For instance, you know the targeted ads that Google sponsors through Adsense? Well, Google is hiding behind the rouse of privacy concerns to basically weed out and eliminate the advertising competition. Read more about it through Joost de Valk's timely post, "Google Whores Out Users with False Privacy Claims".
Of course, Google has already stepped on my toes by eliminating Google Buzz, which I used religiously, and now I've reached my breaking point with the recent announcement that Google is also eliminating Google Friend Connect FOR EVERYONE WHO IS NOT ON BLOGGER.
What kind of self-righteous crap is that? If GFC turned out to be a bad idea or doesn't make the impact you had hoped for, you eliminate it completely...across the board. You don't weed out a select group of people to keep it instated for and then poo-poo on those of us who have gotten out from under Google's controlling and tyrannical blogging platform.
So what's the alternative? Well, Google is now trying to push all of us to use their new Google+ pages, because Google+ is out of Beta and open to all. But unfortunately, I think Google+ is a joke and I don't care for it. I tried using Google+ for my own personal page and don't think that it can hold a candle to either Twitter or Facebook.
I also will not be opening a Google+ page for this blog now on strict principal. I do not like the heavy-handed approach of eliminating GFC and then oh-so-gently being told that my only option is Google+. Because of this, dear readers, you don't have to worry about seeing Mommy Living the Life of Riley in a Google circle anytime soon.
Now down to brass tacks...what does this mean for all of you who enter the contests and giveaways on my site? If you've been here a while, you'll remember that I used to make following me via GFC a mandatory entry, but now I've taken that widget completely off my site, since it's pretty much dead already. What I have decided to do in its place is the following:
I would really appreciate my readers to follow me via Facebook, email newsletter or through RSS Feed, but because I realize that there's not a one-size-fits-all option for every one of my readers, I decided to eliminate the mandatory entry for me and just up the number of entries you can receive for following my blog by one of the three methods listed above.
I considered using Bloglovin as my new GFC, but after a thorough investigation of this service, it appears that not that many people use it and I didn't want to make any of you "jump through hoops" in order to follow me and enter my giveaways. You see, unlike Google, the decisions I make are always with the best interests of my readers in mind and not myself! Take a lesson, Google! :devil:
I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on the recent controversial changes from Google as well as what you think about the giveaway entry changes I've made. If you get a chance, please leave a comment below and let's discuss!
View Comments (34)
I'm not happy about the change either. I'm really not on board with the google + train.
Glad to know I'm not the only one. I hear that some people love Google+, but I just don't get it. I'm definitely a Facebook and Twitter gal!
It really ticks me off that they are dumping GFC. How stupid is that? Google has gotten out of control with their power trip in life here. I'm with you. Google+ is weird and I don't have time to dink around with something that is self serving to Google only... I have a business to run
Here, here Chris! I completely agree...I've heard that the stint into Google+ is not having near the effect or the turnout that they had hoped and I definitely see the elimination of both Google Buzz and GFC as a last ditch resort to drum up some interest in Google+.
I'm still fairly new to Google+ and just in made a page about 2 days ago, so I'm not sure if I like or dislike it. Still learning right now lol
I don't mind following via RSS, facebook and email though :)
Thanks so much LadyM! You rock! To me, Google+ is an attempt to recreate the chat room. Maybe if I was back in college without a family or a kid, I would like it more, but I've found that Google+ just takes way too much time for me. Have a great day! :big grin:
I, too, am upset about Google's recent decisions. I love them for the purpose of Docs and for my school assignments. However, I do not like Google+. I have a personal account which I was required to get for a technology course and I never check it except for when we have to. I'm still trying to decide what to do about this. I guess I need to take down the GFC widget on my site. :(
Yes, it was definitely a sad day when I took mine down yesterday. I just kept thinking back to all of the hours and hours I spent trying to bolster my numbers through various blog hops, etc. for almost two years. Unfortunately, I've also heard it through the grapevine that in another attempt to put Google+ on the map, Google has already started tying SEO benefits to using Google+. There are no SEO benefits to using Facebook and Twitter right now, so this would be a huge game changer in Google+'s favor. I'm hoping that Facebook and Twitter will be changing this soon.
I fully support not having GFC as an entry. There are many other entry options!
True...I guess for a lot of us bloggers, it took GFC going away to see that! :)
I know, all that time building gfc and then... I like the personal Google + page I made and found it harder to use the blog page I made simply cause you are limited in who you can follow. The verdit is still out.. we will see. Unless this is done away too before then.
