Google+ Invites
I was giving away Google+ invites on Facebook this weekend, and figured I’d make the same offer here. According to the site, you should be able to go here and sign up if you’re interested.
So I now appear to have three primary social networking sites, not including the blog:
The biggest complaint and frustration I’m seeing with Google+ so far has been their handling of pseudonyms.
While their policy doesn’t directly affect me personally, I’m uncomfortable with it. I had to deal with a stalker before, years ago. We still take certain precautions even years later. This has made me a bit crankier about policies like this.
As an author, I want my name out there … but I dislike the fact that they’re forcing everyone to do so, and deleting accounts if they decide you’re using a pseudonym.
Shadesong linked to a list of people harmed by a No Pseudonyms policy, which is worth checking out and thinking about. You can send feedback to Google+ about this or other issues here.
Overall though, I’m enjoying the interface. It’s a new service, so they’re continuing to work out some bugs. I just hope they rethink their username policy as well.
D. Moonfire
August 8, 2011 @ 12:52 pm
I’m saddened by the lack of handles myself. One of those things I use heavily as a techy person (dmoonfire). But, I don’t think they are going to relax that any time soon.
sean
August 8, 2011 @ 6:58 pm
That is why i do not have a facebook because they also attempt to force you to use your real name (and some privacy setting, but we will not get into those). I was thinking about google+ but if they are enforcing the same policy i guess not.
However that being said they are both companies and can set their own policies. There are alternatives, albeit no one uses them…
For you it would not make sense since you have a fan base and people searching for you. But what if you used a pen name, technically you would be violating their rules.
Just wait 20 years, we will all be telling our kids “remember when we didn’t have to deal with social networks”
Sean
D. Moonfire
August 8, 2011 @ 7:03 pm
I’ll admit, I was hoping Diaspora would be a lot further along by this point, mainly because they were developing a social network that encouraged/allowed handles. It is remarkably a lot like Google+. But, I don’t think they had the commercial drive that Google+ has.
Andrew Zimmerman Jones
August 8, 2011 @ 7:13 pm
Intriguingly, I lean toward support of their policy for much the same reason: stalkers and others who would use anonymity to do harm (or just annoy) others. In my experience, I’ve known very few people who did things for worthwhile reasons and felt the need to hide who they were. (Outside of comic books, that is.) Anonymity has always seemed to offer aid to those doing ill. Even in the case of a political protester or something, the real danger seems to me to be a lack of transparency – namely that the government or whoever would be able to attack them secretly as retribution for their opposition.
Cassandra
August 9, 2011 @ 11:46 am
Personally, I’m still irritated that you need to have Google Buzz enabled to use Google+ because I emphatically don’t want Buzz.