You Can Disable Comments and Lock Sharing on Google+ Before Posting Now

Google is constantly pushing small changes and updates to Google+, trying to maintain momentum and keep existing and new users happy. One of the big focuses with Google+ has been on privacy and this continues to be so.

Google has now made a couple of changes to the way users can control how their posts are seen and used by others.

Users have always had the option of disabling comments for anything they share or even locking the posts, photos or albums down so that others can't share them further.

But this was only possible after the post had been shared with friends and Google+ buddies, a rather obvious oversight.

Now, following feedback, Google is streamlining the process and making the experience saner, by enabling users to set those privacy options before the post goes live.

"By popular demand, we’re rolling out a feature that lets you disable comments and lock your posts before sharing to the Google+ stream," Google's Ebby Amirebrahimi writes.

It's a bit strange that Google had to hear from users to realize that these features need to be available before posting, but this is one of the side effects of having new features and small fixes bolted on top of the existing site rather than launching everything in one go.

"One of my favorite parts about Google+ is how circles help me control who I share things with. And if I want to go a step further, I can do things like disable comments, or lock my post to make sure no one reshares it," Amirebrahimi explains.

"We've heard from many of you that you want these disable and lock options before you share, not after. So today I'm happy to say that we're doing exactly that," he said.

Now, when sharing something on Google+, users will notice, if they hover over the sharebox that there is a small arrow leading to a drop-down menu, with the two privacy options.