Dear Google,

Sincerely,
Scarlett

Unless you’re living under a rock, or you simply don’t use Gmail (in which case I’d recommend a strait-jacket, cos you is crazy, foo!) – you’ve likely heard the “buzz” (hehe) about Google’s newest venture into the land of the social networking tool. I won’t get into the specifics here – because to be honest, I barely understand what the hell this tool actually does – but I’m certain that I’m not alone in feeling exasperated and overwhelmed at the sheer number of social networking websites and apps that are already out there. Personally, I’ve limited myself to only using Facebook and Twitter, which I manage simultaneously through the brilliantly simplistic, yet effective, Tweetdeck. As such, I have no need for another way to share stuff with my friends and acquaintances, and after reading scores of bad press on Google Buzz’s rampant privacy issues (which was activated by default and auto-followed some of your email contacts, whether you wanted to or not), I was even less interested in trying it out.

And it seems I was not alone in my trepidation. Google has stated that they’ve been working around the clock to address the many and varied issues that people have had with the new service. But if you’re like me, you’re wondering how to get rid of Google Buzz completely, so here goes. Scroll to the very bottom of your Gmail account, and look for the teeny, tiny text link located here:

Click on it, and your Gmail will be reloaded without the Buzz link in the left menu bar. However, all this means is that Buzz has been hidden – not turned off. In terms of how to turn off Google Buzz and absolutely ensure your privacy from this service, you’ll want to click on the Settings link in the upper right-hand corner of your Gmail box, and look for this tab:

Click on the red Disable Google Buzz link, and your disconnection from the Buzz machine will be finally, and thoroughly, complete. Although Google answered their critics and made changes to overcome the privacy issues, the whole thing still feels intrusive and I wish it had been handled much differently – perhaps with an opt-in email, or even a pop-up box in Gmail would have been sufficient. My suspicion is that the auto activation was a publicity tool, more than anything else, as Google has apparently been boasting about the number of users their shiny, new app has already lured in. But how many of those users actually wanted to utilize your service, Big G? You failed to mention that we were all forced into it in your press releases. :-P

In any case, the option to remove Google Buzz is available – it’s just nowhere near as obvious as it needs to be. Now maybe I’ll eventually change my mind and give it a chance (it took me a good year to warm up to Twitter, after all), but I feel like I’m already tuned in, tapped in and virtually connected as much as I need to be. Your mileage may vary, of course – but if you’re wishing that Google’s social networking tool would “Buzz” off already, this post should help a bit!

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