According to insider sources, Google is planning to re-brand two major properties. Picasa will be re-branded as Google Photos while Blogger will become Google Blogs. The changes are set to take place over the next four to six weeks.
The Details of the Re-Branding
As reported by Mashable, several Google properties will be renamed in the next four to six weeks. The two properties confirmed as being re-branded are Picasa, which will be re-named Google Photos, and Blogger, which will be renamed Google Blogs. It has also been made clear that YouTube will keep its title for the foreseeable future.
Both Picasa and Blogger are popular services that were originally created by outside companies. In both cases, Google kept the original name. Both services are also veterans in the Google fleet, with Blogger having been acquired in 2003 and Picasa having been acquired in 2004. While there have been several instances in the past where an acquired services has been re-branded under a Google name (such as with Google Sites and Google Voice), the upcoming changes are the largest in Google’s history.
The changes to Blogger’s name will likely coincide with the additional “overhaul” that was announced in March. It’s uncertain how Google will treat blog domains located on Blogger.com.
Brand Unification in the Google+ World
The four to six week date, according to a speculation from Mashable, is likely to coincide with the public release of Google+. Mashablehad previously received word that Google+ was slated to go public on July 31st. As Picasa and Blogger are both socially oriented features, re-branding them at the same time that Google’s social platform is an intuitive choice.
The desire for brand unity also makes sense for the Google+ efforts. By branding everything in the same platform, Google+ becomes a more capable hub and aggregator for other Google services.
