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EnglishGoogle Buzz Frequently Asked Questions
22
Feb
Feb
Buzz Privacy FAQ
Q0: What part of Buzz is opt-in and what part is opt-out?
A0: Here is what is opt-in:
- Posting things to buzz
- Having a public profile (opt-in required in order to post)
- Having public following/follow lists
- Following people manually
- Being listed publically as a follower/followed on someone else's profile if they choose to list this information (opt-in required in order to post)
Here is what requires you to make a choice (to opt-in or opt-out, neither being the default)
- Following people Google suggests (was originally opt-out, but Google made a change which is being rolled out starting after 13-Feb-2010)
- Seeing any kind of buzz stuff in Gmail (was originally opt-out, but Google made a change which is being rolled out starting after 13-Feb-2010)
Here is what is opt-out:
- Being followed
- Seeing posts of those who you follow
Q1: What can the general public find out about me?
A1: If you have ever posted a Buzz or created a Google Profile, here's how to see what others can find out about you:
1) Go to http://www.google.com/
2) Click "Sign out" in the upper-right
3) The page will reload and show your public profile. This is what others can find out about you. It includes any your name and any Public Buzz posts that you have made.
If you have not ever posted a Buzz or created a Google Profile, then the general public cannot find anything out about you.
Q2: What can other Google users find out about me?
A2: All items from the answer to Q1. In addition, if you have ever posted a Buzz or created a Google Profile, then it depends on a Profile setting that says "Display the list of people I'm following and people following me"
If this is checked, then other Google users can see how many followers you have and how many people you follow. They can also see the photo, name, and public profile of each follower and followed.
If this is not checked, see Q1 for the answer.
If you do not see this checkbox, it is because you have never posted something on Buzz before. In this case, your following/followers lists are private.
Independent of this checkbox, if you have ever posted a Buzz or created a Google Profile, then if someone views the profile of one of the people who follows you or who you follow, they will see you listed as being followed or as being a follower (assuming the person whose profile is being viewed has opted to display these lists)
Q3: What can my followers find out about me?
A3: Nothing beyond the answer to Q2
Q4: What can the people I follow find out about me?
A4: If you follow someone, they will know your name, even if you do not have a public profile. In addition, see the answer to Q2
Q5: If a person is a Gmail Contact of mine, does that change what they can find out about me?
A5: No, unless you happen to have shared more information on the "Contact Info" tab of your Google Profile specifically with this contact. This is not the default and will never be turned on for you automatically.
Q6: If I am a Gmail contact of someone, does that change what they can find out about me?
A6: No
Q7: Is there any way for someone who does not already know my email address to find it out through Buzz?
A7: In order for this to happen, your Google Profile URL must end in your username, like http://www.google.com/
When your Google Profile ends in your username, people will know that if you are a Gmail user, your email address is username@gmail.com. There is no way for them to know whether you are a Gmail user or not, though.
Given this, if you follow someone, or they follow you, or you post a Buzz that they can see, then they can click on your name to go to your Google Profile, see the URL, and know your gmail username. In addition, if someone posts a buzz with an @reply that mentions you, anyone who can see that buzz will be able to go to your Google Profile, see the URL, and know your gmail username.
Q8: Who can see my Buzz posts?
A8: In order to post something on Buzz, you have to have a public Google Profile.
When you post something on Buzz, it is either Public, or it is private and visible only to an explicitly defined set of people from your Contacts.
If you make a Public post, everyone in the world can see it, so it really doesn't matter if someone you don't like is following you, because even if they weren't following you, they could see that post on your Google Profile.
If you make a private post, you have chosen who can see it. If you don't choose this person that you don't like, they won't see it. If you choose them, then they can see it (whether or not they are following you)
If you or someone else use an @reply, that person will then be added to the list of private recipients for the Buzz
Q9: If I make a private post, can people who receive it see who else has received it?
A9: Yes, they can. It's like a "cc:" and not a "bcc:"
Q10: How do I block someone who is following me?
