Owned by Google Part II

I've discussed this all with my husband to make sure I wasn't just being paranoid and reactive. And he doesn't think I am...so working on a plan to de-Google my life...

The easiest changes will be with my YouTube account (still really ticked about that, how DARE they hide my videos until I join Google+?!?) and here. I will simply delete my YouTube videos and my account. That's not such a big deal, there are plenty of other places to host vlogs and videos, if I decide I want to continue posting them. Not really into it anymore, my excitement about vlogging has been squashed, but if eventually... And I can move all of my blogs (Blogger being another Google property) easily to WordPress, apparently - at least from what I've read. If I lose the photos - which is the only problem I think? - it's not that big of a deal. Then I can delete this account as well. (There are people who also post vlogs at WP, I've read, if I ever think I might want to try that again!)

My contract for my android (Google's o/s) phone is almost up. And there are a couple of linux/ubuntu-based tablets out there, but more in the pipes for release within the next year. Instead of a smart phone, I can get a cheap cell phone service and a linux-based tablet to do the same things I can do now with my Droid - for less money! (I currently use Ubuntu on my own computer.)

I don't use the Google search engine, but do have a Google Voice number I have used for a few years. That will be tough to give up but I will. For the things I use my GV number for now (mostly anyone that isn't a personal friend or family, who all have my cell #), I'll just use my Skype number. Not a big deal. At least unless Google decides to buy Skype too...

This is all doable. It will take time. But I will phase Google out of my life. Everything they have of mine already (conversations, videos, these blogs, etc.) I'm sure they won't delete - when one has such a complete dossier on people that makes money for one, one doesn't give that up. But I will do what I can do, and lesson learned: Keep my online information and social life spread across various sources. In addition, I am working on minimizing it drastically...more on that in another post.

I just want to say once again: When a company does something and does it well, they have earned the right to prosper. And I don't hate Google for who they are or what they've grown into. What I hate is that I got myself into a position where a company could try to force me to do something I didn't want to do, just so I could do something I did want to do. Even though the easy way would have been to just keep the Google+ account I didn't want, I choose not to be assimilated.