Google integrates Google Plus features with Google Apps

:News on Google Marketing, according to The New York Times: Google Plus, Google’s large but underused social network will be integrating features with Google Apps, the online document, calendar and spreadsheet service that Google sell to companies.

Hangouts could be the most interesting feature where up to 10 people can video chat at once, with calendars, e-mail, and documents. Hangouts could help bring workers to a virtual meeting and enable them to put in a calendar for future work commitments.

Restricted posts only for people inside an organization can be placed by people in Google Plus. It has control in keeping news inside the organization. These however, would be hard to contain as recently, a memo concerning a mass layoff, was shared by an executive on his Facebook page.

More features including mobile services and more administrative controls will be announced by Google in the coming months.

Google is figuring out other ways to make the service relevant as Google Plus isn’t getting the noise or traffic of Facebook.

Other social technologies adopted by companies are services like Yammer, which was acquired by Microsoft for $1.2 billion, and Salesforce’s Chatter. Chatter and similar efforts are so significant that Marc Benioff, Salesforce chief executive, announced that Salesforce has been “reborn social.”

Read more at Google Plus Goes to the Office

Bing Adds New Feature in Integrating Facebook in Search Results

:News on Social Marketing, according to ClickZ Marketing News & Expert Advice: finding photos shared by all your Facebook friends is no longer a problem with Bing’s latest search feature involving a social network. Tagging friends in search results has recently been added by Bing. This new feature is an expansion of the photo features that launched with the social sidebar in May.

The sidebar alongside results shows friend photos that are relevant to your search query. However, with this new feature, you can now browse the entire album of your friend whose photos appear in the sidebar.

Another new feature added by Bing is the Bing Friends’ Photos landing page which shows all your friends’ photos in single, infinite-scrolling page. This page is located at bing.com/friendsphotos.

Your own galleries and photos you were tagged in can also be viewed through that same portal page. Full-sized image with comments in a sidebar can also be viewed by clicking on any image and you can share the image, like or post a comment.

However, you may only be able to see photos your friends share with you, likewise, only photos you have made viewable to others will be shared on Bing.

This recent addition of Facebook features only shows Bing’s commitment to help consumers do things more easily and quickly.

Read more at Bing Adds Facebook Photo Search

Bing’s Visual Search Options to Become the New Search Form

:News on Google Marketing, according to Brafton: Google is now offering consumers more social data in results, thus, updating its search experience. However, Bing looks like it is ready to compete with Google with its effort to change the scene of search results, Brafton reported.

Brian MacDonald, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for core search program management, told Fast Company that the days of “10 blue links” is about to end. He said that Bing wants searchers to imagine a better, more visual search experience and redesign the way results are presented to users.

Microsoft has now invested largely in hiring teams for visual, interaction and information design, a search result redesign as well as architecture and motion experts, Fast Company reported.

Brafton also reported, in order to help make search more visual, Bing launched a top image page last month making the search experience a more visual event.

Users will be able to see collections of information at one time, allowing them to click on images to learn more, with Bing’s Visual Search options. MacDonald explains that Bing wants this element of visual exploration to become the new search norm.

Read more at Watch out Google: Bing wants to revamp the search experience

Other Social Marketing Articles of Interest

Klout has a new look and metrics

Fake Likes Not Liked by Facebook