Wednesday, December 31, 2014

What in the World is Google Plus?

    Some time ago I received a message that I had been included in somebody's circle.

    This was a complete surprise to me. What kind of circle? Big! Blue! Sewing circle! Circle of life! It was a mystifying situation.

    I received more notices that I had been included in circles. I started looking up Google plus. I couldn't find much other than they wanted me to set up and account.

    Do I need another account of some kind ? No. So I didn't set up an account.

    I kept running into the Google plus thing. So I thought I'll set up an account. Well the setting up  an account was about as confounding as the circles. I went through the procedures of setting up an account but when I was finished I couldn't find my account. Set up face book and there it is. Simple. Set up twitter. Two or three steps and I'm on twitter. Google plus is a mystery. 

    I discovered my Google plus account when I was looking at somebody else's Google plus account. I discovered that there were no circles!  All this talk about circles and it turns out to be just a list. Can you believe that? Do I have a pass word for Google plus? I can't remember. What was Google thinking of when they set up Google plus?

    Now I still can't find my account. I've added some names to my "circles." I don't know if anybody knows that they are in one or two of my circles. Nobody has told me they found out they wee in one of my circles. 
  
   Now after all this Google plus looks like something that combines face book, twitter, blogs and a whole lot of other things that I want to keep separate so that I don't get confused. Google has in their wisdom taken lots of information about me to make up my Google plus account. Imagine? I must be an idiot and not know what is good for me. I think Google just took away some of my decision making power.

   Has anybody else has this relationship with Google Plus?

   So I end up 2015 with a rant! 

   I've had a very good year at Hiawatha House. You've made my year in so many ways. I look forward to being around Hiawatha House in 2015 and having you along for the ride.

   Have a great 2015 everybody!
    

42 comments:

  1. don't do google+! or at least, don't link it to your blog (or use google+ i.d. instead of blogger i.d.) it's a mess to try to untangle because google wants you to wrap everything into their stuff.

    i have a google+ acct that i've had for quite a while, but honestly i don't post there, don't check out there. the only thing i use it for is to 'plus one' someone's post now and then (google's version of 'like'). :)

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  2. Don't put your blog posts on there. It is so confusing. If someone who uses Google Plus to post their blog when you click on their name with a comment you get to their Google Plus site...I have stayed away from that format completely. I guess I have a Google Plus site but it is blank.
    Happy New Year Red!!

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    1. I hadn't got that far and I'm glad I haven't once I read all the comments.

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  3. Red, I have not registered with Google+ and don't want to. Some of my fellow bloggers only allow comments on their blogs by Google+ users, and I am not wanting to get Google+ just so I can comment on other Blogger's posts. I am just hoping that Blogger doesn''t force us to get it. Fellow bloggers, at least some of them, who did get Google+ regret that they ever did to the fact that they find it complicated and annoying. Personally, I don't want the headaches. I hope that 2015 will be a great year for you. :)

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    1. Thanks for the advice. It helps me to make more sense out of what I've found.

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  4. I have to echo Tex and Far Side. The "Plus" in Google Plus is trouble.

    Happy New Year... and do rant on. ;)

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    1. Well, I found trouble just to find out what it was.

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  5. I am with you Red, I also find it very confusing and would rather not touch for fear of getting even more confused. Happy New a Year!

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  6. I think I did something with it too. Now I don't pay attention to it, but it's floating around out there doing... I don't know what.

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  7. By the way, we're almost 4 hours away from the New Year so I'd like to wish you a fabulous 2015 and thank you for being my friend. Sending you lots of aloha from the middle of the Pacific.

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  8. I have ignored Google Plus, because like you, I couldn't understand what it was or why I would want it.
    Happy New Year to you, too, Red.

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    1. And I guess we'll both ditch Google plus.

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  9. It's a load of nonsense.
    Happy New Year.

