Google+

[Varjak]

Deleted by user.

[Mi An]

I can't answer most of your questions, but it might be helpful to know about Google Takeout if you don't already, as one part of controlling your data.

If you do take the plunge, do let us know what you think of g+.

[Hook]

I've already nuked my G+ account. It just did nothing for me, although I liked it much better than Facebook. It forces you to create a profile (but you only need a name and email to meet the minimal obligation). One of the things that I didn't like is that that profile then connected to everything Google associated with that account. When you nuke G+ you can also nuke the profile, which I did.

They do a good job, however, of giving you control of your data. They don't suck in your Gmail contacts unless you want them too. In general, you give your permission for anything they do. As I said, my main complaint is I just found it useless and I tend not to keep things around I don't use, particularly connected stuff.

[brickman65]

In general, you give your permission for anything they do.

Hook, that's what scares me. I'd rather sign up and 'build' my account, rather than have everything sucked in and then pare it back.

Varjak. You give them permission first. You don't have to scale them back.

I actually don't use it that much anymore. I do with some people but not like I use too.

[Ed Hardy]

If you are privacy oriented, then Google+ isn't for you. For good or ill, Google has taken the stance that anything you post should be publicly available.

As a result, I'm using G+,to the extent that I'm using it at all, as away to publicize this site. I wouldn't dream of putting anything about my private life on it.
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[SGosnell]

That isn't my experience, with my account or those of others I've visited. Posts are only publicly visible if the owner posts them as public. You can limit who sees posts by circle(s), and I haven't seen a way to bypass that. Perhaps I'm just not tech savvy enough to do it, but I'm not the dullest knife in the drawer, I don't think.

[r0k]

If you have privacy concerns about G+ and you're using Facebook well that's just ironic. G+ is basically tumbleweeds blowing around because nobody sees anything you post unless you add them to one of your circles. If Google is as patient with G+ as MS was with Xbox, they might yet make something of it.

[Varjak]

It's interesting, there was some real initial heat in Google+; but it quickly seemed to die off.

I think if I do it, I'll probably create a new gmail account so as to segregate everything and put very little 'up' for people to see.

[Stryker]

Still like it... less clutter than FB...

[Drillbit]

Google+ growing really fast now. For some reason, I get loads of followers starting mid December to January. Picking up followers a lot faster than in Twitter.