You Got Googled -- Redmondmag.com

Barney's Blog

You Got Googled

Google is a pretty good search engine, Gmail is a decent (though intrusive) e-mail system and Google Maps doesn't make nearly as many dumb mistakes as MapQuest. And Google Apps are generally pretty good. All this goodness makes it an easy choice for many to move their computing lives over to the Google cloud.

But here's a cautionary tale from a man who calls himself Thomas Monopoly (but whose real first name appears to be Dylan).

Dylan, er Tom, trusted Google enough to put photos, videos, calendars, documents, e-mail messages and his e-mail address, as well as bookmarks, contacts and banking info into the Google cloud. Oh, and his Web site, for which he paid, was also Google-driven.

All was fine until a Google computer decided that Tom, er Dylan, violated its terms of service, but apparently offered no details. All of Dylan's, er Tom's data, Web site, and e-mail address were purged. Gone for good.

With most companies you can at least reach a real person -- however, the outcome may not always be satisfactory. For Tom, er Dylan, all he got was Web and e-mail support from Google supporters. He finally heard from a real Google employee who tried to help to no avail.

I love the cloud, but only use it for ancillary tasks and for backup.

What is your experience? Come clean at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on 07/27/2011 at 1:18 PM

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