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Using Google without a Google+ profile

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Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#121

Post by fluidcruft »

mkozlows wrote: post #29
bad_user wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Nymwars is why Google+ lost, but they'll never admit it.

Facebook has, and has long had, a real name policy. If you want a reason why Facebook succeeded and G+ didn't, you'll need something that's actually different between them.

When I joined facebook, you had to use your university email address. There was zero expectation of not being linked to your identity. Perhaps Facebook broadened after that, but the Facebook culture was already established that you expect to see real people you know there.

Google instead tried to shoehorn existing users with a different culture. Perhaps they could have created a separate service with different expecteations and grown that, but they seemed to feel entitled to a create a short cut to success at their user's expense.

Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#122

Post by sp332 »

deegles wrote: post #86
lvs wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Feedly probably isn't claiming those numbers with any basis in reality. In particular, many people made Feedly accounts in a hurry out of panic when the shutdown was announced. Having used both, I highly doubt users of Reader are still regular users of Feedly.

I'm a former Reader user and now use Feedly. What do you use that's better than Feedly? I settled on it since it was "good enough" but I haven't invested the time to explore other options.

NewsBlur is probably the best of the Reader replacements. http://newsblur.com/ https://twitter.com/newsblur

Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#123

Post by bitmapbrother »

msandford wrote: post #9

Google's new motto: "Don't be evil, but only after trying really hard to be so, and then grudgingly accepting that perhaps your users have alternatives that they might avail themselves of, and capitulate" It's not as catchy, but perhaps a little more honest.

People who still use that tired "Don't be evil" line are the same ones that still use M$

Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#124

Post by rmc »

mkozlows wrote: post #29
bad_user wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Nymwars is why Google+ lost, but they'll never admit it.

Facebook has, and has long had, a real name policy. If you want a reason why Facebook succeeded and G+ didn't, you'll need something that's actually different between them.

Network effect

Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#125

Post by rmc »

chc wrote: post #17
msandford wrote: post #9

Google's new motto: "Don't be evil, but only after trying really hard to be so, and then grudgingly accepting that perhaps your users have alternatives that they might avail themselves of, and capitulate" It's not as catchy, but perhaps a little more honest.

Your system of morality has an astonishingly low bar for "evil" if "requiring a Google+ account for access to a service" qualifies. I don't think something that harmless would go past "somewhat dickish" for most people. If that's evil, what's the word you use for people who kick puppies or otherwise cause harm to the world?

> what's the word you use for people who kick puppies or otherwise cause harm to the world?

Well, Google did buy a company that makes military robots....

Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#126

Post by baby »

PuffinBlue wrote: post #112
baby wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is confusing to me. What IS a "Google Account"? Is it my gmail? That makes no sense to me, it's an email service. A "Google Account" sounds like I work at Google. If you were to tell me I had a "Google Account", I would assume it's Google+. It is a gmail account. Every time you are prompted to enter your google account, what do you enter? Yup, it was that simple.

> It is a gmail account. You're completely incorrect. You see how this actually is confusing! A 'Google Account' is just a login that allows you to use a Google product. You can sign up with your own email address if you like. Go and try it: https://accounts.google.com/SignUpWithoutGmail

Wow, what the, I stand corrected.

Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#127

Post by mangeletti »

I've been confused about Google+ for the longest time, wondering what reason there was for Google+ to exist in the first place, other than the (perceived) low cost of getting users (via marketing on their search page).

What new value does Google+ add? Does anybody sign up for Google+ for reasons other than 1) Google Hangouts, or 2) accident? How is Google+ "quickly becoming a place where people engage..." and yet I don't know anybody who uses it? Am I hanging out with all the wrong people? I don't really actively engage with people on Facebook, but everybody I know uses Facebook in some capacity and people talk about it from time to time. I've never heard a single person in my life talk about Google+, other than, "I think you have to have a Google+ account to..." (e.g., Hangouts).

Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#128

Post by nodivbyzero »

lvs wrote: post #46
mkozlows wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Reader never had many users. Feedly claims to have captured 80% of the Reader userbase when it shut down, and they have 15 million users. That is incredibly small by the standards of social networks, much smaller than even the pessimistic active-user estimates for G+.

Feedly probably isn't claiming those numbers with any basis in reality. In particular, many people made Feedly accounts in a hurry out of panic when the shutdown was announced. Having used both, I highly doubt users of Reader are still regular users of Feedly.

I switched to http://digg.com/reader

Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#129

Post by joesmo »

It's about time, though mostly for Google's sake. I personally don't care if I can't review apps or create YouTube channels or do anything that requires Google+ as the features that have required it are mostly useless or I have found alternatives. It is annoying that I would even be asked to review apps constantly, however, when I'm not signed up for the idiotic Google+. I actually wouldn't mind reviewing some apps, but not at the expense of having to start Google+. The Google+ fiasco has mainly hurt Google itself by making them lose all their customers who didn't sign up for Google+ from such features as well as the unfortunate developers who rely on good app ratings that they won't get now because Google essentially put up a nasty firewall around that system. Then again, there's nothing new about Google or Apple pushing its own woes onto developers, so I assume mobile developers have made their peace with the tactics of their industry.

Re: Using Google without a Google+ profile

#130

Post by realusername »

Can we talk a bit about Google Groups also ? Dear Google, please do something about Google groups... It's just unusable. Everytime I see a Google groups link I just don't click. The contrast is horrible, the padding is making 3/4 of the screen useless, it takes forever to load, when you click on something it's lagging again... And the worst part in all of this is that people are still using it, please do something about it...
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