My Disappointment with Google+

[The Newswire]

Ok, I have to admit, the Google+ novelty is wearing thin.

The vast majority of people I know are performers, artists, writers, bloggers, activists, musicians, etc. and too many of the accepted cultural norms within each of those communities run afoul of the unevenly enforced prudish neo-Victorian Google+ behavioral...

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[Raza]

Ironically, I hadn't gotten around to trying it because google terminated my original google networks account for association with a Google Page that got taken down for 'inappropriate' content, and I never got 'round to making a believable new one.

Probably won't, now. Facebook pisses me off enough for half-arsedly trying only half of these things, alongside its forcibly officy color scheme. I'll stick to vampirefreaks.

[nathanmbailey]

I've found most social networks to be rather disappointing. I barely keep up a facebook page, ******* was annoyingly crowded with kids that kept trying to add me as a friend who didn't understand that I only add people I am legitimately friends with in the real world (plus a ridiculous number of games and apps), and I never bothered with the other major ones. I never bothered with the Google ones.

[Mr Karl]

don't know about google, but facebook works for me......I like that social stuff to be kept fairly boring and uncommitted.......

[inox]

I think Google is looking to get into the identity verification business, and G+ is a first foray into that. The future money's in providing a trusted/vetted user base.

I personally hate the NSFW culture. I think that, absent illegal materials like child pornography, nothing is really "inappropriate" (what a weasel word) for adults. Manage to results, and don't try to net.nanny people with proxies or moralistic terms of service/workplace requirements.

[ForrestBlack]

To me, the tradeoff for moral authoritarian behavioral mandates based on what would be 'Safe for Work' would be some sort of Zaibatsu Company Man security for the working individual. If I sell my soul to the corporation, I at least expect them to take lifelong care of me. The American workplace has consistently shirked it's responsibilities towards its workers and now seems to expect total lifestyle submission regardless.

[Raza]

Which is a good example of capitalism being less about trading, and more about taking what you can while giving back only what was needed as bait.

[/ideologue]

[a_small_death]

So far my experience with google+ has been mediocre at best. So far it plays out like if twitter and facebook had a bastard child that happened to be the social network equivalent of Ben Stein. Thankfully I don't have to worry anymore about if something is nsfw or not as finally now I'm working from home. These days however, the term nsfw is quite subjective. Each corporation dictates it's own level of taboo lunacy so who know what you'll get fired for looking at.

[ForrestBlack]

which is a good example of capitalism being less about trading, and more about taking what you can while giving back only what was needed as bait.
[/ideologue]

Well, I'm not an anarchist. The way I see it, Government has the capacity to be more or less good or evil. It's on a spectrum. And, as a citizen of a Capitalist Democracy I feel the same way about business. Government has the capability of being good and so do businesses. There are many tempting roads that lead these entities towards evil, but I don't believe they are automatically bad no matter what. I do think that if Google is offering a pithy wall of SFW status updates called a Social Network for their admitted goal of creating an identity verification service, that is in the land of un-goodness.

[Raza]

Fair enough. Even I don't hold that nothing good ever comes out of capitalism or government - my objection is more that their base mechanics aren't really set up to encourage it, and consequently bad things won't stop coming out alongside them while we stick to their basic framework.

[Sierras]

Honestly, I got my invite, set up my profile somewhat, and then didn't bother trying to figure it out. It just seemed like a little too much effort figuring out how the fuck it works. I'll stick to Facebook, and Deviantart for modelling purposes. I don't know anyone who's been impressed by Google+.

[aXa]

Honestly, I got my invite, set up my profile somewhat, and then didn't bother trying to figure it out. It just seemed like a little too much effort figuring out how the fuck it works. I'll stick to Facebook

that about sums it up for me as well. you get the invite, set it up; and then the "okay, now what?" part sets in. i had a nearly similar thing when i first used facebook, but they had stuff to do and friends to add. maybe they just need better introductory tutorials? i think that facebook has them beat to a pulpet in this regard - there are enough using it already and it has been dumbed down to the point that it is intuitive or at least obvious to most users as to what to do.

my biggest problems with all these social networking sites is their damn insistence on making me use my real name, rather than a pseudonym, or alias for my username. i wish this were optional; or at least not made public. for many years i have tried to make, and keep, my online personae and my real world identity separated.

[RazorCandi]

I find it to be really confusing. The fact that someone reported my non nude FaceBook images and they actually took them down, I can't really see Google + being any different.

[Raza]

I imagine Google+ is the reason for facebook's recent censoring fervor; they've permanently raised the industry standard for N/cm of anal sphincter.

[Sierras]

Razorcandi - I actually just got one of my photos from my (personal) FB deleted - me licking a poster of a vag. And it took a good few months. So I'm surprised they removed some non-nude ones.

[Scott]

I didn't even bother to try Google+ because of the reasons you covered. I don't always want to use my real name. And more than ever, my usage of social networks is just to promote brands and projects. It is too difficult for me to filter through who should see what, what is appropriate or inappropriate, etc...

I know I have said this before but I really miss the days when people found little communities of like minded people online. On these sites you could use any persona you wanted and no one really cared.

Now we have big corporations demanding we use our real names and share huge amounts of personal information. Yet people are more than willing to give it up for the convenience of being where everyone else is.

*sigh*

[Mr Karl]

it's an efficient way to be a politician.....that's about it.....for reality, heres better

[Toe Cutter]

Google/Facebook is better than this board, at least you personal know the assholes who slag on you there.

[Mr Karl]

sure.....I suppose I like people I don't know personaly better........now that I've spent a few seconds thinking about that, yeah, the people from highschool who want to be my friend I like a lot less

[drewblood]

(((toe cutter)))


Well, I'm shying away from Google a bit lately. I was a bit un-nerved when I dug around to see just how much info Google had 'on me' through saving search history and location tracking with google maps. I spent an afternoon disabling / clearing / searching to see what someone could 'see' through my Google idea. not good. I'm happier when googling my name comes back with no hits. http://support.google.com/websearch/...=en&answer=465

I've been a bit paranoid since I learned a neighbor had hacked into my computer. Turns out a WEP encryption is pretty damn easy to break through :/

[SteveySeven]

as with FB, is usually let things ride a couple of years to see how it develops. i don't use mobile, will probably HAVE TO eventually...but i don't like the idea of "checking in" to places, which seems to be more pro bono advertising for establishments than anything. i don't think having everyone knowing where you are all the time and what you are doing appeals to anyone. i don't like to categorize friends either, they are all freaks

[Bikerpunk]

"If you want to work here please supply your Facebook password".

Amazing what some of these fucks will try.