This is just as bad as companies forcing me to “like” something on Facebook before I can view whatever it is they want me to “like.”
I don't think it is "just as bad" but it is quite obnoxious.
Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
91–100 of 276 posts
Re: Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
#92In the beginning people complained that Google has like a dozen different "Like" buttons on the Reader, Youtube and so on. Now they complain that they want to use just one everywhere? I think it's a great move. Personally, I even want them to integrate their G+ commenting system into all their services. It's one of the best commenting systems out there, and certainly much better than the Youtube one. It might even en…
But there's a third option, and it's the one Wheaton is complaining is no longer there.
Instead of there being a way to "like" this thing on an external social network (like G+ or Facebook), what about just "liking" it on a system that exists only on the site itself (in this case, on YouTube)?
Then after that, how about a system to Share the item? This doesn't really exist on the web, but the Sharing system on Android solves this problem well.
Re: Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
#93I think this move comes down to issues of branding with google accounts. What's happened here is replacing needing a 'Youtube' account with a 'Google' account, which for all intents and purposes has been a Google account for a while now anyway. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of consolidating the various ways in which you hold a google account for any of the services under one G+ bannner. The problem I se…
> What's happened here is replacing needing a 'Youtube' account with a 'Google' account
No, that happened years ago, you haven't been able to log into Youtube with a Youtube account for a very, very long time. Instead, you've been greeted with this:
> Update your YouTube account by linking to a Google Account
> You will no longer be able to sign in to YouTube without a Google Account.
> If you do not want to link this YouTube account, you can sign out here.
This new move is about forcefully shoving G+ further down user throats in the hope of ever making it relevant.
Re: Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
#94This is where I show my complete lack of understanding about Social Media, but really, what is the point of a 'like' button? The web is built on URLs. If you like something and want to share it with people, send them a URL. That's what they're for.
> what is the point of a 'like' button? Feedback to the author, and crowd-rating for people you don't know. What do you think the point of HN's up and down arrows are?
Ok, I understand that. My issue is the conflating of approval with sharing.
In this case, the problem is that people without G+ cannot voice their approval. This is obviously a deliberate ploy to coerce people into joining G+, but motives aside the issue is that Google are forcing people to share when perhaps, some only want to approve.
As people have noted, whilst the frictionless sharing is good for viral marketing, in the long term it's devastating to signal vs. noise. I left Facebook largely because my stream was full of updates from people - good friends, who I enjoy talking to - that said 'John Doe likes this: "Click like for a chance to Win!"'
Re: Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
#95Google thinks it will die in the long run without social. They realize that all the tech-savvy software product in the world can be reproduced eventually, but secondary, human-savvy products, can never be reproduced. Furthermore, they see the power in adding ever more context to search - see Bret Victor's talk about how 'interaction' is bad, and inferring context is everything. There's no better context than social.…
I haven't seen a convincing argument that Google needs social. I know they believe it, I just haven't seen anything that made a compelling case that it's actually true.
This is my take on things but happy to hear other views. Google (and Facebook) are advertising based so try thinking about it in terms of how well they know their users.
The better they know their users, the more specifically they can target ads to them. For example, if I wanted to reach 20-somethings, who really like pizza and motorbikes, travel widely and currently reside on the west coast, FB can put ads in front of that group (I don't know if Google can, but I assume it's more tricky for them).
Since there are likely a large number of people that use the web while still logged in to FB, then FB could feasibly start offering to place highly-targeted ads out on the web at large. This could obviously have a dramatic effect on Google's dominance.
In other words, it's not just social per se, but being able to learn more about users in order to ensure that they can keep their hold over advertising revenue. Once I looked at it this way, Google's 'need' for social made more sense.
To test the above, we could look at what Google offers in terms of demographics/interest filtering when you buy/place ads around the web. If the ability to refine who sees your ads is really part of the plan then there should be signs that it's happening. I've never used any of Google's ad stuff so I wouldn't know where to look.
Re: Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
They gain a bunch of people with an easy and painless upgrade path to G+ usage if/when their friends start using it. It reduces the technical friction, which is always the biggest blocker for early adopters. Like most people, all of my friends use Facebook more or less exclusively. But I know if I have a photo in my G+ account (the Android app syncs all photos to the G+ cloud by default) I can send people a link and…
> They gain a bunch of people with an easy and painless upgrade path to G+ usage Do they, or do they just piss people off and result in them using their services less? When Google mandated migrating youtube accounts to G+, I just let mine rot.
Normal users don't get "pissed off" like that. There's no requirement to "use" G+ to have a youtube account. They just click "OK" and continue using youtube as before. You (and the author of the linked blog) have a bone to pick with Google, which is fine. Just recognize that most people don't care. There's nothing objectively more difficult about youtube now that it's linked to G+, ditto gmail, etc...
Re: Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
#97In the beginning people complained that Google has like a dozen different "Like" buttons on the Reader, Youtube and so on. Now they complain that they want to use just one everywhere? I think it's a great move. Personally, I even want them to integrate their G+ commenting system into all their services. It's one of the best commenting systems out there, and certainly much better than the Youtube one. It might even en…
> "It might even encourage better comments on Youtube."
I don't think the move to G+ will affect Youtube comment quality at all.
Re: Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Now they complain that they want to use just one everywhere? It's almost like the Internet is lots of different people with wildly divergent opinions!
Google is one company. Would you want Apple to have 5 different payment systems, or Facebook to have 5 different Like buttons?
I actually don't think I would care if Facebook had 5 different like buttons.
Re: Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
> They gain a bunch of people with an easy and painless upgrade path to G+ usage Do they, or do they just piss people off and result in them using their services less? When Google mandated migrating youtube accounts to G+, I just let mine rot.
Normal users don't get "pissed off" like that. There's no requirement to "use" G+ to have a youtube account. They just click "OK" and continue using youtube as before. You (and the author of the linked blog) have a bone to pick with Google, which is fine. Just recognize that most people don't care. There's nothing objectively more difficult about youtube now that it's linked to G+, ditto gmail, etc...
On what do you base that astounding assertion?
Re: Google is making a huge and annoying mistake
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
I haven't seen a convincing argument that Google needs social. I know they believe it, I just haven't seen anything that made a compelling case that it's actually true.
This is my take on things but happy to hear other views. Google (and Facebook) are advertising based so try thinking about it in terms of how well they know their users. The better they know their users, the more specifically they can target ads to them. For example, if I wanted to reach 20-somethings, who really like pizza and motorbikes, travel widely and currently reside on the west coast, FB can put ads in front…
I have to say that it sounds like an excellent reason to drop gmail and move away from google products. I don't _want_ advertisers to know more about me.