up vote 3 down vote favorite
share [g+] share [fb]

The last bastion of non-sharing-everything GMail has been conquered ... from inside ...

Okey, to put it simple ... I use GMail and GReader extensively; have my list of contacts, my mail and my feed items. I don't share anything with anyone. And I would like to it to stay that way ...

Now comes Buzz ... from what I saw, its defaults are pretty much okey. Only I'd still like to check with you guys. So two or three questions (so closely related that I didn't feel like splitting them)

  1. What does it mean in Google Reader when under "People you follow" I start getting "2 new sharing requests" and such ? On my public page I'm not sharing anything (don't have anything marked for sharing). Are they still "getting" something from me ?
  2. Is my list of contacts still private in GMail ?
  3. If under Gmail I "turn off buzz" (at the bottom of the page) will everything go away ?
  4. What are other actions that could be done for status quo to remain as it were before Buzz ?
link|improve this question
63% accept rate
2  
Given the trend, perhaps it's time to start considering migrating away from gmail and onto something else? Painful yes, at first, but that might be the best long-term option. – Brian Knoblauch Feb 11 '10 at 17:44
In short, without wanting to sound arrogant, no. I know it may be an option for some who use it for an occational private purposes, but for some (like me) who's had it for quite some time (has it printed on numerous papers), has a lot of contacts and they all have just this adress, ... in short, it isn't that easy. Not do I actually want to. I'm happy with the current situation (with some slight annoyances from time to time). – ldigas Feb 11 '10 at 18:14
Yeah, I understand. I made a similar switch years ago (with one I'd had longer than gmail has even been out now). It's a hard move to make! – Brian Knoblauch Feb 11 '10 at 18:51
@Brian Knoblauch - expecially when you're using the paid variant also. – ldigas Feb 11 '10 at 20:06
I voted to close this question since this is not computer related, sorry. Please check the FAQ for more information. – alex Feb 12 '10 at 7:15
show 6 more comments
feedback

closed as off topic by random♦, alex, fretje, quack quixote, Diago Feb 12 '10 at 11:41

Questions on Super User are expected to generally relate to computer software or computer hardware, within the scope defined in the faq.

3 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

Short answer: no, you are not private anymore with Buzz, but turning it off will bring back privacy. For a more detailed answer see CNet's article here.

link|improve this answer
The article in the link presumes ones has a Google Profile page (which I don't). – ldigas Feb 11 '10 at 17:00
I didn't see anything about needing to have a profile set up myself, I'm going paranoid and assuming Google uses whatever is stored on their server to show a "profile" so I won't be using Buzz any time soon. – Tom Feb 11 '10 at 17:26
Search for "Edit profile" and read the text around it (a little up, and some below it). Yes, by default one doesn't have a profile setted up. – ldigas Feb 11 '10 at 17:36
+A ... not because it was the best answer, but because this is gonna get closed, so I might as well (others too) give you some rep. for the effort :) – ldigas Feb 12 '10 at 8:09
Thanks for the thought, though I'd personally disagree with the mods on their close votes. To me, this is very computer related as it has to do with an internet based software system (as Google is transforming themselves to be). – Tom Feb 12 '10 at 15:51
show 1 more comment
feedback
up vote 3 down vote

Use POP or IMAP to access your gmail. I haven't logged into the web interface in a while and was only prompted to buzz when I logged into the web in response to this question.

link|improve this answer
I don't want to give up using Gmail through their web interface ... so, not an option. Sorry. – ldigas Feb 11 '10 at 17:34
But still a useful answer. It is a viable option for some, just not for you. – DaveParillo Feb 11 '10 at 23:43
@DaveParillo - yes. But, unfortunatelly, not to this question ;) – ldigas Feb 12 '10 at 8:18
feedback
up vote 2 down vote

Here's how to do it:

In any Gmail window, whether it’s your regular inbox, your Buzz inbox, or an individual message, scroll down to the bottom of the screen. In the footer, you’ll see a text link that says “turn off buzz.” Click that link.

alt text

link|improve this answer
1  
I added what you linked, however it doesn't answer his question, since he mentions this part in his question. – Ivo Flipse♦ Feb 11 '10 at 17:29
feedback

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.