http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-quit-using-google/
How To Quit Using Google
Google has been under a lot of fire in the past year or two for their questionable policies regarding privacy.
Personal privacy has always been a huge issue for people and the fight
takes on a whole new appearance when dealing with the Internet’s
openness. To some people, companies like Google have gone too far,
leading them to shun the company altogether.
Google Will Share Your Browsing History On March 1st [News]
Google Will Share Your Browsing History On March 1st [News]
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So what can you do when Google encompasses a ton of products and
services all around the world and you want to escape their control? When
complaints and protests don’t work, the best way to speak your mind is
to quit using Google – quit using their products and services. But with a
company as pervasive as Google, this can be extremely difficult.
I personally like many of Google’s offerings, but if you’re one who
wants to quit, I’ll show you the main steps that you need to take to
release yourself from their grip. Beware, though, that some people who have tried to quit Google have ended up loving the company all the more.
Log Out of All Google Services
The first step to not use any of Google’s services is to not use any of their services.
The easiest way to do this is to log out of all of your Google accounts
and never log back in again. Recently, Google has been consolidating a
lot of their services under one account (Google Plus, Gmail, YouTube,
etc.) so logging out of one tends to log you out of them all.
If you find yourself tempted to log back into these accounts, then you’ll want to take a more drastic measure: delete your Google accounts.
Deletion is always a scary action because it’s so final, but if you’ve
certainly made up your mind 100% that you want to quit using Google,
account deletion may be necessary to keep you on track.
How do you delete your Google account?
- Log into your Google account.
- Navigate to the Account Settings page.
- Click on the “Close account and delete all services…” link.
My recommendation is that you do not delete your Google accounts
if you feel any sort of hesitation at all. Google is pretty
all-encompassing and you might feel a lot of regret if you ever decide
to return to Google one day.
New Search Engine: DuckDuckGo
Now that you’ve freed yourself from Google’s grasp, you’re going to
have to find alternate services to use. Since Google’s main service is
Google Search, what can you use instead? Well, considering that most
people will quit using Google due to the privacy concerns, you’ll want
to use a search engine that doesn’t impede on privacy.
When talking about privacy, the search engine that often comes to mind is DuckDuckGo.
It’s not a very good name (certainly not as easy to say as Google) but
it has some great policies in place: your searches are never tracked,
your data is never stored, and DuckDuckGo never shares any information
with any other party ever.
If DuckDuckGo isn’t enough for you, then you may want to try either WolframAlpha for (sheer search power) or Bing (for familiarity). WolframAlpha has a bit of a learning curve, though, so it’ll take some getting used to. Bing on the other hand… well, it’s Bing.
5 Weird & Wonderful Uses For Wolfram Alpha
5 Weird & Wonderful Uses For Wolfram Alpha
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New Email Service: Hotmail or GMX
Gmail is arguably the second most popular Google service in the
world. It was the first to pioneer free email storage limits in the
gigabytes and it has made impressive strides in the world of web-based
mail. However, it’s an unsettling thought knowing that the world’s most
powerful information company has access to all of your email exchanges.
If you use Gmail and you want to quit Google, you’ll need to find an alternative. Luckily, both Hotmail and GMX will give Google a run for its money in the realm of free email.
Easily Do A Complete Overhaul Of Your Hotmail Inbox, And Maintain It
Easily Do A Complete Overhaul Of Your Hotmail Inbox, And Maintain It
Have you seen or used
Hotmail lately? Despite its rough past, it’s pretty nice and it surely
gives Gmail a run for its… well, I was going to say “money” but both are
free. Which,…
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A lot of you will instantly reject the Hotmail recommendation with a
disgusted gag, but you really ought to check it out – especially if you
haven’t used Hotmail in the last year or so. They’ve overhauled the
design, making it extremely user-friendly, pleasant to the eye, and just
a flat-out enjoyable experience.
As for GMX, it’s the “free email service you’ve been waiting for.”
The web-based interface is rather good, they offer unlimited email
storage, attachments can go up to 50 MB, and your privacy is guaranteed
with encryption. If you’re still wary about it, just know that over 13
million people already use GMX so obviously they’re doing something right.
New Video Sharing Site: Vimeo
Though YouTube wasn’t originally a Google creation, they did buy the
site back in 2006 and have made it into what it is today: the central
hub for user-generated videos. Ask any of your friends if they know what
YouTube is; I bet you’ll have an impossible time finding even one who doesn’t know!
So if you want to completely quit Google, you’re going to have to quit YouTube, too. Now that’s a daunting idea. Google Search and Gmail are personal services, but YouTube is a worldwide phenomenon. Quitting that is going to be extremely hard.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many video-sharing sites that are as good or popular as YouTube. The closest one, in my opinion, is Vimeo. Other contenders include Blip.TV (mostly focused on webisodes, web shows, and web series) and Veoh (which doesn’t have many restrictions at all).
