Recently Google locked me out of my Gmail account.
I tried to think of any rules I might have broken to cause Google to hate me, but couldn’t come up with anything good enough to compromise my account.
I tried to find help, but YOU KNOW HOW THAT GOES. Finding someone to talk to about why your email account isn’t working is pretty much impossible.
And then I panicked. WHAT IF I NEVER GET IT BACK! I’d lose everything…important emails, email addresses, my Google reader, access to my Google Docs, my editorial calendars…all of it gone.
I did what any panicky gmail user would do…I clicked over to YouTube to find a happy video. But guess what? Google owns YouTube…so my YouTube account and all my videos and even the ability to comment on OTHER videos was inaccessible.
No gmail = No YouTube.
Dammit!
So I did what any panicky gmail/YouTube user would do…I clicked over to comment on some of my favorite blogs. But guess what? Google owns Blogger. I no longer had access to my blogger id to leave a comment or any of my blogger blogs.
No Gmail = No YouTube = No Blogger.
And just like that I realized Google owns me.
I submitted my appeal as prompted by the error screen, but I had no idea how long that process was going to take. I google searched (irony much?) for answers to my problem and found some relief in the posts I read where this has happened and accounts were restored.
I was grateful that Google didn’t own Facebook, Twitter, my WordPress site and/or Flickr. All was not lost. I was high fiving myself for having the foresight to switch my blog to WordPress.
Recently I learned of Google’s plans to oust Google Friend Connect in an attempt to push Google+. Many people are upset about this because they fear they will lose readers who follow solely through Google Connect.
I’ll admit I’m extremely hesitant about promoting and growing a Google+ page. My Gmail account was restored (thank you Google I love you), but I don’t like that one “compromised” account means no access to any accounts within the Google network. Do I want to give them one more account to take away should the fancy strike?
I also don’t like that Google keeps encouraging us to build followings on things like Google Friend Connect and Google Buzz and then those things are eventually phased out.
Remind me why I want to put effort into Google+ again?
The moral of this story my friends…is that…Google trumps all. We’re pretty much all screwed.
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m a google lover, I have to, if you can’t defeat them, join them.
I love google but have never really stopped and thought about how they do own all of that. I just blindly click away and just assume it will always be there. I’m glad you got back into your account. Did you ever find out what it was that caused them to lock you out?
I agree. I try to back up most emails, etc. to my personal (non-Gmail) accounts but I recently had trouble with Feedburner (another Google product) and realized how necessary that product is for subscribers. As for GFC, I had it on my site but took it down after hearing it was going away for non-Blogger blogs.
Great post by the way! Your drawings are like a Christmas gift in my “Google” reader. :)
We are slaves to Google. And yup, we are pretty much screwed.
What’s sad is I know they own me, yet I embrace it. Find myself looking through google labs to find new ways to sell myself to them.
This is true. If google shuts me down, I’d have to actually do housework or something. ~shudders~
I realized I was a slave when I was locked out once.
Guess I’ve got to figure out Google+, I’ve been avoiding it.
I’m pretty upset about the whole Google friend connect thing. I think it would be wonderful if someone could come up with an alternative outside of Google.
We would all be lost without Google. Did you ever find out why they shut down your account?
Oh MAN! That would be enough to make me create a second ID with Google and duplicate everything in both accounts.
so are you suggesting i switch my blog to wordpress then? =)
I keep getting the irritating “if you’re ever locked out, we can use your cell phone number to help” or something equally stupid. Um, I have my business posted around the world too may places already. I simply do not want you to have yet one more avenue to “help” me through. I have no interest in Google+, really I don’t. But you’re right; once you’re out of one you start to see just how far Google’s testicles…wait, tentacles reach.
The whole google thing is frustrating. Love how you illustrated this post. LOL. Especially the “Google Owns You” funny stuff. :-) I won’t be at Google + because I have a hard enough time keeping up with everything. But then again…I said that about Twitter. {Ahem}
Sad isn’t it. We are their slave ;) Love your cartoons.
I am ne-wish to Gmail but have to admit it has taken over my life and I am not sure what I would do if they withheld it!
Glad you are back in the game ;)
I don’t like Google+ It’s pointless. But I am a slave to google also. It’s sad.
aaahhhh google is taking over the world!!! bum bum bum….
Damn, and here I thought I was doing good to finally get off blogger. Guess they still own me, though?
The Google Gods are clearly finicky and they definitely own me. I am theirs. I mustn’t say anything bad about Google+…they can’t probably read my thoughts, too (thinking good thoughts, thinking good thoughts).
This is actually quite a horrifying little post.
Your experience, and your realization is spot on.
At their mercy I am, as well.
This happened to me over the weekend, and I ended up with a 2 day migraine from staring at the computer for 4 hours trying to figure things out.
Couldn’t youtube, couldn’t comment, couldn’t get into my own blog…it was pretty bad.
I can’t believe your account was compromised. Also, I am so addicted to my gmail/gchat that I’m not sure what I would do if I was locked out. I pretty much obsessively check it.
Ok, I thought that whale video was scary but this post was even scarier. Oh my GOD! How were you not crying in a corner? Did you ever find out what happened? How did you piss off the Google gods?
That is a harrowing thought, but Google is indeed as powerful as Mama Kat is intriguing. And what will probably happen is that Google will buy out other entities until one by one they own all that is good, including Mama Kat and her intrigue (since they will determine you corner the market in that area). And once they have done this, they will conquer the world, from the inside out. And Mama Kat’s infamous prophetic “We are all pretty much screwed” will be used as a historically significant warning voice for those who were too busy to notice. We… are… already… on… the… slippery… slope…
I started a google+ account to link to my blog, and they deleted it because they said I wasn’t giving them my real name and I refused to give them any name other than Lovely One. Screw you, Google. My first name is Lovely, my last name is One. I dare you to prove otherwise.
I found out a while back my Google account was accessed from overseas. I took the paranoid route and set it up to text me anytime someone tries to access my account. It’s a pain waiting a few seconds for the text message before I can enter the key and log in – but the peace of mind is worth it! :)
Hi! This is my first day at your blog and I just wanted to say thank you for the laugh. Your vlogs are fantastic expecially the ones with the wigs and dogs. My two boys came over to me and asked me to play more and more. Thx for the laugh!
Julie
Just had to tell you that I adore the picture of the phone and the gorilla. Feels like every customer service call I’ve tried to make lately!
It is unsettling, but can you imagine the PITA it would be to have each of those services on separate accounts with zero integration? It’s a little like MS Office. They made a suite that works together so well that people buy all the bits as a bundle rather than sacrifice one piece of it and reach that DOH moment when they realize how useful the missing bit(s) would be if they had them.
Would love to know why you were locked out. Also, if Google keeps this integration gng they need to isolate being locked out to the tool(s) where suspicious activity is happening and also give better customer service. You may not pay for their products (or you may – everyone is different) but you’re supporting their business model by using their search. #justsayin
I wish you were wrong, but you’re not. I’ve been resisting Google+ for this very reason. Oh, and you must not be on Feedburner or you would have been locked out of that as well… I’m starting to be willing to pay for services that have not (yet) been taken over by the Google overlords.
And if we weren’t going around in circles enough on the blog run, we get to do more circles in Google+. Boycotting on the grounds no circle for friend who is sometimes friendly; sometimes pain in the arse; sometimes mum; sometimes ex-work colleague; sometimes social media contact; sometimes all things to all men. Damn! figured it out here. Off to create a grey circle. A bit like life then.
I can SO feel your pain. A week or two ago bam! My blogger blog was “disabled” and I was locked out of gmail. I only recovered gmail, b/c I tried to log in with my yahoo email that I had originally opened gmail with and at that point it sent me the confirmation text and I got back in. My blog on the other hand was not so easy. Never got any explanation but it finally came back. I had been a loyal blogger supporter, but decided enough was enough. A move to WP is in the works!!