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  10. I haven't even touched it. I am getting bored with Facebook. I see a lot of silly things people have downloaded that have absolutely no relevance to me. One lady posted 16 in a row, and in an hour 7 more. I am not sure how to take it. Happy 2015 Red.

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    1. Yes, face book can be a bore. I don't know where people get all the nonsense they post.

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  11. Don't touch it with a forty foot pole!
    I don't have a blog as such but it now comes up on my screen and I see it attached to some blogs that I sticky beak at on rare occasions.
    I think best just ignore it - I won't touch facebook or that twitter stuff and it also "invites" (????) you to join.

    Have a good year - noticed that you are back into exercising on a regular basis.
    Cheers
    Colin

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    1. Now I couldn't even lift a forty foot pole. Yes I will stay away from Google plus. I don't mind face book or twitter.

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  12. I have google + too, but don't bother to use it. Google copied everthing else and wants you wrapped around their finger. I wouldn't have signed up, but they make it difficult in the blogging they control, as well as youtube if you use that. Then they wouldn't let me use youtube unless I signed in with a google + account. I don't know who is figuring out the ways to burn my bum with all these stupid ideas. And come on now, Twitter, really, does anybody really think Movie and Rock Stars who have millions of twitter fans really think they are ever going to mean anything. Like an overstuffed fan club. "Can I tweet you"..... No friggin way. Yeah, Red, I got it all figured out, and most of it is a waste of time. You know, Google + or Facebook or anything else never gives a "don't like" button, cause they would get too damm many. ha,ha
    Have a lovely day.

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    1. Yes, I've often wanted the don't like . another think that bugs me is when people click like on something sad like the dog died. What were they thinking?

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  13. I seem to have an account, but never take a look at it, I get mails from Google too indeed that someone invites me in her circle. I just ignore it, it is a kind of parallel world for me.:)

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    1. I'm surprised to find that people have the same experience I have. Everybody says leave it alone.

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  14. Sounds like you did what I did Red. I found/find it far too confusing and so stay well away now. I do feel as though I have sold my soul by signing up though. All the best to you and yours.

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    1. From a business stand point , why do they make it so complicated that people won't sign up? You'd think they'd be more crafty and make it easier.

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    2. Indeed, I have often wondered that.

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  15. I will join in the chorus of those who actually have Google+ but don't use it. I think it's a thing Google tried to make to compete with Facebook. Some people use their account, but I don't at present. I also didn't combine it with my blogspot account, on purpose. Sounds like I did the right thing. I follow a couple people who only post there, so I tolerate it. :-)

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  16. It's a terrible aspect of this free part of google! It's the price we pay. Boys in shorts are dreaming up ways to be bigger, better, and to track us and our habits. It drives me nuts, too!

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    1. Tracking us is a whole other issue. What can be done now is absolutely scary.

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  17. I have avoided it thus far. I think they use it for tracking everything you do so that they can send you more ads for stuff you like and are interested in...!!

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    1. They don't need our blogs to track us. I'm always amazed that when I'm looking for something it is advertised on all my sites.

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  18. Google+ is very confusing, and certainly not something I use. It is trouble! Happy New Year to you!

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    1. I'm surprised that all the people have had the same experience as I have.

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  19. I flip flop on how I feel about Google because it has become like facebook- nosy, intrusive, commanding, overbearing..and at least once a month I want to get off of both of them. In fact I have quit facebook three times but then I realized that no one remembers how to email anymore, so it is about the only way I can keep up with family. LOL! Google owns Blogger, so there really isn't much of a choice, anyways. Happy New Year!

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    1. I like face book for keeping up with family and friends but there's too much junk that shows up on it.

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  20. I'm technically there, but all I do is click the G+ symbol where it is on blogs, I don't do anything beyond that.

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    1. I think many people are technically there but that's as far as it goes.

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  21. Well I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in trying to avoid Google+ at all costs. Unfortunately it's not even simple avoiding it. I have a lot of different gmail addresses which I use for different things and so get lots of invitations from Google to join Google+ for each one. It's a nightmare.

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