Google+ Enables Random Spam To Your Gmail Account! Here’s How To Stop It.

Given that more and more musicians and music marketers are turning to Google+ for a combined social networking and Google Search boost, keeping up with intrusive Google+ decisions is likely to become as music news-worthy as have similar moves by Facebook. Basically anybody on Google+ can now email any other member via their Gmail account. They don't get the actual email, unless you respond, and you can opt out but it's a move designed to take advantage of the fact that most people don't opt out of such things until bombarded by problems.

Google's announcement of the new integration between Google+ and Gmail, rolling out now, manages to avoid the "anyone can email you" part of the news. It's all about making your life easier and enabling you to connect with people with whom you wish to connect.

Conspiracy theorists, historians and simple minds like myself should be reassured. Google is doing this for you!

Here's what they're doing with some help from Selena Larson at ReadWrite:

• "By default, Google will allow anyone to email you."
• However, they "will only be able to contact you once unless you reply or add them to one or more circles."
• "You can’t see email addresses unless someone sends you an email."

So Google is not just handing over your email address but it is opening you up to unwanted email which may now rise as spammers see a great reason to create huge numbers of Google+ accounts for Gmailing purposes.

Here's how to opt out:

Go to your Gmail Settings and the General tab.

Scroll down to "Email via Google+" and choose who can Gmail you from the following list:

• Anyone on Google+
• Extended Circles
• Circles
• No one

The default is, of course, "Anyone on Google+."

Update: "High profile" users with a "lot of followers" get "Circles" as their default:

"The very fact that Google decided to make some accounts more private is a tacit admission that its new 'feature' is rife with the potential for abuse."

More:

• "Fuck You Google+" – Users Respond As YouTube Changes Comment Rules
• YouTube's Google+ Comments Currently A FAIL
• From YouTube Comments to The Death Of Keywords: Google+ Now Required For Music Marketing

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/Facebook) is building a writing hub at Flux Research. To suggest topics about music tech, DIY music biz or music marketing for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.