5 ms·

What I specially hate about Google+ is the fact that Google can't stop spamming me to join it. Now even Google Play comments need to be part of Google+. You k

by kaoD 14y ago

What I specially hate about Google+ is the fact that Google can't stop spamming me to join it. Now even Google Play comments need to be part of Google+. You know what, Google? Fuck you. No. Fuck you twice. I won't join that fucking horrid place. I don't even have Facebook, why would I join a crappy social network?

anigbrowl 14y ago
You know, I don't really like Google+ but I have had no difficulty in opting out of it and declining to share things like my YouTube favorites and so forth (with a few exceptions that were wholly by choice). I'm not happy with their social strategy in general, but I don't feel it's anything like as burdensome on the user as Facebook's, which caused me to stop using that service altogether.
- ajanuary 14y ago
  They really do push you to at least create an account though. I've accidentally created and had to close an account several times. I've given up and just left an open but dormant account now.
- kaoD 14y ago
  Well, I've had difficulty opting out, and new Google accounts are linked to Google+ by default. E.g.: I have an Android phone and I would like to rate a scam app so people don't download it. Oops, it's not possible without a Google+ account. See my other comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5535556 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5535556
  - knightzero 14y ago
    Google is trying to consolidate all of their services under one account. Like it or not a Google+ is just public facing page for a Google account. In away it dose make sense and answers an age old internet problem. It requires users to be responsible for what they put online.
    - flyinRyan 14y ago
      Yea, people who oppose China's human rights policies while living in China need to step up and stop hiding behind anonymity, the cowards!
      - knightzero 14y ago
        Yes, you are right. I can see how requiring your name when rating an android app or commenting on a YouTube video would drastically affect human rights activists in China. I am sorry if you are expecting a company whose business model revolves around selling user information to protect your anonymity, then you are going to have a bad time. A company like Google is going to comply to government request for information, that is why we have services, utilities, and tools that protect your anonymity online. Google is doing nothing wrong by asking for your name (they probably have it anyways). However, if they where blocking search results to prevent your anonymity, that is a different story altogether. In a case like China, it is the government that is doing the blocking and Google has no choice in the matter if they want to do business there.
        flyinRyan 14y ago
        I was addressing your comment about "take responsibly for what you put online". We need the ability to be anonymous because sometimes things that need to be said simply can't be said if you're not anonymous.
    - hackinthebochs 14y ago
      Why do you think people should be? There is value to anonymity, just not to Google. Therefore they are trying to eliminate it.
      - knightzero 14y ago
        From an engineering stand point it cuts down on spam and false comments. If you have your name tied to a review chances are you are going to be more honest. Don't get me wrong anonymity is extremely important on the web, but you can't deny that it is abused. Look at the current state of YouTube. YouTube has some of the nastiest comments around. Instead of censoring, Google had an idea to tie your name to your comments. If you read comments by users using their name they aren't saying things like "Go f* yourself you fing fg. I f*ed your mother last night". The truth of the matter is everyone loves to attack Google for Google+, but the real threat to anonymity are companies that write and sponsor bills like SOPA, PIPA, and CISPA.
  - tomkarlo 14y ago
    While you may not want to comment on Google Play apps publicly, there's a lot of value for other users in being able to see what their actual friends said about an app rather than just random anonymous commenters. (And we've seen the issues on places like Amazon with ratings spamming.) It's just reality that some features may benefit the larger population but might not be to your taste - obviously every feature can't be loved by every user - but I'm not sure that justifies rage.
    - zero_intp 14y ago
      "[...] value for other users in being able to see what their actual friends said about an app [...]" Problem: I add value to their ecosystem at the expense of my anonymity. Loosing my anonymity does not return the value to me in any use case.
    - cbr 14y ago
      "we've seen the issues on places like Amazon with ratings spamming" My experience with Amazon ratings is that they've been accurate and useful. If there's a spam problem Amazon is dealing with it well, without requiring "real names" or social connections.
      - mamoswined 14y ago
        The ratings on Amazon for things like pots and pans are fine and useful. Books seem to be the main target for spamming.
  - sshumaker 14y ago
    I think you're fixating on Google+ as a social network, when that's not really the point. Google+ is meant to serve as an identity layer for Google, so you don't have a bunch of different logins / passwords to silo-ed properties, which makes a frustrating user experience. They give you pretty damn good tools for deciding what parts of the identity are shared for this exact reason. You can enable Google+ and basically ignore the 'destination social network' entirely if that's what you want. As for having Play store comments attached to your G+ identity, what is your complaint there? I'm sure the quality of reviews is way higher when you can't hide behind an anonymous account.
    - coldtea 14y ago
      >I think you're fixating on Google+ as a social network, when that's not really the point. Google+ is meant to serve as an identity layer for Google, so you don't have a bunch of different logins / passwords to silo-ed properties, which makes a frustrating user experience. No, it's not meant like that at all. Google didn't create Google+ to have a single sign on. It created it specifically to compete with Facebook. (As if the crap that Google+ is, as a social network, ever had a chance). The SSO thing was forced upon Google to unwilling users of its disparate services. I, for one, never wanted my YouTube account linked to my Gmail account etc.
      - sshumaker 14y ago
        http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57413309-93/larry-page-google-is-the-social-spine/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57413309-93/larry-page-goog... "[Larry Page] ... called [G+] the "social spine," reminding listeners that the service isn't just a destination, but a unifying social framework for all Google's products." First off, Google allows you to have multiple identities with SSO. And I find it hard to argue that it's not a good thing for 99% of the user base. Managing multiple accounts sucks, and being able to share between them (and supporting a very rich set of privacy tools) is a win for most users. A genuine question: Why don't you want your YouTube account linked to your Gmail?
        kaoD 14y ago
yanw 14y ago
So don't joint. No need to be rude about it.
- kaoD 14y ago
  Have you tried commenting on Google Play? You need Google+. I have an Android phone but I shouldn't need a Google+ account when I have my regular Google account which actually works on Google Play. And it wasn't like this when I bought my phone. I can't "opt out" of my phone. I already bought it before they required Google+ for Play's comments. Have you tried using YouTube? They keep nagging you to open a profile. etc. etc.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
    - kaoD 14y ago
      So what?
      - deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
  - jrajav 14y ago
    Just to play the devil's advocate here, it's not like Google Play is necessary for an Android device to work. That's already an extreme improvement over Apple's store, which is even less free, open, and modular and also requires you to create an Apple ID (though thankfully Apple hasn't tried fumbling with a tied-in social network or similar web services).
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
  - dannyr 14y ago
    I tried using Facebook and it wants me to create a Profile! I want to post a tweet but Twitter wants me to create a Profile!
NZ_Matt 14y ago
My Mum had me help her set up an Android phone recently, one of the first steps after on turning it on was a request to sign up to google+. Spamming it on every google service is a good way to inflate their numbers, but it's a horrible way to drive genuine user engagement.
pkulak 14y ago
You're acting like the act of "joining" is some huge deal. You already have an account with Google. "Joining" Google+ probably flips 3 bits in some BigTable database somewhere. The only reason you are getting so self-righteous about it is because Google is giving you the option. If you don't _do_ anything on Google+, what's it matter? Interesting that you bring up you Facebook anti-creds. Do you also not own a TV?
- kaoD 14y ago
  Joining IS a huge deal. Lots of things are getting shared when you have a Google+ account, most of which I don't want to share (e.g. which YouTube videos I like, my Google Play comments...) and have to be turned off explicitly. I know this because I once was a Google+ user for a short time (during which I didn't even notice). When I mentioned Facebook I just meant: "I'm not into the biggest and most useful social network, why would I join your crappy-and-useless one?" P.S.: I don't own a TV.
  - 3825 14y ago
    I have so far avoided combining my YouTube and Google Plus account. They keep annoying me with random overlay asking me to combine them but so far I've been saying not now. One way I've minimized exposure to this is using the android app instead of the desktop browser version but it may not be for everyone. I probably don't need to tell you this but just in case: If you have a concern about a Play Store, please contact the developers and give them a chance to fix things. Thank you!
    - rogerbinns 14y ago
      They started pulling that nonsense on me too. About every tenth video has an overlay and there is no "just leave me alone" option. I end up using an incognito tab instead. For the life of me I can't tell what choice they are trying to force me to make and what is wrong with how things are at the moment.
      - sesqu 14y ago
hbharadwaj 14y ago
I am not sure what happened to Google but I am strongly disliking their new decisions. The Yelp debacle, the new cards, Google Instant previews, Google+...I can go on.
workbench 14y ago
"Change your difficult to remember name on YouTube to your easy to remember real name!" Yeah because I really want all those racists and gun nuts knowing what my real name is.

by kaoD 14y ago

anigbrowl 14y ago

You know, I don't really like Google+ but I have had no difficulty in opting out of it and declining to share things like my YouTube favorites and so forth (with a few exceptions that were wholly by choice). I'm not happy with their social strategy in general, but I don't feel it's anything like as burdensome on the user as Facebook's, which caused me to stop using that service altogether.

ajanuary 14y ago
They really do push you to at least create an account though. I've accidentally created and had to close an account several times. I've given up and just left an open but dormant account now.
kaoD 14y ago
Well, I've had difficulty opting out, and new Google accounts are linked to Google+ by default. E.g.: I have an Android phone and I would like to rate a scam app so people don't download it. Oops, it's not possible without a Google+ account. See my other comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5535556 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5535556
- knightzero 14y ago
  Google is trying to consolidate all of their services under one account. Like it or not a Google+ is just public facing page for a Google account. In away it dose make sense and answers an age old internet problem. It requires users to be responsible for what they put online.
  - flyinRyan 14y ago
    Yea, people who oppose China's human rights policies while living in China need to step up and stop hiding behind anonymity, the cowards!
    - knightzero 14y ago
      Yes, you are right. I can see how requiring your name when rating an android app or commenting on a YouTube video would drastically affect human rights activists in China. I am sorry if you are expecting a company whose business model revolves around selling user information to protect your anonymity, then you are going to have a bad time. A company like Google is going to comply to government request for information, that is why we have services, utilities, and tools that protect your anonymity online. Google is doing nothing wrong by asking for your name (they probably have it anyways). However, if they where blocking search results to prevent your anonymity, that is a different story altogether. In a case like China, it is the government that is doing the blocking and Google has no choice in the matter if they want to do business there.
      - flyinRyan 14y ago
        I was addressing your comment about "take responsibly for what you put online". We need the ability to be anonymous because sometimes things that need to be said simply can't be said if you're not anonymous.
  - hackinthebochs 14y ago
    Why do you think people should be? There is value to anonymity, just not to Google. Therefore they are trying to eliminate it.
    - knightzero 14y ago
      From an engineering stand point it cuts down on spam and false comments. If you have your name tied to a review chances are you are going to be more honest. Don't get me wrong anonymity is extremely important on the web, but you can't deny that it is abused. Look at the current state of YouTube. YouTube has some of the nastiest comments around. Instead of censoring, Google had an idea to tie your name to your comments. If you read comments by users using their name they aren't saying things like "Go f* yourself you fing fg. I f*ed your mother last night". The truth of the matter is everyone loves to attack Google for Google+, but the real threat to anonymity are companies that write and sponsor bills like SOPA, PIPA, and CISPA.
- tomkarlo 14y ago
  While you may not want to comment on Google Play apps publicly, there's a lot of value for other users in being able to see what their actual friends said about an app rather than just random anonymous commenters. (And we've seen the issues on places like Amazon with ratings spamming.) It's just reality that some features may benefit the larger population but might not be to your taste - obviously every feature can't be loved by every user - but I'm not sure that justifies rage.
  - zero_intp 14y ago
    "[...] value for other users in being able to see what their actual friends said about an app [...]" Problem: I add value to their ecosystem at the expense of my anonymity. Loosing my anonymity does not return the value to me in any use case.
  - cbr 14y ago
    "we've seen the issues on places like Amazon with ratings spamming" My experience with Amazon ratings is that they've been accurate and useful. If there's a spam problem Amazon is dealing with it well, without requiring "real names" or social connections.
    - mamoswined 14y ago
      The ratings on Amazon for things like pots and pans are fine and useful. Books seem to be the main target for spamming.
- sshumaker 14y ago
  I think you're fixating on Google+ as a social network, when that's not really the point. Google+ is meant to serve as an identity layer for Google, so you don't have a bunch of different logins / passwords to silo-ed properties, which makes a frustrating user experience. They give you pretty damn good tools for deciding what parts of the identity are shared for this exact reason. You can enable Google+ and basically ignore the 'destination social network' entirely if that's what you want. As for having Play store comments attached to your G+ identity, what is your complaint there? I'm sure the quality of reviews is way higher when you can't hide behind an anonymous account.
  - coldtea 14y ago
    >I think you're fixating on Google+ as a social network, when that's not really the point. Google+ is meant to serve as an identity layer for Google, so you don't have a bunch of different logins / passwords to silo-ed properties, which makes a frustrating user experience. No, it's not meant like that at all. Google didn't create Google+ to have a single sign on. It created it specifically to compete with Facebook. (As if the crap that Google+ is, as a social network, ever had a chance). The SSO thing was forced upon Google to unwilling users of its disparate services. I, for one, never wanted my YouTube account linked to my Gmail account etc.
    - sshumaker 14y ago
      http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57413309-93/larry-page-google-is-the-social-spine/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57413309-93/larry-page-goog... "[Larry Page] ... called [G+] the "social spine," reminding listeners that the service isn't just a destination, but a unifying social framework for all Google's products." First off, Google allows you to have multiple identities with SSO. And I find it hard to argue that it's not a good thing for 99% of the user base. Managing multiple accounts sucks, and being able to share between them (and supporting a very rich set of privacy tools) is a win for most users. A genuine question: Why don't you want your YouTube account linked to your Gmail?
      - kaoD 14y ago

yanw 14y ago

So don't joint. No need to be rude about it.

kaoD 14y ago
Have you tried commenting on Google Play? You need Google+. I have an Android phone but I shouldn't need a Google+ account when I have my regular Google account which actually works on Google Play. And it wasn't like this when I bought my phone. I can't "opt out" of my phone. I already bought it before they required Google+ for Play's comments. Have you tried using YouTube? They keep nagging you to open a profile. etc. etc.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
  - kaoD 14y ago
    So what?
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
- jrajav 14y ago
  Just to play the devil's advocate here, it's not like Google Play is necessary for an Android device to work. That's already an extreme improvement over Apple's store, which is even less free, open, and modular and also requires you to create an Apple ID (though thankfully Apple hasn't tried fumbling with a tied-in social network or similar web services).
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
- dannyr 14y ago
  I tried using Facebook and it wants me to create a Profile! I want to post a tweet but Twitter wants me to create a Profile!

NZ_Matt 14y ago

My Mum had me help her set up an Android phone recently, one of the first steps after on turning it on was a request to sign up to google+. Spamming it on every google service is a good way to inflate their numbers, but it's a horrible way to drive genuine user engagement.

pkulak 14y ago

You're acting like the act of "joining" is some huge deal. You already have an account with Google. "Joining" Google+ probably flips 3 bits in some BigTable database somewhere. The only reason you are getting so self-righteous about it is because Google is giving you the option. If you don't _do_ anything on Google+, what's it matter? Interesting that you bring up you Facebook anti-creds. Do you also not own a TV?

kaoD 14y ago
Joining IS a huge deal. Lots of things are getting shared when you have a Google+ account, most of which I don't want to share (e.g. which YouTube videos I like, my Google Play comments...) and have to be turned off explicitly. I know this because I once was a Google+ user for a short time (during which I didn't even notice). When I mentioned Facebook I just meant: "I'm not into the biggest and most useful social network, why would I join your crappy-and-useless one?" P.S.: I don't own a TV.
- 3825 14y ago
  I have so far avoided combining my YouTube and Google Plus account. They keep annoying me with random overlay asking me to combine them but so far I've been saying not now. One way I've minimized exposure to this is using the android app instead of the desktop browser version but it may not be for everyone. I probably don't need to tell you this but just in case: If you have a concern about a Play Store, please contact the developers and give them a chance to fix things. Thank you!
  - rogerbinns 14y ago
    They started pulling that nonsense on me too. About every tenth video has an overlay and there is no "just leave me alone" option. I end up using an incognito tab instead. For the life of me I can't tell what choice they are trying to force me to make and what is wrong with how things are at the moment.
    - sesqu 14y ago

hbharadwaj 14y ago

I am not sure what happened to Google but I am strongly disliking their new decisions. The Yelp debacle, the new cards, Google Instant previews, Google+...I can go on.

workbench 14y ago

"Change your difficult to remember name on YouTube to your easy to remember real name!" Yeah because I really want all those racists and gun nuts knowing what my real name is.