New Maps and Directions: Bing or MapQuest
With the recent debacle involving Apple and their Maps app, a lot of people have reevaluated the usefulness of Google Maps. As it turns out, Google Maps is one of the best, if not the best, map services in existence today. If you want to quit Google, you’re going to have to give this up, too.
Australian Police Warn Drivers Not To Rely On Apple’s iOS 6 Maps App [Updates]
Australian Police Warn Drivers Not To Rely On Apple’s iOS 6 Maps App [Updates]
Police in the
Australian state of Victoria have recently warned drivers about the
potential dangers of relying on Apple’s notoriously unfinished Maps app
bundled with iOS 6. In a news story posted on the Victorian…
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As far as I’m concerned, there are only two map services that can compete: Bing and MapQuest.
For as much slack that Bing
receives, their map service is actually pretty good. The satellite
images are arguably better than the images in Google Maps: more crisp
and at a clearer angle. Their maps are prettier, too. The downside is
that Bing’s “Search Nearby” is nowhere near as good as Google’s, but
that’s no surprise.
MapQuest used to be really popular before the advent of mobile GPS
apps and Google Maps. In recent years, though, they’ve completely
revamped their interface into something more modern and fresher. It’s
not as feature-rich as Google Maps, but it’s pleasant to use and holds a
lot of promise.
New Web Browser: Firefox or Opera
How can we talk about leaving Google without abandoning their web
browser? Chrome has become such a household name in the last five years
and a lot of users will immediately install it after a fresh format of
their computers. However, if you want to be consistent, then yes: you do
need to replace Chrome if you want to forever quit using Google.
My recommendation is Firefox,
which you’ve probably heard of already. Even though I personally prefer
Chrome over Firefox, it is a strong alternative. After all, you don’t
become an internationally-recognized name without doing something right
along the way. If you detest Firefox, then my next recommendation is
beautiful and sleek Opera.
One additional note here: If you really want to quit using Google, you also need to stop Google from tracking you through their Analytics program. Fortunately, Google provides browser extensions that prevent Analytics data
from being collected (it’s called the Opt-out Browser Add-on). However,
if you don’t trust Google to block themselves like that, you could
always use something like Ghostery.
AdBlock, NoScript & Ghostery - The Trifecta Of Evil
AdBlock, NoScript & Ghostery - The Trifecta Of Evil
Over the past few
months, I’ve been contacted by a good number of readers who have had
problems downloading our guides, or why they can’t see the login buttons
or comments not loading; and in…
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Conclusion
If you want to quit using Google, then these are the main steps that
you need to take. Seems impossible, doesn’t it? In the process of
writing this article, I had to take a deep breath and process just how
much of my daily life revolves around Google’s services. It was quite a
shock, I’ll tell you that much.
I couldn’t imagine a world without Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, or
Google Maps, but if this is the road that you’ve chosen, I wish you good
luck. If you’re already on this road, then please share your
experiences with us in the comments.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/hotmail-no-microsoft-outlook-email-services-explained/
Hotmail No More! Microsoft Outlook Email Services Explained
Many users regarded the original Windows Live Writer as one of the best programs Microsoft ever built. Sadly, it hasn’t been updated since August 2012. Turns out this wasn’t its death knell after all.
Microsoft recently announced that they turned over control of the Windows Live Writer application to the .NET Foundation, where it has become Open Live Writer. The new application will be open source, based upon a fork of Windows Live Writer, and will enable users to author, edit, and publish their work.
How to Find Open Source Software for Windows
How to Find Open Source Software for Windows
Are you concerned about
privacy, data security, or malicious code hidden in your software? With
proprietary software, you just never really know what the program is
doing with your data. Open source is the answer!
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A Brief History of Windows Live Writer
At the time, circa-2005, Onfolio Writer was one of the most popular WYSIWYG blogging platforms around. In 2006, Microsoft
purchased Onfolio, acquiring Onfolio Writer in the process, keeping most
of the original developers on-board, and ultimately oversaw the
transition of Onfolio Writer into Windows Live Writer. Microsoft
initially envisioned a multi-purpose content creation tool, linking
between major web services and allowing its users to upload their
written work around the world.
Despite the lack of continued development, and the absence of all but occasional security updates, Windows Live Writer continues to feature highly in blog authoring application lists.
4 Alternatives To Windows Live Writer For Blogging
4 Alternatives To Windows Live Writer For Blogging
Microsoft recently announced the end of the Windows Live brand. In response to concerns, all Microsoft is saying about Windows Live Writer is it will “work great on Windows 8” – not whether development is…
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Open Live Writer
From those beginnings comes latest iteration Open Live Writer, a new open source version. Microsoft Principle Program and Community Manager, Scott Hanselman, wrote on his personal blog: