Google’s social network is now much more troll-friendly than it was when it launched three years ago, as the company is finally ready to offer users the one feature they have been asking for: choosing whatever username they desire for Google+. The company announced in a post on Google+ that, henceforward, it will let users select their desired username, which doesn’t have to be their real name, as it was the case before.
“When we launched Google+ over three years ago, we had a lot of restrictions on what name you could use on your profile,” Google wrote. “This helped create a community made up of real people, but it also excluded a number of people who wanted to be part of it without using their real names.”
“Today, we are taking the last step: there are no more restrictions on what name you can use.”
Online publication Engadget points out that there still are some restrictions in place for Google+, no matter what Google said. Users still have to fill in both the First and Last names – although inserting a dot in any of the fields also counts as filling it in – and they can only change their usernames once every three months or so. Furthermore, pretending to be someone else or using names that violate Google’s Terms of Service is not allowed.
This is one of Google’s latest moves to make Google+ friendlier to those Internet users who want to keep their online and real-life identities separate. The company already allows any names on +Page owners, and lets YouTube users “bring their usernames to Google+.”
