Uh oh, google wants me.

Well, I clicked on the small words about managing your account, and that let me close my gmail account. And I can still get into google.


A2k sends me (last I looked) thank yous for spam reports to my gmail account, but when I tried to change my email to my other site email, a2k said it was already registered. That's because that other account is the one I look at most, so if I have a contact us question, I give that email.
So, I'll contact them and try to clear that up.


Meantime, does anyone have other free email sites they like?

I gather there was an opt out that I didn't see.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/01/09/gmail_g_integration_google_plus_users_can_now_email_you_unless_you_opt_out.html

Just as well, as I don't like the sneakiness factor.

I don't understand exactly what the problem is with having "all of google". They are offereing you services that you can choose to use, or not.

If you only use mail, then all you will get is mail.

The rest of google includes things like the ability to post youtube videos, upload pictures and to use google documents. If you don't use these other services then what's the big deal? It doesn't intrude in any way.

The recent Google+ integration is the one possible thing that might be considered intrusive. I don't think this even matters if you don't use Google+... and you can easy turn it off even after the fact.

The other free sites are the same way.

I use google. I like it. I don't use a lot of the other features. No big wup.
Some of them are handy though, like google docs, maps or earth. I also use picasa and sketch-up.

That's the point. I never opted for google plus, on purpose, and just recently they announced they are letting google plus people email as much as they want to gmail people (and maybe something about not needing an address), and, I just learned, apparently vice versa. I figured since I didn't have the plus thing, I didn't have to worry, but no.

So when I went to gmail to clear my a2k Thank You for Reporting spams stuff, they wouldn't let me in without signing up for an all in one account.

No mention of opt out possibilities. F'em.


Having read a little more, I see You're In unless you opt out.

I think that you misunderstand.

I think it is only people in your Google+ circles that can email you. If you are not using Google+, then you don't have anyone in your Google+ circles and you don't need to worry. It is also not true that people can email as much as they want either.

I don't really know what you are worrying about anyway. What's the worse that can happen? There are similar features in Meetup and LinkedIn. The fact that people can email you without your real email address is cool. It gives people a chance to reach out to you in a way that gives you the ability to choose to respond or not.

I am pretty sure that you aren't impacted anyway.

In my opinion, the controversy over this Google+ change is a big overreaction.

That may be. I never saw anything about plus circles - I couldn't get into my gmail account. I also did not want an all in one account, which was my only choice until I figured out I how I could quit.

What exactly do you not want all in one account? You said you are only using email, right?

I read that they have emailed people with the possibility of options. Maybe they did, but I check that gmail account about once a month, to clear it, and when I did, I couldn't get in, faced with accepting an all in one account.

I use google, google maps, and so on. I am not at all interested in google plus.

Good. So don't use Google+. You don't need to cancel your gmail account to continue not using Google+. I really don't understand the issue here.

If Google maps knows who you are, then you can use search terms like "home" and "work" when you are asking for directions. It also remembers other places that I have gone before so I don't have to type in the entire address again. I find this feature very useful.

Since this is connected to my Gmail account, I don't have to log on to google maps each time. And, I don't have another password to remember. This means I get this cool feature that makes my life easier without even having to log in again.

I am not sure what the downside is. Can you explain why you want to log in separately to use these useful Google maps features.

Try rereading.

I was not allowed into my gmail without signing up for an all in one account.

If I had an option out I didn't see it, since I had not read any recent emails, which have historically been from a2k thanking me re spam reports, so I don't just clear those every single day.

What pisses me off is they let the emails from plus to gmail and apparently from gmail to plus as a default.

I am re-reading. I still don't see where you explain how this is a bad thing.

They are offering you services. You can choose to use each one or to not use any ot them. If you just want to use email, then use email.

Please answer this question (with apologies if I really have missed your explanation).

How does offering you free services that you can choose to use or not hurt you in any way?

I have mention now several times that I could not choose. I couldn't see my gmail unless I signed up for all in one.

Sorry you don't get it.

you can choose to only use gmail of the google+ options once you've signed in

is it bothering you that they are giving you more options you won't use?

it's like having the choice to buy pomegranates at a grocery store and saying you won't go to that grocery store because you don't want pomegranates

they're not making you buy or use pomegranates, they are simply another option at the store you've always gone to for apples

When I clicked sign in, it was to sign up for all in one, so I didn't. I'm not a big trickster fan.

How many times do I have to say I never saw another option?

I'm not simple. There was no other option but to sign up for all in one to get to see my gmails. If there was, it wasn't on the page I saw.

You get the options - you don't have to use them.