The Plus in Google Plus? It’s Mostly for Google

[onehandle]

Plus is now so important to Google that the company requires people to sign up to use some Google services, like commenting on YouTube. The push is being done so forcefully that it has alienated some users and raised privacy and antitrust concerns, including at the Federal Trade Commission. Larry Page, Google’s chief executive, tied employee bonuses companywide to its success and appointed Vic Gundotra, a senior Google executive, to lead it.

The value of Plus has only increased in the last year, as search advertising, Google’s main source of profits, has slowed. At the same time, advertising based on the kind of information gleaned from what people talk about, do and share online, rather than simply what they search for, has become more important.

Brand advertisers already target ads based on assumptions about broad categories, like women who watch sports. But the ads can be even more targeted when web companies know more about their users — say, that a particular female soccer fan is also a mother who likes thrillers and wants to buy a home.

“The database of affinity could be the holy grail for more effective brand advertising,” said Nate Elliott, an analyst at Forrester studying social media and marketing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/technology/the-plus-in-google-plus-its-mostly-for-google.html

Don't. Use. Google. Anything.

[RKP5637]

1. Google is like a giant parasite. n/t

[jsr]

2. 5 Google Opt-Out Settings To Check

http://www.informationweek.com/software/social/5-google-opt-out-settings-to-check/d/d-id/1113405

[RKP5637]

7. Thanks for this link. I had most already set for privacy, but found a couple I had missed. n/t

[hobbit709]

3. Anyone that couldn't figure that out right at the beginning...

[madokie]

4. I use firefox

under preferences/privacy I select (us custom settings for history) then uncheck everything then move to (exceptions) and add the few web sites who I want to allow a cookie like DU. I add google.com and click the blocked box. Very seldom do I have to let a web site add a cookie and if I do I add them to my exceptions and then I use the (for this session only) option. I then click show cookies and delete all the cookies there so I can start without any other than the ones I want. You'll be surprised at how many of the ads etc you'll not have any longer. All of which slows down a search you are making.
I don't miss not having a list of my history

[riqster]

6. You can take similar steps in IE ( not as effective, though)

Plus, IE sucks in general. Chrome sucks worse. Firefox is the best of the lot, overall.

Opera could be good, if anyone would code for it: dunno about their security, tho'.

I looked at Google + when it first came out and was not impressed.

[htuttle]

5. I guess I just don't care

I remember way back when the web got started, there was a lot of discussion and experimentation with various ways to fund websites. Sites tried subscription pay walls, 'click here to see our sponsor' pages, and finally banner ads.

Nothing worked but banner ads, for the most part. Before Google there was doubleclick.net (that Google bought). We've all been tracked for the purposes of generating sales demographics since the late 1990's. They seemed intrusive at first, then I didn't really notice them anymore. Ever since then, the implicit understanding between the web and it's users has been that the price of accessing an awful lot of content for free is that you will be exposed to advertising. That's just how it works right now. Otherwise, we'd all be back on Compuserve and AOL paying $14.95 per month.

I don't really have a problem with advertising, since I don't pay much attention to it. I know what it's for, so don't give it much more importance than a 'SALE 50% OFF' sign in a shop window. I'm not saying this out of complacency or naivete. It's just that given the balance of what I get versus the balance of what I have to put up with to get it, I don't really mind the ads.

[RKP5637]

8. I don't mind some advertising. I do like my privacy, so I use settings to protect my

privacy as much as possible. If we had to subscribe and pay for all of the sw we now take for granted, I think most people would be amazed at the cost.

I recall shelling out sooo much for sw in the early years. I was in IT and R&D for decades way back and it seems I've thrown out many $$$$$'s in early sw. Now, my budget for sw is down to about zero. Having spent my life in IT and R&D, I really understand the need to generate revenue, in fact, I'm surprised at how well the free stuff continues to be available.

[Rtml guru]

9. Google Plus

Google is coercing people to get listed in their social net.At least the Facebook experience is totally voluntary in the mark up procedure. I'm shocked by it, and am weary of Google and how much I want to be involved with their wares.

[jsr]

10. With WhatsApp, Facebook now has everybody's cellphone numbers and address books

which Google also has via Android. (Well, Google has your emails too).

[Jesus Malverde]

11. The hardest part was to stop commenting on youtube.

It was pretty ham fisted but someone got a big bonus.

I don't know anyone who uses plus....

The only google social network that was cool is orkut.