Google launches new plugins for Google Plus

Google+ turns 2 today and the search giant is keen on spreading some joy around. For starters, it has launched a bunch of new plugins to help visitors connect with Google+ developers on the social networking site, directly from their website. These plugins include a new Follow button, a new badge for Communities, and updated badges for Pages and Profiles.

The new Follow button

The new Google+ Follow button is an independent plugin that lets visitors follow a developer from his site; it integrates with the existing social buttons on his site. Those who’ve already got the +1 button do not need new JavaScript to add the button, instead developers will have to configure the plugin and add the markup of their page. Incidentally, the new Follow button is already live on sites like Celebuzz, Cooking Light, Fitness Magazine, and Huffington Post. 

To help community managers on Google+ get more members from across the web, Google has introduced badges for Google+ Communities. Considering these badges are configurable, Google claims that it is easy to match to the developer’s site design. With the new badges on, visitors to the developer’s site will view his community page in a new browser tab upon clicking the “Preview” button. Here they can view recent posts, depending on the community’s privacy settings, and also join the community. To return to their site, visitors will only have to close the new tab.

Customisable badges

The Page and Profile badges have been updated too and these are customisable as well. Developers can pick between landscape and portrait modes and light and dark themes. They can also choose between enabling or disabling cover photos and taglines.

Developers should note that their existing badges will remain that way till about 90 days, during which they will have to configure the new version for their site. After that period, any Google+ badges will feature the new design. 

In addition to updated badges, a new visual style has been lent too to the +1 and Share buttons. These will be updated automatically over the next few weeks.