

  27. I’ve had 2-factor authentication on my gApps account for a couple of months.  It has to be enabled by the domain administrator before you can use it.

  30. You took the words right out of my mouth.  But based on time stamps you wrote them first.  http://blog.johnmayson.com/2011/06/we-still-lack-google-profiles-for.html  While I do understand enterprise customers needing solid silos and not wanting to be Google’s beta testers, Google has to realize some of their most loyal customers have personal apps accounts.  Why can’t we get the goodies first?  Or at least when the rest of the world does too?

  32. Yes I am sad. I hope Google’s version of ‘soon’ is in the next month or two.

  34. What makes this especially annoying is that they supposedly combined Google Apps with regular Google services months ago – that’s why we all suddenly had a lot more services on the administration panel.

    If they combined everything, how come Google Apps users are still left out in the cold?

  37. I tried to +1 You up. Didn’t work since I’m an Apps user. A case of click first, think later… 🙂

    Oops… you need a Google profile to use this feature.
    Google Profiles is not available for your organization.

  38. sorry:Oops… you need a Google profile to use this feature.Google Profiles is not available for your organization.

  40. I logged in to my street clothes gmail account and I hope it catches on, I like it. Especially since I ditched FB. Now we just wait.

  43. I have to agree. It disturbs me that I PAY Google for their services because I needed to have the more advanced Apps level to accomplish what I needed in my company. I am one of Google’s biggest adversaries, but they do make us “paying” users feel like the left behind step-children.  Makes no sense!  You should try to become a Google Apps reseller!!  They actually send someone out to meet you to draw some of your blood!  NOT REALLY…but it would actually be easier, if they did!

    I’m with you…I love most things about Google (comma…but), I find it a little offensive that they would invite, accept and roll out to the “free Google world”, before the “paying Google world”. 

    Not to mention all of the money I spend with them for Adwords…geesh.  This is starting to get the familiar feeling of the relationship with my ex-wife! Where is my voice in all of this?  LOL!

  44. I’d like to click on your Google +1 icon to share this article – but I can’t because I use Google Apps (for which I pay…!). Luckily I do have another Gmail address, not linked to my Google Apps account….so I could log out of Apps, log into my Google Profile on my other Gmail account, click on your +1 icon, then log out of Google Profile, log back into Google Apps….only to find another of your articles worth sharing which means I’d have to log out of Google Apps, log into a Google Profile…….you get my drift…..! Perhaps, maybe, just one day, Google will actually understand how people behave online…….maybe…possibly….?

  45. OOOOPPPS….I meant to type ADVOCATES….I am one of Googles biggest advocates…not adversaries….maybe that was a Freudian slip of the keyboard!!! LOL!!!

  46. I, too, would +1 this post… but just about all my accounts are Google Apps. So I guess I’ll go back to watching all the fun from the sideline. *sigh*

  47. Because if you’re an apps user, they already have your money, therefore making you happy is no longer important. QED.

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  49. can’t agree with you more! especially on your statement ” I would venture that Apps users are among the most loyal Google users.  People who would jump right in and do their part to kick-start just about any new Google app.”

  50.  I’d have liked to use the shiny new +1 button to add my support but alas, I too am an apps user and so I can’t 😦

  51. Yes it does. I’m using it right now with an apps account and a plain old Google account.

  52. But even then, isn’t your + content associated with your other Gmail email address, which if you’re like me, you don’t use?  I had a lot of flow via Buzz when it first came out, but it was all enveloped in my regular Gmail account.

  53. Also a Google Apps user (and a Newsome!) and frustrated with THE SAME THING!!! I’m also having an issue with not being able to transfer my google voice number to my Google apps account! 

  54. Have read every comment here to make sense of this, but can’t.  So just putting my non-tech, lack of understanding out there.  I, like you Kent, wanted to join and then write about it for the businesses I work with. 

    Do I understand correctly from all that is written below, that if you are a Google Apps User (ie you pay for the service) you cannot join Google+.  Does that mean that if you aren’t, you can?  I am not a Google Apps user and I tried to join Google+ but couldn’t, receiving a message: “This service is not available”.  Well actually that was when I tried to work out how to create a Google Profile. 

