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Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

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Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#91
post #3

I use Google for everything from Google Apps to Google Voice. Given this recent behaviour of Google, I'm doing something wrong. Over the next few weeks, I plan to do the following: 1) Transition my gmail account over to a domain I own. I'll email everyone I know, and change all my known addresses. Thankfully, Google lets me connect via IMAP to retrieve all of this. 2) Move my Google Voice number to my VOIP carrier. T…

Every time I see these posts with alarmists giving bullet-lists of things they are "going to do", it sounds a lot to me like they are trying to threaten Google. Just so you're not surprised and disappointed later, I'll let you in on a secret- they don't care . Even besides the part where they are Google, I have witnessed a long history of complaints to different companies, and the more false bravado and chest- and/or…

Okay, they don't care - sounds like even more of a reason to take he above course of action, no? I don't get the impression it was supposed to be intimidating for Google.

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#92
Is there much evidence that this isn't largely a rampaging set of over-enthusiastic rule-enforcing bots, or an exploit being spread, or something non-malicious? It seems like people are leaping to conclusions, assuming Google has just now assigned some incredible amount of (stupid) employees to go around and wield the ban-hammer.

Why the wait? Why so many at once? It feels more to me like an error than something intentional.

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#93
post #92

Is there much evidence that this isn't largely a rampaging set of over-enthusiastic rule-enforcing bots, or an exploit being spread, or something non-malicious? It seems like people are leaping to conclusions, assuming Google has just now assigned some incredible amount of (stupid) employees to go around and wield the ban-hammer. Why the wait? Why so many at once? It feels more to me like an error than something inte…

[deleted]

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#95
post #36

I believe I have woken up in an alternate universe today. Since when are random Google engineers so absurdly popular that a G+ account suspension is even noticed, let alone reacted to with a flood of tweets, emails, etc? Being a Google engineer appears to confer a seat at the popular kids' table, now.

Skud was actually Internet-famous before being a Google engineer - she was pretty well-known in the Perl and open-source communities before joining Google as part of the Metaweb acquisition: http://www.oscon.com/oscon2009/public/schedule/detail/10173 http://search.cpan.org/~skud/ She wasn't actually at Google all that long - hell, I'm more senior than she was, but I doubt anyone would notice if my G+ account disappea…

Skud was actually Internet-famous before being a Google engineer

Hell, Skud was Internet-famous before Google existed

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#96
The whole real name thing was the deal killer for me. The last thing I need is more crap that will be stored forever, probably sold, analyzed, run through a bunch of machine learning algorithms and used to give me a multitude of bayesian probabilities forever and ever with my real name attached. The whole thing is just creepy. Google + isn't a financial institution or a military contractor. Why do they need to identify everybody so precisely?

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#97

I really like Google but they lack of human interaction when there is a problem is troubling.

Deep rooted in the way they do hiring interviews in the first place maybe? Look like they target heavy cold problem solving people, can it get them conflict-solving people?

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#99

The whole real name thing was the deal killer for me. The last thing I need is more crap that will be stored forever, probably sold, analyzed, run through a bunch of machine learning algorithms and used to give me a multitude of bayesian probabilities forever and ever with my real name attached. The whole thing is just creepy. Google + isn't a financial institution or a military contractor. Why do they need to identi…

I think the main purpose would be for Google to target ads very specifically like facebook does now.

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#100
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a good alternative to Google Voice? I want an online voicemail service and call forwarding for when I travel.

I use Youmail for voicemail and have been really happy with it. I pay the $20/year or whatever it is for a paid account.

Also, the paid transcription they have is much much MUCH better than what is offered by Google Voice... (disclaimer: I actually use PhoneTag still, not YouMail, but both PhoneTag and YouMail have assured me that YouMail's new transcription feature uses PhoneTag's backend, due to their partnership to provide this service).
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