It was a week ago today that Google UnFriended me… and what a week it has been!
I have spent at least 20 hours pouring through the various help forums on Google trying to make sense of it all, as well as reading blogs. I always thought that I was fairly bright, so I figured I would be able to get to the bottom of this misunderstanding very quickly, and be ReFriended within a day or two.
But I have to tell you that the amount of information that you have to try to digest is staggering. There are bits and pieces scattered all over. I found myself constantly reading things that I didn’t understand, and then I’d read something else from another thread that would suddenly make me understand something I didn’t earlier… and then trying to find that original bit of information again… Information Overload!!
And people are so angry and frustrated too on the help forums, and I understand why, it’s really hard not to take all this personally. There are lots of people trying to help too… more about that later.
But I have found out a lot of things this week, so I thought maybe I could create this blog and share some of the stuff I have learned.
If I can help someone else wade through the process a little easier than I have been able to, even with the help I had, then maybe we can start focusing on Solutions and Prevention.
I really don’t think Google has turned into a homophobe, I just think that he is trying to juggle so many friendships and be very careful about not offending anyone… but some of Goog’s friends are homophobes, and they like to take advantage of some of the processes Google has put in place so as not to offend.
Let me tell you something, buddy... I got nuked after having my blog for 2 years, and lost all privileges including my gmail access, my picasa account, my youtube account at the same time as they removed my blog...
ReplyDeleteMy blog was a collection of remembrances- a journal of my life as a closeted gay kid and man, and it was all gone in the click of a mouse! I did have the foresight to back the blog up, but had no understanding how utterly sickening the 'process' would be. Like I said, they grabbed everything they could, and I even lost a lot of email links that I have no way of retrieving because I had no idea they would mess with that too!
What did I do?-- I spent three days, doing the same thing as you, only I got little help from anyone... I guess I fall into some unknown category... I was advised to op[en another blog under a fictitious name and account... Great!! I spent my whole life lying about who I was and just as I took the steps to come out, I'm supposed to go back into the closet because SOMEONE found my life offensive!
I never even had a response to a single request for a reason why I was shut down!! just bot- generated messages about not sending more messages- 'maybe someone would contact me, maybe not'... Lovely...
Honestly, I think the time has come for an overall boycott of everything Google... That, or maybe I should do what my friends are suggesting- sue the bastards under the civil rights act... Have they violated it? You bet! tman, from Tony's Red Flash (tredekas@hotmail.com)
Thanks for leaving your comment TMan, it sounds like you only completed the form on that page Google redirects you to. Did you post something on the Help forum and follow the 4 Steps? I think that is the only way to get a review.
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