Google+ Dropping From Google's Knowledge Graph Box

Sep 18, 2014 • 8:03 am | comments (11) by | Filed Under Google Search Engine
 

Google+ LogoMark Traphagen posted on Google+ that Google started dropping a lot of the Google+ elements you'd find in the Google Knowledge Box on the right hand side of the page.

UPDATE: This was just a bug on Google's end, see details below.

For example, here is the old search result layout, with the knowledge graph box promoting the National Geographic Google+ posts and encouraging users to follow them on Google+:

click for full size

Now for the same search, you get very little, to no Google+ information, depending on the brand and where Google finds the logo:

click for full size

A search for my name now dropped off all the Google+ data, with the exception of the picture, which is taken from my Google profile:

Barry Schwartz Knowledge Box Google

Before, it looked like this with recent Google+ posts, follow him, circle count, etc.

barry schwartz technologist Google Now

And a search for [matt cutts] has no box at all anymore, which is strange.

There may or may not be a difference for people when they search signed in or not, but I am seeing this de-Google+ clutterization (made that up) happening both signed in and out.

Forum discussion at Google+.

Update: Google told us this was just a bug and that the follow button never showed for signed out users (but I was signed in during my tests btw). Google said:

- Since last night signed-out users haven't been seeing brands' recent G+ posts in the right-hand panel. But it's just a bug; our exterminators are on it.

- The 'Follow' button in fact wasn't shown to signed-out users before (and it still isn't).

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