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Google+ Photos To Shut Down August 1
An anonymous reader writes: Now that Google Photos exists separately from Google+, the company is shutting down the Google+ version of Photos starting on August 1. The Android version will be the first to go, followed shortly thereafter by the iOS and web versions. Fortune calls the old Photos app "a relic of the times when the search giant thought its social network Google Plus could become a huge hit."
I was excited when Google+ rolled out. That enthusiasm quickly dissipated when Google decided that no anonymous accounts would be tolerated. Their inability to understand how important it is for many people to be able to participate anonymously convinced me that this was not a platform that was going anywhere. Apparently, I wasn't the only person to feel this way.
Awesome job Google! You could have very likely created a real competitor to Facebook but instead orchestrated the internet version of New Coke.
Honestly, because we didn't want it, never asked for it, got tired of having it constantly being foisted on us. It was a solution in search of a problem which nobody wanted solved in the first place.
It mostly took the form of Google's services constantly trying to force people to sign up for it, and pissing everybody off in the process. It wasn't anything anybody gave a damn about, but Google was constantly trying to make it mandatory.
Every time I encountered it, I found myself wanting to beat someone at Google with a clue stick.
Because the world isn't about social networks, and we don't give a fuck about the fact that Google wanted to play "me too".
I want to see a map or chat with one of my contacts. I don't want to sign up for your vision of my entire fucking digital lifestyle.
Google+ was the digital equivalent of a Jehova's Witness constantly showing up at your door. It did noting but annoy people.
The reason it failed is nobody wanted it, and people didn't want to be forced into using the damned thing just to make Google believe they'd launched a successful service.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Now that Google+ Photos is discontinued, Google Apps admins received a message which informs them that Google Hangouts will only use Picasa Web Albums for photo sharing.
http://googlesystem.blogspot.c...
I have started using my own server for this (for privacy and space reasons). Unfortunately, a lot of my exif tags (dates in particular) seem to have messed up when I downloaded them from Google photos. I did it using the download archive function - ended up with an 8 GB zip. I assume it was during the download because Google have them correct on their site.
Trying to go through and correct those has been really frustrating - particular since that is where all the pictures of my deceased wife are, and I really have trouble holding up well checking each photo. I wouldn't even bother but it is very jarring to run into pictures of her when browsing from May of this year.