I Feel Like Google+ Is Infiltrating and Taking Over the Known World

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I am sure this sounds paranoid, but apparently I am not alone.  It seems that just recently Google+ is everywhere- I mean, just everywhere.  And changing a lot that I loved about Google.  Now it has become almost like Wal-Mart to me- it has everything, and if you want one thing, you have to get the other thing.

This article at Lifehacker explains my sentiments exactly:

http://lifehacker.com/facebook-vs-google-your-best-arguments-1479394128

Called Facebook versus Google+: Your Best Arguments

Another thing that makes me apprehensive is how much of my public information is going out there without me even knowing it.  For example, I was on (apparently) Google Maps looking at where apartments were situated, and suddenly a pop-up occurred, from Plus, I think, saying, "Gina has just opened the link to so and so" and appeared about ready to publish it to my GooglePlus stream or profile or page.  I quickly tried to shut that down and do not know what happened.

Or my photos- it has apparently hijacked them so that when I "have" to sync my Android phone with Google Contacts, the photos were suddenly up in a "sync" box both on Facebook and Plus, both saying, basically, that I had full control, relax, they won't be published unless you do this or that.  Well, I never signed up for that, and to have to opt out of everything would be impossible at this point, since GooglePlus is connected to pretty much everything of Google's, like Gmail, Blogger, YouTube, Maps, every app.....no more ala carte I guess.

And the set up of Plus is so much like Grand Central Station- confusing, tons of groups to be in, with myself getting massive amounts of email from each group everytime someone coughs, and I don't know when I post if I am posting for the entire world to see or what.

Yes, I know this is all carefully explained in their help pages (how to ensure your privacy) but the average person is not going to have the time to do all that.

And yeah I wouldn't have to be on it at all, I know.  But it is like being the only kid left out of a game, if you don't join in and try to learn and expand, you will be left behind.  When the day comes that gmail is the only email option, or Android the only smartphone platform, or Google Wallet the only way to pay, etc. etc., then what.  So I am trying.

But you can see I am not alone based on the numerous comments to the article here, some of which are nasty.

In fact I DO like Google a lot- I love Gmail, and Google Voice, and other stuff.  At the time when Google Plus came out I found it a totally lame comparison to Facebook, like, what is the point.  But now it seems to be sticking its hands into everything and gaining on Facebook.  There are some really good things about Google Plus too, like the ability to meet new people with your interests easily, and to keep up with the news, etc., that Facebook does not have.

But it wears me and my ADD out, just going on there.

I would like to say thanks to someone who works there though who graciously helped me out fixing this Blogger thing that had gone haywire after the Google Comments installation that was practically forced upon us.  Very helpful and a genius.  Thing is, I am not, I do not do that for a living, and I am not going to be able to run to him or others all the time.

So am I going to get left behind here?

Remains to be seen.

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