Google+ and referential integrity

So I have a personal Google account with a personal GMail address. I run most things via this account like contacting friends, using it as correspondence for banks etc…

When Google+ was announced, I signed up straight away and I was one of the few that understood when Google started deleting those fake accounts. I was one of the few that was frustrated that I was receiving follow suggestions for people in my address book, just because I had multiple email addresses for them but there are the principles of referential integrity.

One person, one record on the database.

But, I also have a Google Apps account. I use this account for my business and have a separate GMail address, contacts list and have linked different Google Applications to it like AdWords and Analytics.

So, should I also have a Google+ account under this username? In the end I decided to just add both email addresses to my personal Google+ account and respect the referential integrity of Google+. After all, it’s going to make the network a better place for all of us.

Then, Google announces Google+ Pages for Business. I obviously want to create a page for my company, but hang on, I haven’t signed up for Google+ under my business address. So in the end, I created my business page under my personal account.

This isn’t perfect for me, because I like to keep my personal and business personas separate. I run my personal account through Chrome, and my business account through Chrome Canary, it just keeps two very different networks separate.

I’m hoping that Google will allow multiple management of Google+ Pages for Business quite soon just like you can share permissions on various other products but in the meantime, I’m left mixing the two accounts together.

Now for the other problem, I also work at a University that uses Google Apps, and you’ve guessed it, I will need to manage a separate Google+ account for internal use there. Oh and I will also be creating a Google+ Page for the University as well.

So, I could potentially have a need for three separate Google+ accounts but under Google’s rules, will this result in my suspension?

About Andrew Smallwood

Experienced digital strategist with a foundation in web development and analytics. Leads multi-disciplinary teams in content creation and digital marketing ensuring data is at the core of decision making.


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