Why I hate Google and automatic social networking assumptions
So, kids, I'm here to tell you the story of how big bad Google started a chain of events almost a decade ago that affected my life this week. Back in 2004 when Google launched their invite-only Beta of GMail I was invited to "try it out for free" and become an early adapter. As a web app developer, it is my job to sample popular web apps like GMail so that I can see what the competition is offering and try to make a comparable product or recommend the product in question. I tried it, I liked it, and noted the couple of interesting UI and filtering ideas they brought to the table, but I didn't need a new email address and didn't want to be stuck using their webmail since I pay for my own domain to have more control. Note that at this time there was no way to delete my GMail account, so I just left it, thinking it couldn't possibly do me any harm if I just didn't use it.
Remember, at this time of Google's reign, all accounts for each of their apps were kept separate. I had a primary Google account using my primary email address at my own domain, a Google AdSense account using the same email address (but a different password), a Google Calendar account (which I still use), and a GTalk account under the name AdrianTheCorruptor (since Adrian232 was already used). A few years later, Google decides it wants to use a single account for all of their apps -- a master Google account for everything. This is understandable, as all the different passwords and logins got increasingly confusing as they added more and more apps to their repertoire. GTalk automatically gave me an email address around this time, which was automatically appended an @gmail.com address. I went through the procedure to merge my accounts, and noticed that they now have me logging in as my GMail address. "But this is OK!" says Google, "You can still log in using your primary email address." Fantastic. I still didn't like that it was there, listed as my primary email, since it is untrue. However, their system would not let me change it and set my non-gmail address as the primary. In the fine print it mentions that "In some circumstances, other people interacting with your account may see your Primary Email Address." Great. This line has always sat in the back of my mind followed by "What if..."
I think it's important to note that Google's Technical Support is basically nonexistent. To get help with a problem you have to post on a public forum, which is what I did, and the moderator didn't really understand my problem or my concerns and why the details matter, so I simply gave up. (FACT: Did you know that the ultimate goal of support is to make the user give up so they can close the ticket?)
Anyway, at this point I now have 3 email addresses associated with my Google account, two of which I don't use and can't get rid of without eliminating a bunch of key features: GTalk, GCal, and to test future updates of GMail. Not to mention there are reasons why I wouldn't want to give out my real email address to people who contact me over IM (GTalk), e.g. SPAM(!), so having an alternate address for that was ideal (this is a common problem I had with MSN, which is why I no longer use that). Fast forward ahead a few years, and Google wants to plug into my Facebook account. I like doing this, because Facebook is steadily becoming the center of my social universe, which they do well. So, Google automatically adds my GTalk account and a few other things onto my Facebook profile. I think, "Fantastic. The more ways people can connect to me, the better."
Fast forward a bit farther, particularly when G+ becomes a thing to compete with Facebook. Google now, unprecedentedly, is trying to become the center of the social universe. I start to notice that fine print coming into effect and people are asking me about my gmail account that they found in their address book, wondering (and assuming) if it's the email they should use to contact me. My answer is always "No." and I give them my actual email address.
This week, a long time friend of the family whom I consider to be family, finds my gmail address listed on my Facebook page. Every year she sends out evites to her birthday party, and other events, and they have always gone to my primary email with no problem. This year, she uses my gmail address and I don't receive the invite. Nobody recognizes the problem, since they see me there on the invite list, and I remain clueless as to what's going on. IF my sister hadn't contacted me with plans for the party, I probably would have missed it altogether.
So to sum up: Google almost made me miss the birthday of an important family member, which surely would have started another huge mess and made me waste an entire night fixing the problem. All because of their shady business practices and lack of attention to detail and technical support.
I have since deleted both of my GMail accounts, and never intend to use GMail ever again. I encourage those who use GMail to try it out and attempt to change their primary email address to something other than GMail. You will find that it is impossible. Still believe that Google is a do-no-harm company that doesn't employ "locked-in" techniques to draw business? Think again.
Remember, at this time of Google's reign, all accounts for each of their apps were kept separate. I had a primary Google account using my primary email address at my own domain, a Google AdSense account using the same email address (but a different password), a Google Calendar account (which I still use), and a GTalk account under the name AdrianTheCorruptor (since Adrian232 was already used). A few years later, Google decides it wants to use a single account for all of their apps -- a master Google account for everything. This is understandable, as all the different passwords and logins got increasingly confusing as they added more and more apps to their repertoire. GTalk automatically gave me an email address around this time, which was automatically appended an @gmail.com address. I went through the procedure to merge my accounts, and noticed that they now have me logging in as my GMail address. "But this is OK!" says Google, "You can still log in using your primary email address." Fantastic. I still didn't like that it was there, listed as my primary email, since it is untrue. However, their system would not let me change it and set my non-gmail address as the primary. In the fine print it mentions that "In some circumstances, other people interacting with your account may see your Primary Email Address." Great. This line has always sat in the back of my mind followed by "What if..."
I think it's important to note that Google's Technical Support is basically nonexistent. To get help with a problem you have to post on a public forum, which is what I did, and the moderator didn't really understand my problem or my concerns and why the details matter, so I simply gave up. (FACT: Did you know that the ultimate goal of support is to make the user give up so they can close the ticket?)
Anyway, at this point I now have 3 email addresses associated with my Google account, two of which I don't use and can't get rid of without eliminating a bunch of key features: GTalk, GCal, and to test future updates of GMail. Not to mention there are reasons why I wouldn't want to give out my real email address to people who contact me over IM (GTalk), e.g. SPAM(!), so having an alternate address for that was ideal (this is a common problem I had with MSN, which is why I no longer use that). Fast forward ahead a few years, and Google wants to plug into my Facebook account. I like doing this, because Facebook is steadily becoming the center of my social universe, which they do well. So, Google automatically adds my GTalk account and a few other things onto my Facebook profile. I think, "Fantastic. The more ways people can connect to me, the better."
Fast forward a bit farther, particularly when G+ becomes a thing to compete with Facebook. Google now, unprecedentedly, is trying to become the center of the social universe. I start to notice that fine print coming into effect and people are asking me about my gmail account that they found in their address book, wondering (and assuming) if it's the email they should use to contact me. My answer is always "No." and I give them my actual email address.
This week, a long time friend of the family whom I consider to be family, finds my gmail address listed on my Facebook page. Every year she sends out evites to her birthday party, and other events, and they have always gone to my primary email with no problem. This year, she uses my gmail address and I don't receive the invite. Nobody recognizes the problem, since they see me there on the invite list, and I remain clueless as to what's going on. IF my sister hadn't contacted me with plans for the party, I probably would have missed it altogether.
So to sum up: Google almost made me miss the birthday of an important family member, which surely would have started another huge mess and made me waste an entire night fixing the problem. All because of their shady business practices and lack of attention to detail and technical support.
I have since deleted both of my GMail accounts, and never intend to use GMail ever again. I encourage those who use GMail to try it out and attempt to change their primary email address to something other than GMail. You will find that it is impossible. Still believe that Google is a do-no-harm company that doesn't employ "locked-in" techniques to draw business? Think again.