When Google launched its social network, it was supposed to be a Facebook killer. Things haven’t quite worked out as they had planned. And now Google has announced that they will be rolling out big changes to Google+.

Of those changes, the biggest may be that you will no longer need a Google+ account to use Google’s other services, such as YouTube.  This forced integration was a major cause of contention among users and even sparked a petition to circulate that urged Google to bring back anonymity to YouTube comments.

In addition, some of the platform’s features will be retired or moved to other applications. Elements of Google+ Photos have already been moved into the new Google Photos app. And you can expect more changes to come as the company continues to optimize its strategy and focus on its strengths.

Of those strengths, segmentation and targeting shine. These features allow you to share content with very specific groups of followers, a very valuable capability for marketers. Think about it; these features have the basics of other social platforms all rolled into a single network.

• Communities connect you to people with shared interests, similar to LinkedIn groups.
• Collections are a way to organize posts by topic, much like Pinterest. So you could have a collection of recipes, for example, to keep your foodie followers engaged.
• Hangouts is another feature that has value for relationship marketers. Instead of using Apple’s FaceTime, or branching out into Periscope or Meerkat, you can use Hangouts to text, call, or participate in a video chat with up to 10 people at the same time. This is huge for sales professionals who don’t typically work in an office (such as real estate agents). It is not known whether Hangouts will remain part of Google+ or if it will become a completely stand-alone app, but it may just be one of Google+’s best features.
• Circles is another great feature of Google+, although it is unique to this platform. Circles let you group followers into different segments. Your updates and shares will be visible only to the circles you specify—a unique feature that could essentially allow you to merge all of your social media sharing into a single network, assuming that your audience is on G+ as well.

Some are calling the latest changes the beginning of the end for Google+. Others envision it continuing on in its new form.

How will these changes affect the way you use the social network? Did you use Google+ before? If not, do these changes make it more attractive? Share your thoughts in the comments below.