    Many hours later, very glad to have found this post, but still none the wiser.  Although I see I am not the only one who is super frustrated!

  55. In order to use Google+, you have to have a Google Profile.  Google does not allow Google Apps users to create a Google Profile.  Thus, Google Apps users, whether paid or free, cannot use Google+.

    Google (and the rest of the tech space) seems to be focusing on whether brands (companies) can use Google+.  They are forgetting that many, many Google Apps users are individuals who are getting left completely out of the Google+ discussion.  Even though Google Apps users among Google’s most passionate users.

    It makes no sense.

  56. totally agree with you Kent, 

    I would also like to add something, I have 2 accounts, a regular Google account and a Google apps account with my own domain. I’ve started using Google plus with the regular account and loved it. Now I just want to use everything only under one persona, but I can’t. Google enabled multiple login, which was good, but not a solution. Solution would be: having just one account, and having the possibility of merging the two accounts I have, and best case: being able to do it TODAY! 🙂

    All best, 

    Jose

  57. Huh… I tried to +1 your article, but I just got a message that said, 

    “Oops… you need a Google profile to use this feature. Google Profiles is not available for your organization.”

    That’s weird.  😦

  58. Yeah, my plus account is on my back-up email and it annoys me to. I was just disputing the claim that you couldn’t use multiple sign-in.

  59. I feel you brother… I am posting/+1’ing this using my private gmail account instead of my corporate google apps one, sadly 😦

  60. I would +1 you if I could. And actually I can too. I do have a plus account on a gmail account I barely use that gets forwarded to my apps account. I am ready for some serious integration of my accounts. OK google. Where is the combine accounts easy button? Since I can already select which accounts send out email, and they all forward to the same address, then I really have all I need. Unfortunately, google, the masters organization and consolidation, have made it impossible to figure out how to consolidate and organize my gmail and google apps accounts! Help me out here. At this point I would pay someone to do it for me.

  61. I’d say you can half  use it. You can’t switch google+ to a different account. So to use multiple accounts, you have to log out of your apps account, log into google+, then go back and switch the applications to your apps account. Ugly, but it works.

    Except not with android market, which is still on my gmail account.

  62. I agree with you, give priority to the most loyal customers, and those are the ones that are paying for Google Apps. Chrome and Opera are the 2 browsers I use most, depending on which computer I am on. The only thing Chrome is missing however is a 64bit architecture it would boost speeds even more.

  63. AMEN Brother!  You said it well.  GApps users – paying customers – should get priority treatment!

  64. Same thing for me, very disappointing. I was very excited about this new feature. Also 1 more fact, google already merging accounts and mine is already transferred to google apps (before I had two separate accounts). And i looks like +1 button is supposed to work now (at hover shows my name and so on), but it doesn’t :((((

  65. seems to be googles architecture is messed up … that happens a lot if you are innovating in different groups of the organization….. If the architecture of google would have been more platform like, then all services should be easily added to any apps domain… google itself would be just another google-apps domain itself…….

  66. I agree. I’m an apps user and pay google hundreds of dollars a year and I still don’t have access to new features like this ( if ever ). I’m so sick of google not giving apps users what they deserve. I will be canceling my apps account. Bye Google.

  67. I couldn’t have said it better myself.  I’m still trying to picture the scene in a Google conference room when someone said, “Hey, you know all of those loyal Google fans who pay us for Apps accounts?  Let’s exclude them from future products.”

    I can no longer recommend Apps to people or small businesses because I cannot answer the question when they ask when Profiles and Plus will be available.  I sorely wish Google would just announce something.  If it’s not coming (my hunch) then tell us so we can get on with our lives and revert back to our  gmail.com accounts.

    Believe it or not small businesses are making decisions about they interact with customers via social networking and the longer Google delays on this the less likely Google+ is going to get any traction.  Why gamble on Google allowing this someday when Facebook and Twitter offer the same thing this very second?

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