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Google+ broke our trust

zdnet.com

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Re: Google+ broke our trust

#111

Post by Angostura »

fzltrp wrote: post #98

I don't think that G+ was a mistake. The only real issue is the real name policy, though I fail to see how they'd be able to enforce it. People could create alternate email addresses with fake names (and some did), and use it when they want to participate social "i-events" without giving up their id. It's been like that before G+, and it would only take a small move from them to correct it. Of course, the downside of…

The real issues were real names, the attempt to force use of a single identity across multiple Web properties and the difficulty of being able to work out what would be be visible to what people under what circumstances.

Which is really daft, considering that the whole 'Circles' thing was initially designed to do away with the 'different content for different audiences' issue originally.

Re: Google+ broke our trust

#112

Post by pessimizer »

VonGuard wrote: post #97
rando289 wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Hey, I can find videos of people angry at about anything that exists. Actually, you can't, and your post is a bit rediculous. For "features of websites that are widely used", how many of them are part of youtube crying videos? Probably ~0.0001% and it certainly could be useful to call one out.

See, this is why Google wanted real names on Youtube. We've all read Youtube comments. They are the single worst comments on the Internet. Typically racist, usually mean, often obscene. Google really, through all this, just wanted to make the comments better on YouTube, I think. They heard everyone bitching and figured this was a way to make things less caustic. It didn't help, though...

I found them hilarious and often insightful expressions of honest humanity. Now, they're just shit. It's sad how much we're willing to give up to avoid every 100th comment being an aimless racial slur.

Re: Google+ broke our trust

#113

Post by Diamons »

pessimizer wrote: post #107
asdfologist wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that would be cool, but I don't think Diaspora offers anything compelling to the general public. What fraction of FB users actually care that much about privacy?

In my experience, amongst non-technical people, around 95%. Amongst techies? A strong 20%.

Also that homepage is horrendous. The homepage doesn't tell me anything about why its relevant to me or how it can make my life better. It's selling me features instead of an experience.

"Host a pod"? What kind of illiterate donkey built this garbage. I could write a book about why this site is garbage as an alternative to Facebook.

Re: Google+ broke our trust

#114

Post by pessimizer »

Diamons wrote: post #110
pessimizer wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, amongst non-technical people, around 95%. Amongst techies? A strong 20%.

If that was accurate 95% of people would have stopped using Facebook when the NSA's wiretapping was uncovered. Last I checked Facebook hasn't missed a beat

They need facebook because they like their friends. Its immensely important to me that the government stop tapping my phone, but if you think the fact that I still call my grandmother is a sign of consent, you're a fool.

Re: Google+ broke our trust

#116

Post by pron »

acjohnson55 wrote: post #88
pron wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can understand not wanting the NSA to snoop your correspondence. I can't understand letting Google do that for years, analyze it, profile you and sell that information to just about anyone, but then thinking that the NSA is the final straw.

I think there is a big difference. As ubiquitous and powerful as Google is, the US government is vastly more powerful, and I think it's vastly more dangerous without accountability.

Well, perhaps more dangerous in theory. In practice, the biggest role the federal government has played in US history is that of liberating people from the tyranny of private businesses: first with slavery, then Teddy Roosevelt vs. the robber barons, the Civil Rights Acts (that prohibited private businesses from discriminating based on race), and most recently the (unfortunately not-so-successful) fight against private health insurance companies. In fact, given its limited powers (relative to other Western democracies), that's pretty much the only thing the US government does: businesses hurt people; people cry for the government to save them; government saves them. What they've been trying to do with terrorists over the past decade or so is small potatoes.

Re: Google+ broke our trust

#117

Post by galfarragem »

sumedh wrote: post #100
galfarragem wrote: post #78

To change status quo you need to provide enough value to motivate that change: Google Search: Search experience was completely disrupted. Since that moment people could focus on what they needed (no disturbing ads) and be more efficient. Gmail: Google innovated and simplified a lot email experience. You can easily measure the importance of Gmail to people by the importance of Gmail to the Google brand. Chrome: As an…

Add Google Buzz, Orkut, Google Wave, Google Talk, Hangouts. Its like Google is trying everything and hoping something would stick.

You don't see Apple making that. They focus on few things and make them great.

Re: Google+ broke our trust

#118

Post by pessimizer »

Diamons wrote: post #113
pessimizer wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, amongst non-technical people, around 95%. Amongst techies? A strong 20%.

Also that homepage is horrendous. The homepage doesn't tell me anything about why its relevant to me or how it can make my life better. It's selling me features instead of an experience. "Host a pod"? What kind of illiterate donkey built this garbage. I could write a book about why this site is garbage as an alternative to Facebook.

You're replying to the wrong thing, and the comment is utterly worthless.

Re: Google+ broke our trust

#119

Post by ninguem2 »

pessimizer wrote: post #107
asdfologist wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that would be cool, but I don't think Diaspora offers anything compelling to the general public. What fraction of FB users actually care that much about privacy?

In my experience, amongst non-technical people, around 95%. Amongst techies? A strong 20%.

Have you got these numbers backwards?

Re: Google+ broke our trust

#120

Post by wpietri »

pistle wrote: post #20

That's a lot of counterhate. Not wholly unwarranted, but severely one-sided. Corporate products are not for dissidents or the privacy-focused. Period. The end. You need to find alts designed to be private and/or pay to not be subsidized for the profitizing of YOU - whoever you are or want to be. Google wants to fold you into their walled garden by tilting all their products towards each other. Shocking. I can't think…

The corporate ideology you're describing here is very situational. The notion that all things (ethics, civic responsibility, sustainability, long-term growth) should be sacrificed on the altar of next quarter's profits is historically young. People aren't obliged to accept it.

I expect that it will pass. During the last San Francisco Gold Rush, hydraulic mining was considered a reasonable practice:

http://science.kqed.org/quest/2010/11/18/gold-rush-sediment-...

People wouldn't do that anymore here no matter how profitable it is, because we recognize the long-term costs that go with the short-term gains. Capitalism is a fine way to structure certain socially beneficial economic exchanges, but it makes a poor religion.

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