What Is Google Currents

What is Google Bustle? It is an internal social networking and communication platform for companies involved in Google Workspace.

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The successor to the now defunct Google+, Currents is a stripped-down version of the consumer-oriented social network. However, it maintains much of the functionality and basic look of Google+, a factor that may help drive its adoption within your enterprise.

Google Currents is facing stiff competition from Slack for workplace communication. But its features, which include impact metrics, may be enough for you to give it a try, especially since it’s already included in the workspace.

How do you access Google Bustle?

You can access Google Bustle by navigating to the Apps list at the top of your Google Workspace account. You can also access Currents through its iOS and Android apps. You will be asked to sign in using your work account.

If you have both a paid work account and a free personal Google Account, make sure to sign-in using the former. Google Ado is not available on consumer accounts (that end in @gmail.com).

What can you do with Google Bustle?

Google Bustle can be used to keep an entire company and its various sub-groups up to date. It can also be used to obtain input and feedback on projects and initiatives.

Google+ fans will enjoy how setting up a profile on Currents is very similar to how it was on the discontinued social network, right down to being able to add your work and education history.

Another throw-back feature includes the ability to segment the people you follow into different circles.

When creating a post, you have the option of adding a photo, link, poll, or Google Drive file, and then select your audience (sound familiar?). You can see how many times people have viewed, liked, shared and commented on your posts. You can also reshare someone else’s post. When you discover a coworker, instead of “friending” you, you follow them to see their posts.

One of the most unique features of Currents is the ability to view your influence within the platform over different time periods. You gain more influence by getting more comments on your posts, getting more views and sharing of your posts, and by gathering more followers.

How Google organizes movement information

Google organizes posts using Bustle, Stream, Community, and Tagging.

Streams: Set up by an admin, streams are used to draw attention to posts related to specific topics. This is useful because Streams breaks down posts from the All Posts feed, which can get a bit crowded, and puts them where they can be found and referenced quickly.

Community: Have a group of coworkers collaborating on a project? Do they need dedicated space for project management? You can create a community for them in Currents.

Communities can be set up for topics you want to curate and share information. For example, coworkers involved in the development of a new product may organize and share information within a community.

Tagging: No surprise here—adding hashtags to posts in Currents is a way for users to quickly search and find information on a specific topic, for example, #pizzafriday or #annualbonus. You can search for tags via the main search bar at the top of Currents. You can also see popular tags and who you’re following by clicking on the #Tags option on the left.

Administrative controls are an important part of Currents. With the ability to moderate posts, admins receive analytics on how posts are being viewed and used. This gives them the ability to understand what types of content work best and the data to perform employee sentiment analysis.

Google Current Potential Use Cases

In addition to serving as an internal social network, Google Bustle has many additional potential examples of use. Here’s something:

For example, a company may use a dedicated current stream as an entry point for internal documentation and tutorials assembled using Docs and other Google tools such as YouTube. If that content is being hosted elsewhere, it may cost the company less.

Another potential use case for Currents is to increase company transparency and accountability. While Slack often feels fleeting, email is a mess, and discussions behind closed doors only help the people in the room.

However, Currents does provide a place where senior executives can post on company strategy and respond to questions and comments in a forum where all employees can see them. Months later, when you’re wondering whether the C-Suite was successful, you can refer to the current and see the discussions on a particular topic.