ALERT ALERT ALERT
Soooooooo Google has fucked up pretty bad with this new Buzz thing, in my opinion. It kind of sounded like a hybrid of FriendFeed, Google Reader, and Twitter, which I don't need because... I already use FriendFeed, Google Reader, and Twitter. If it's supposed to be like Facebook... well, I don't ever log into Facebook, so I still don't care. I mean, I'm happy for you, Google, that you have put it all under one roof, but because everyone I know who gives a shit about "microblogging" is already on Twitter but isn't necessarily on Gmail and Twitter suits me just fine, I'm going to stay over there.
Then I saw this. Apparently, Google Buzz reveals who your most frequently emailed contacts are.
You know who my third most frequent contact is?
My abusive ex-husband.
Which is why it’s SO EXCITING, Google, that you AUTOMATICALLY allowed all my most frequent contacts access to my Reader, including all the comments I’ve made on Reader items, usually shared with my boyfriend, who I had NO REASON to hide my current location or workplace from, and never did.
[...]
Oh, yes, I suppose I could opt out of Buzz - which I did when it was introduced, though that apparently has no effect on whether or not I am now using Buzz - but as soon as I did that, all sorts of new people were following me on my Reader! People I couldn’t block, because I am not on Buzz!
So now, Google Updates, Explains Buzz Privacy Setup (Lifehacker: "Does it seem to you like Google underestimated how seriously people would take having even a small part of their inboxes exposed to the world?"). There is also a privacy checklist on MSNBC. Quite honestly, I am more worried about the privacy of my contacts than my own right now; I went through that Lifehacker link's instructions to turn that shit off and discovered that I had already opted to lock down my profile fairly securely (and not filled much of it out, in fact) a while ago. What freaked me out was the idea of people being able to see who I email and then possibly going off and bugging them, and I won't get into why this is a concern for me (and them), but it is. So I'm turning this shit off until Google gets its act together, because, judging by that first blogger's experience, it is (or was) a privacy-invading, Catch-22 clusterfuck. If you want to opt out as well, go to your Gmail inbox, very bottom of the page, and look for "turn off buzz" in the tiniest letters possible. Assholes.
(Seriously, can someone explain to me what the sweet hell Google was thinking?)
ETA: A more thorough Buzz-remover from CNet. Just turning it off doesn't fix everything.
P.S. It has been pelting down snow for a couple of hours now. Also, Sam went to the vet for a foot checkup, and now he has a red boot.
Then I saw this. Apparently, Google Buzz reveals who your most frequently emailed contacts are.
You know who my third most frequent contact is?
My abusive ex-husband.
Which is why it’s SO EXCITING, Google, that you AUTOMATICALLY allowed all my most frequent contacts access to my Reader, including all the comments I’ve made on Reader items, usually shared with my boyfriend, who I had NO REASON to hide my current location or workplace from, and never did.
[...]
Oh, yes, I suppose I could opt out of Buzz - which I did when it was introduced, though that apparently has no effect on whether or not I am now using Buzz - but as soon as I did that, all sorts of new people were following me on my Reader! People I couldn’t block, because I am not on Buzz!
So now, Google Updates, Explains Buzz Privacy Setup (Lifehacker: "Does it seem to you like Google underestimated how seriously people would take having even a small part of their inboxes exposed to the world?"). There is also a privacy checklist on MSNBC. Quite honestly, I am more worried about the privacy of my contacts than my own right now; I went through that Lifehacker link's instructions to turn that shit off and discovered that I had already opted to lock down my profile fairly securely (and not filled much of it out, in fact) a while ago. What freaked me out was the idea of people being able to see who I email and then possibly going off and bugging them, and I won't get into why this is a concern for me (and them), but it is. So I'm turning this shit off until Google gets its act together, because, judging by that first blogger's experience, it is (or was) a privacy-invading, Catch-22 clusterfuck. If you want to opt out as well, go to your Gmail inbox, very bottom of the page, and look for "turn off buzz" in the tiniest letters possible. Assholes.
(Seriously, can someone explain to me what the sweet hell Google was thinking?)
ETA: A more thorough Buzz-remover from CNet. Just turning it off doesn't fix everything.
P.S. It has been pelting down snow for a couple of hours now. Also, Sam went to the vet for a foot checkup, and now he has a red boot.