Keeping up with Google Places was almost  considered a full time job. On May 30, 2012, GOOGLE announced that Google Places will now be integrated with Google+ and have a new name Google + Local. I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted.

The Google announcement was published on what they call their Google and Your Business Blog. This article was posted by Jen Fitzpatrick, VP Engineering. I don’t know Ms. Fitzpatrick, but I am pretty sure she is very proud of Google’s latest update; however, I feel she may not have any idea what is involved with running a small business that has come to depend upon Google for generating local business.

What I am going to do is provide you with is a list of good articles that discuss this news in pretty straightforward language.  As Greg Sterling, Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land warned:

“Business owners will probably have a somewhat more difficult transition than consumers, as they’re compelled now to pay attention to Google+ — in a big way. They now ignore Google+ at their own peril.”