Oh, wow! I didn't know there were limits on the blog page variety of Google+...that's kind of weird. But I feel like you do too about Google's modules being sort of flighty now. I just hope they don't do away with Feedburner...I think that would hurt most of all!
I have to say that I try to stay positive and inspirational but I have to say that I am not happy with Google removing GFC! I have contemplated my blog post about this and I can't find the words regarding this "mandatory" change to google +. I have refused to open an account and hopefully if others take a stand it will not go away! maybe we should petition Google. I think all of that worked so hard to gain followers on our blogs should take a stand together and maybe we can get Google to see the error of their ways!
I completely agree Jenelle! I've tried so hard to stay positive and not add my two cents in when things don't go my way or I find something I don't agree with, but I just couldn't stay away from writing this post for I was so infuriated at how we've all been treated by Google. Like I said in my post, it doesn't bother me that GFC is going away...it bothers me that it's only going away for those of us who aren't on Blogger! Now that's a sorry thing to do! They are intentionally singling us out and it seems to be the new way with Google..."You are either with us or against us and we will show absolutely no loyalty to you...just do as we say, period."
That irks me to no end! Maybe you're right though and the petition will help, but honestly Google just seems to have adopted a god-like attitude that whatever they say, goes! BOO! :pull hair out:
I'm annoyed that they're dropping GFC, too. They say they're eliminating some of the "less popular" apps, but almost every blog out there uses GFC, so how does it qualify as not popular?
I got a scary taste of how much Google controls the internet a week or so ago when they randomly disabled my account. I think it may have been because I posted a LOT of comments on one blog within a short period of time, I was catching up on giveaway entries, but they never gave me any kind of explanation. My account was only down about 2 hours, but since everything is linked to Google these days, that meant no Google Reader, no YouTube, no Blogger, no Google Docs, etc. I was freaking out!
I know what you mean, Crystal. When I first started blogging, I had my blog on Blogger. I quickly discovered the power of the Blog Hops and was spending hours upon hours leaving comments and following other blogs. My site was building quickly, which was great, but then one day out of the blue, Google had suspended my blog...for TWO WEEKS! Never any emails, explanations, someone I could talk to to help me...nothing. I had to start all over again from scratch and this time I went to a self-hosted Wordpress blog, which is where I've been ever since. Eventually, Google decided that I wasn't a SPAM blog after all and completely reinstated me, but by that time I was long gone! It is true what they say, "absolute power corrupts absolutely". :devil:
I can't even tell for sure if I have truly added someone to my circle. Maybe I'm stupid, but I so far figured out everything else, but Google + I haven't even been able to find out for sure how to do it on their Q&A. If someone can tell me how I add someone and know I'm adding them, please send me an e-mail @marika200@hotmail.com
I agree Mary! I found G+ very hard to use too, which was rather surprising, since like you, this isn't my first rodeo in the social media arena. In the end, I just thought it was a glorified chat room and wasn't that interested in it. The chat rooms died for a reason and I'm kind of surprised that Google didn't make G+ a little more like Facebook. But I guess they didn't want to be accused of just copying Facebook, though honestly I would have liked it more if they had.
As for the people in your circles thing, I think I might be able to help. If you go into your Google+ account and then click on your own name so that you are indeed in your own account, look along the top of the page at the icons there. You should see 5 icons, along with a Google+ search bar. The fourth icon from the left is your circles icon. Once you click on that, you'll see a detailed list of who you're following as well as who's following you. I hope this helps!
I'm totally with you on this one. It's really a drag to think we have spent so much time working to build a following on GFC and then...poof...it's gone. Just like that. I have joined Google+ and am starting to build a decent following there but I really don't like the site - it's kinda weird. I have a blogger site right now but am planning to change that after the first of the year. I too, am getting sick of Google's BS :)
You're so right Tiffany! Now that my blog has become a home business for me, I definitely wouldn't want to be hosted on Blogger either because you are then completely at their mercy (or lack thereof).
As for WordPress, I think you’ll love it once you get used to it. It’s completely free and since it’s open source, everybody and their mama is making cool, sophisticated plugins which will accomplish everything under the moon and then some. At the time, I thought Google had really screwed me when they froze access to my blog for two whole weeks, but in the end, it was such a blessing. I don’t know if I would have ever made the leap to WordPress without this push, but I’m so happy that I did. If you have any questions about WordPress once you’re up and running after the move, please don’t hesitate to ask! :big smile: