Google

[oosik]

The local vet asked me to post my review of them on Google. The bull **** log-on/verification procedure was beyond my tolerance. I wonder if this is required each and every time I attempt a log-on?
email address - password - message to email with one-time security code - message to cell phone with one-time security code.

I quit when they wanted my cell phone number so they could send a one-time security code.

You who use Google. Is this normal?

 

[ponytug]

Yes, it is normal.

Of course once you log in, Google will do an especially good job of tracking you across the internet, if you care about such things.

OTOH, I would ask how big the competition is for your vet, and whether a review would make a meaningful difference. In the big city, for cats and dogs, with lots of vets, with overlapping service areas, I would think so. Rural, or semi rural, I kind of doubt it. We have one choice for equine veterinary care and one for bovine veterinary care. Dogs and cats aren't much better.

All the best,

Peter

 

[oosik]

I DO have a Google account. I've just never had any reason to use it. TBN is my only "social" type venture. Otherwise - the internet is almost 100% business related.

We do have two vet services in our small country town. From what I've seen - one gets the vast majority of all the business. I told them - if they want my review on Google - they can darn well post it.

Ponytug - thanks much for your info.

 

[Jstpssng]

I DO have a Google account. I've just never had any reason to use it. TBN is my only "social" type venture. Otherwise - the internet is almost 100% business related.

We do have two vet services in our small country town. From what I've seen - one gets the vast majority of all the business. I told them - if they want my review on Google - they can darn well post it.

Ponytug - thanks much for your info.

I just bought an Android phone and was very disappointed that I can't even download basic programs without a Google account. I believe that I have one, (actually, a couple) but have no idea what they are or how to log in. I don't give my phone number out to any web site; I get enough spam calls as it is.

 

[2manyrocks]

Once everybody starts relying on google reviews to choose who they want to do business with, I suppose that puts google in a good position to charge those businesses for that "service."

 

[Dman1981]

It’s just another name
For a China virus

 

[MoKelly]

I hate the constant attempts to try to get you to use or setup a Google Account! It’s a pain and they want too much information.

It’s one thing for them to get your data from other places or steal it (which they clearly can do), it’s another for me to voluntarily provide just because they ask.

My wife would like a golf cart for the farm to travel around. They are quiet and simple. So, I searched “used golf carts in my area”.

Now, my phone gets unsolicited stuff from everyone and their brother on golf carts for sale!!! I even look at Amazon for stuff and golf carts appear. Sheesh.

 

[Jstpssng]

Great! After reading that last post I am going to be flooded with golf cart ads.

Amazon is as bad as Google. I don't shop there unless I'm really desperate; in part because I would like to be able to do a casual search without getting constant suggestions for the next month.

 

[oosik]

Well folks - I'll join the chorus on this info stuff. I have never given out my phone number to anybody on the internet. If it means that the internet web site won't sell "it" to me - I'll buy "it" locally.

So far I've got no spam on my cell phone. Most likely because I only use this computer on the internet. I only use my cell phone to make phone calls.

My computer is a different story. Recently I must have gone to the wrong web site. I get 15 to 20 spam emails every day now. However - experience shows - they will eventually stop.

 

[newbury]

Time to visit Victoria Secret.

 

[ponytug]

One browsing tip, especially on an Android device, is to do your browsing and searches in private (incognito) mode, and if you can, use Duckduckgo which does not track individual users. The only downside to DuckDuckGo is that they farm their searches out to Bing, and Bing just is not as good as Google for obscure searches.

You can also download the DuckDuckGo app.

Oh, and one more tip, don't forget to delete your web data/search, and cookie cache periodically (e.g. weekly/monthly). It will speed up many pages that would otherwise load old data, and then stop to refresh with new data.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Jstpssng]

I have D-D-G on my Android. What I don't understand though is why it has the Tractor Supply logo in the upper left hand corner every time that I start a search.

 

[Oaktree]

I just bought an Android phone and was very disappointed that I can't even download basic programs without a Google account. I believe that I have one, (actually, a couple) but have no idea what they are or how to log in.

And you need an Apple account to do anything with an I-phone, so you're stuck either way.

What's the purpose of a Google account other than to use an Android phone? I don't have a smartphone, so I've never had any need to set up an account with either company. Is having a Google account the same thing as having gmail or is it something different?

 

[ericm979]

And you need an Apple account to do anything with an I-phone, so you're stuck either way.

You need it very little if you don't sign up for any of their services. Apple generally does privacy and security better than other companies but I'm not letting them store my photos for me or back up my phone.

The only time I need my apple account is when I'm buying an app off the app store. I tend to avoid apps when at all possible so it's not something I do often. Phone apps can harvest far more personal data than a web interface. However recently Apple's gotten better at displaying what data an app gets before you install it, so I may use more apps (that don't harvest data) in the future. Assuming I trust Apple's APIs to restrict apps to the data they say they get. In the past some have found side channels to get info.

What's the purpose of a Google account other than to use an Android phone? I don't have a smartphone, so I've never had any need to set up an account with either company. Is having a Google account the same thing as having gmail or is it something different?

Google has a lot of services besides gmail. I can't even enumerate them all. Chat, video meetings, calendar, shared docs, etc. I avoid all of them that I can but my work uses gmail and google docs so I have to use my work google account on my work computer for those (though gmail's interface sucks so I use an IMAP client).

 

[oosik]

WoW!!! You guys......... There is a whole world - out there - that I'm obviously avoiding. I have ONE email account, ONE web search app and TBN. Otherwise - I just bumble along here.

 

[Doofy]

WoW!!! You guys......... There is a whole world - out there - that I'm obviously avoiding. I have ONE email account, ONE web search app and TBN. Otherwise - I just bumble along here.

I also just bumble along. I would be totally computer illiterate without The Wife keeping everything running for me.