Socially Mundane

Google says “Don’t be evil”.

Well?

Microsoft guarantees that Windows Phone 7 is free from patent infringement issues and it will defend any claims to the contrary—unlike Google which is sitting silently on the sidelines and letting vendors fend for themselves.

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Various tech publications have found their corporate accounts unceremoniously booted [from Google+], with Google claiming that it’s trying to keep the service for individuals at present.

While this has been met with stoic understanding by the people involved, the company’s next step in the cull might cause a bigger stir: the advertising giant is focusing on those who prefer to be known by an avatar.

Opensource Obscure, a Second Life user who prefers to be identified by his/her avatar rather than by his/her real-world identity, is one of the first to be have been selected for removal from the service. While the account is still present on Google , it is listed as ‘suspended’.

Funny in a pathetic way.

Here is what I suspect is happening: GoogleGods only want individuals, not commercial entities, in Google+. Why? Because Google’s customer is the paying advertiser, not you the individual. You the individual user are Google’s “product” - not their search system. Google’s search system is the carrot that lures you into Google’s fold.

Hence, as a paying advertiser, I do not want to pay for any advertising that goes to “commercial entities” because the likely effectiveness of those adverts is likely in the negative fifty percentile. So, um, no!

Thus, Google boots commercial entities. They want individual people who might actually click an advert or two, giving the paying advertiser the false hope of there adverts actually being more effective than they really are, which gives the GoogleGods hope of raking-in those legal-tender buckaroos.

Which brings us to “Obscure” namesakes in your Google Profile.

You might only use GMail, but Google has many, many different services, some of which you’ve at least heard of such as Reader (RSS), Blogger (soon to be rebranded as Google Blogs), Picasa (Soon to be rebranded as Google Photos…or something) and so on.

However, what you may not be aware of is that you have a “Google Account” which is an ‘umbrella’ that covers all Google Services: one log-in, full access. The part you may not know is that you have a Google Profile.

Go to https://www.google.com/accounts/ and you’ll see a big list of all the Google Services you’ve used and a “More” link to show all the other services you haven’t, yet - but can. Note in the top left of that page is your pretty mug-shot (or not). Next to that is a link to either create or edit your public Google Profile.

If you haven’t created a Public Profile, yet, you will see a link called “Edit your personal info”. Here is the part where I suspect Opensource Obscure tripped-up and “flagged” Google to suspect his Google+ account.

It’s okay to use “Opensource Obscure” in the “first name”/”last name” field. However, there also is a place on that form to put “Other names” - and this is where he can put something else that sounds more like a “real name” - you know, like “Johnny Doe Boy” or something. Hell, anything.

Doing this does not guarantee what happens to O. Obscure won’t happen to you. However, it surely helps. Because in short, I suspect the GoogleGods mistook Opensource Obscure to be a Commercial Entity and not an individual.

This would be because his name is, well Obscure.

“In an ongoing effort to stay ahead of the planned Linden Lab shutdown of all V1 style viewers (including Phoenix) later this summer, The Phoenix Viewer Development Team this week released Firestorm Beta 2, V2.5.2.16922.

“As always, the Phoenix Team is adding new features to a V2 style viewer to make it more user friendly and configurable. Beta 2 comes with new features…”

The feature-set doesn’t really impress me a whole lot. All stuff that Viewer 2 already had over the last year or otherwise frivolous things that aren’t “buying decisions” (addition of “seconds” to your IM chat logs, anyone?)

I’ll be first to admit I have no interest whatsoever in even looking at anything from Phoenix team (to me: they are just the Emerald team by another name and I’m sorry: fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me and fuck you).

However I do admit this part of the statement is a curiosity to me: “new features to a V2 style viewer” - does this mean all those Phoenix Worshipper Fanbois and Fangrrls are getting their own comeuppance? I mean the vitriolic, acidic, outright slanderous language they threw around when Viewer 2 first arrived make this statement the joke of the story.

What, now “Viewer 2 like” is okay because your the Viewer Gods you worship have been forced to adopt such?