Introducing Google Minus: advantages
When using social media in business, some find it important to know who has newly connected with them as well as knowing who has disconnected from them (or “unfriended”), as the belief is that every lost connection is a lost business opportunity. Others would argue that tracking unfrienders can turn into a useless obsession.
For those seeking a way to know of those who have removed them from their Google+ Circles, a feature absent from Google+, there is a simple and free browser extension that works on Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari called “GOOGLEMINUS” by Kynetx. Once installed, when someone removes you from a Google+ Circle, you are notified by a pop up as demonstrated above.
The browser is helpful for users to know if they are oversharing or behaving outside of the standard culture of the social network if users begin unfriending in bulk. It is also a useful way to possibly reconnect with people who otherwise would slip through the cracks.
Disadvantages of GoogleMINUS
Some eyebrows are raised by the app even though it is in the Google Chrome Web Store in that it requires the download of the Kynetx browser which comes with other apps and adds functionality to other social networks as well, but some are hesitant to download the browser suite because the permissions required are questionable.
When downloading, the extension says, “This app needs access to the pages on plus.google.com to integrate the Javascript encessary to evaluate those who have added you to your circles. The extension operates entirely within the bounds of your browser and doesn’t collect any personally identifiable information.” Also, the following permissions are required in order to download:
Nicholas Greene wrote in a column on TheChromeSource.com, “Um… yeah, warning bells are screaming in my head right now. Why the blue bloody hell would an extension that simply accesses the javascript of Google + need to know all of that? And how is pretty much all your personal data on Chrome not ‘personally identifiable information’?”
Some will opt out of downloading the browser extension because of the privacy settings, but others will as a means of keeping as many business contacts at hand as possible.