A10: Click on Buzz on the left side of Gmail under Inbox. After that, on the right side of Gmail, at the top you should see your picture (if you have one), followed by your name, something about "connected sites", and then something about followers (all on one line).
Click the last link on that line that refers to "X follower(s)" and a popup will come up.
In the popup, you will see people's pictures and names listed.
On the right of their name, click "Block"
* Note that this ability to block everyone from this list changed on 11-Feb-2010 and may not be available to all users yet.
Q11: Can I stop people who I have not previously blocked from following me?
A11: No. Only people that you have previously blocked are prevented from following you. Everyone else can follow you (until you block them)
Q12: Can I block someone before they follow me?
A12: Yes, by going to their Google Profile page and clicking "Block" on the right. If they do not have a profile yet then you cannot block them before they follow you.
Q13: Can I block everyone (or lots of people) from following me all at once?
A13: Not while still using Buzz. If you delete your profile (by editing it, and the clicking "Delete profile" at the very bottom), random people will no longer be able to follow you because they cannot find your profile (and you won't be able to post new buzz's). But if they already know your email address, they can still follow you using that.
Q14: If I use Buzz, can people search for my name on Google Search and find my Profile?
A14: Yes, they can. If you edit your profile and uncheck "Display my full name so I can be found in search", you will not be able to post buzz's anymore
Q15: How do I get rid of Buzz?
A15: Follow these steps:
1) Delete your profile by going to http://www.google.com/
2) Block all of your followers (See Q10)
3) Stop following everyone that you follow.
4) Disconnect any connected sites that you have setup in Buzz (via the Connected Sites link next to your name in Buzz from Gmail)
5) Turn off Buzz in Gmail by clicking on "turn off buzz" at the bottom
Alternatively, go to your Settings in Gmail and select Buzz, and click the "Disable Google Buzz Completely" link at the bottom, which does the same thing as the above (the Buzz Settings section is being rolled out starting after 13-Feb-2010)
Q16: How can I post a private Buzz to someone if I do not know their email address?
A16: If you follow someone, Buzz will automatically create a contact for them under "All Contacts", which may not have their email address, but will have their name and profile URL.
If you then create a contact group with this person and post privately to it, that person will be able to see it, even though you do not have each other's email addresses.
Q17: Why can I follow someone who does not have a Gmail address or Google Account?
A17: Although you follow them, they of course cannot post any content for you to see unless they create a google account.
A google account can be created with any email address, not just an @gmail.com or @googlemail.com address.
So they could create a google account with their existing email address and begin buzz posting, and then you would see it.
Thus, your following someone who does not yet have an account is kind of like a following in anticipation of the future creation of an account.
It just so happens that the only way for someone without gmail to post on buzz is via a mobile phone. But in the future, such people will be able to do it via their computer.
Q18: How can I unblock someone?
A18: There is no way to see a list of people that you have blocked.
In order to unblock a person, you need to find them again. They need to have a public profile. If they do not, you cannot unblock them.
You can find them in one of 3 ways:
1) Inside of Gmail with Buzz
a) Go to Buzz
b) Click on "Find People" to the right of "Buzz" (which is below your picture)
c) There is a box under the text "Follow more people"
-------take path I if you know their email address -----
d) If the person is a Gmail Contact of yours, click on "Contacts" to the right of "Follow more people"
e) Type their name or email address into the box under "Follow more people"
f) Select the person and click "Add"
* Note: if they are not a contact, just add them before trying this
------or path II if they have a public profile ------
d) If you do not know their email address, type their name into the box under "Follow more people" and click Search
e) Hopefully they will be found, and then click "Add" next to them
----------------------
g) Close this window
h) Reopen this window from "Find People"
i) In the list of people, click on the person's name
j) It will bring up their page. To the right of their picture will be an "Unblock" link
2) By searching on Google.com (if they have a public profile)
a) Go to google.com and search for their name
b) If their profile shows up in the search results, click on it
c) You should see an unblock link on their profile page
3) If you know their profile URL (and their profile is public)
a) Go to that URL
b) You should see an unblock link on their profile page
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