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Google Adds Chat To Gmail
Nathan Weinberg writes "Google has added a chat feature to Gmail. It brings Google Talk, minus voice calls, into your webmail client. Gmail now also logs your IMs, whether they originate in Gmail or Google Talk. In the commentary at InsideGoogle, I note that Google recommends you disable Firefox's AdBlock, which can block Google's ads, if you want Gmail Chat to function properly."
well your IMs aren't really private unless you use some form of encryption. Even then, it would depend on the type of encryption you use.
Having a smoking section in a public restaurant is like having a peeing section in a public swimming pool.
I think this thing is a good idea (not the logging, the chat-inside-mailapp). I wonder if you get marked as "online" whenever you check your Mail on mail.google.com...
I think both features are good. Logging can be incredibly useful when you're using IM for online meetings and collaboration. (Such as in OSS projects.) To date I've been using a ChatBot to collaborate and record the conversations. This would free me to just record all my conversations, then move the interesting parts to the wiki as necessary.
Way to go Google!
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Not to sound like a Google fanboy, but I absolutely LOVE GTalk for its nice clean interface and lack of smilies.
Yes, because that's the reason to use Google's client... The lack of emoticons! A feature that every client I have ever used allows you to disable anyway.
In the course of this morning, I logged on to four different computers, three of which aren't mine. I visited just one page on each computer - google.com/ig. I logged in and was able to check my email, news, the weather, movies for tonight, comments on my Flickr photos, a few friends' blogs, some cool quotes, and now this story. And soon, IM.
If AOL ever offered, currently offers, or is planning on ever offering this level of user-friendliness, content consolidation, and ease/speed of use, all for free, all without the need to install anything on the client computer, I will buy you a beer, sir.
We must not forget google policies. If you let them to log your chats then you're giving them even more information about you.
At first, all that information can, and will be used, to make target advertisement. No big deal since they already analyse our email.
Second, all that information can, and will be used, in case of any "law" problems with them. The have in their policies that rules, so if you come to be from a rival company they will use all the information they get from your email, and not the chats too, to play dirty.
Be carefull boys!
I just fear that google, without you knowing, would log what you chat about!
What's to stop them from doing this now?
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
"my IMs are private and if I don't log 'em, they don't get logged."
Uh, if you don't just talk to yourself, the other party could log your IMs too.
Anyway, anyone in between (ISPs, company, wireless provider, 3 letter agencies) can log the data.
Practically all popular IM's send messages in plaintext. Even if you use encryption, the other party may wish to save it in plaintext...
I've said this a million times already! G-mail needs a calendar application! Forget this chatting crap! I need help with time management!
The Rapture is NOT an exit strategy.
What's to stop Google from keeping the message in their archives? Just because the POP3 session says it's deleted, doesn't mean it actually is. That's just a false sense of security. By allowing your email to pass through Google's servers, you are effectively trusting Google. If you don't trust them, you shouldn't be using their servicess, not using POP3.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade