Three years ago, Google launched Google+, but along with the new network came a myriad of tough rules, one of which earned them backlash. You could only use a real name to become a part of Google+ based on the reasoning that members who chose to join the community should be real people. While it did create a community of authentic people, it also acted as a barrier to others who wanted to be involved, but not use their real names.

There were smaller changes made as Google+ aged, but nothing that allowed those in the wings to participate in the way that they wanted to become involved. With those incremental changes came more confusion: it was not clear what names would be allowed and which were not.

Last month, Google changed their policy, acknowledging they had not been clear, which in turn created difficulties for some of their users. It is always nice to get an apology, but it remains to be seen if the apology has the potential to successfully mend broken bridges. There are now no restrictions on what name may be used on Google+.

Perhaps this recent step to include more users has the potential to drive an entirely different kind of community. Even though the step to go without restrictions was a long time coming, it does show that Google still aims to be inclusive.