Google+ Communities launched last week, and it could have some pretty big implications for brands. In short, Google+ Communities are essentially Google’s answer to groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. Communities offer places for Google+ users to meet and talk with others who have shared interests. They can be public or private, and discussion streams can be filtered by topics or categories. Google+ Hangouts, photos, events and +1s are also integrated into Communities. So what does this mean for brands? Communities on Google+, much like group pages on other social networks, offer brands a way to communicate with people in a less commercial way