If you already use Google+ for online networking and group chat, now you can use it for collaborating on work projects, too. Google is launching an initial set of Google+ features designed specifically for businesses, and is now previewing the features for Apps customers for free through the end of 2013 (yes, over a year). During the trial period, Google says it will continue to add more features and administrative controls.
The company has already been soliciting feedback from Google+ enterprise pilot customers, and will continue to ask for feedback during the semi-open trial period.
Here are a few of the new enterprise-friendly features in Google+:
Google Apps users now have more control over the content they post to Google+. When you create a post you can mark it as restricted. Restricted posts are private to your organization and can never be re-shared with anyone outside. At the same time, when you create a post, you can also share it with specific partners or colleagues outside your organization if you wish.
Google Hangouts lets you hold face-to-face meetings with up to nine other colleagues or clients around the world — all you need is a device with a camera and an internet connection. Your colleagues can join a group video chat directly from Gmail, and participants can open a Google doc for everyone to write or edit together during the chat. Users can now also add a Hangout to a Calendar event, allowing attendees to join the meeting directly from the invite or Calendar entry.
To help make sure users are sharing only with the people they intend, administrators can now set company-wide defaults for post restrictions. They can also enable restricted Hangouts for private meetings.
Google says it is also working on more administrative controls, and a mobile version of Google+ for enterprise users.
