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#1
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email from Google+?
I've just received an email, apparently from Google+; I've not had one
of these before, and I don't think I've changed any settings in my relationship with Google. The email subject is "J B followed you on Google+", and the email has a plain text and an HTML part; the HTML part says To share and get the latest, follow J FOLLOW Unsubscribe from these emails. View J's profile or block J completely. Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/brand...us_word_89x27d p.png , where the bits I've put in are links; the plain text part says To share and get the latest, follow J Follow: link ------------------------ Change what email Google+ sends you: link View J's profile: link Block J completely: link Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA in other words much the same except the "J" didn't have a link associated with it. I can't say for sure I don't know anyone called "J B", but no-one springs to mind. I tried the "View J's profile" link from within a Firefox Private Browsing window, and I'm none the wiser - his icon seems to be a picture of Sean Connery (I think) holding a gun - one of the Bonds, anyway. No other information. Is it some sort of obscure phishing attempt? If it's genuine, what on earth is it about - what does "followed" mean in this context? -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf Try to tell me to watch something because it's brilliant and everyone says so and therefore I will love it, too, and you lose me for ever. - Alison Graham, RT 2016/2/6-12 |
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#2
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email from Google+?
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
I've just received an email, apparently from Google+; I've not had one of these before, and I don't think I've changed any settings in my relationship with Google. The email subject is "J B followed you on Google+", and the email has a plain text and an HTML part; the HTML part says To share and get the latest, follow J FOLLOW Unsubscribe from these emails. View J's profile or block J completely. Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/brand...us_word_89x27d p.png , where the bits I've put in are links; the plain text part says To share and get the latest, follow J Follow: link ------------------------ Change what email Google+ sends you: link View J's profile: link Block J completely: link Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA in other words much the same except the "J" didn't have a link associated with it. I can't say for sure I don't know anyone called "J B", but no-one springs to mind. I tried the "View J's profile" link from within a Firefox Private Browsing window, and I'm none the wiser - his icon seems to be a picture of Sean Connery (I think) holding a gun - one of the Bonds, anyway. No other information. Is it some sort of obscure phishing attempt? If it's genuine, what on earth is it about - what does "followed" mean in this context? Were you reached at the email address in the header of this post ? Have you actually registered with Google for anything ? Maybe if you have gmail, that automatically makes you a member of Google Plus ? Then the only question would be, whether you ever "dropped" the email address in the header of this message, into the two factor authentication or recovery information of the account setup. There's got to be some way that email address got acquired, and you'd have to review where you've dropped it, to figure out how such a path could exist. Paul |
#3
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email from Google+?
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
I've just received an email, apparently from Google+; I've not had one of these before, and I don't think I've changed any settings in my relationship with Google. The email subject is "J B followed you on Google+", and the email has a plain text and an HTML part; the HTML part says To share and get the latest, follow J FOLLOW Unsubscribe from these emails. View J's profile or block J completely. Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/brand...us_word_89x27d p.png , where the bits I've put in are links; the plain text part says To share and get the latest, follow J Follow: link ------------------------ Change what email Google+ sends you: link View J's profile: link Block J completely: link Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA in other words much the same except the "J" didn't have a link associated with it. I can't say for sure I don't know anyone called "J B", but no-one springs to mind. I tried the "View J's profile" link from within a Firefox Private Browsing window, and I'm none the wiser - his icon seems to be a picture of Sean Connery (I think) holding a gun - one of the Bonds, anyway. No other information. Is it some sort of obscure phishing attempt? If it's genuine, what on earth is it about - what does "followed" mean in this context? Google+ is Google's fail[ing] attempt to compete with Facebook. Like many of Google's services, it is an experiment and it failed yet Google keeps it alive rather than kill this ghost town community, like they did with its predecessors. https://mashable.com/2015/08/02/google-plus-history/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-goo...-is-a-failure/ https://uproxx.com/technology/google...cial-networks/ At some point in using Google services, I got prompted to create a Google+ profile. I think I was trying to add a review at the Google Play Store regarding an app. Google uses your Google+ profile to collate all your reviews along with other activities. This is in addition to already having a Google account, like for Gmail. I declined which meant I could not leave an app review. Ah, too bad, no big deal. Google+ is actually used for Google's global signin. It's whether you bothered to create a profile or not that determines if you are participating, even if absent, in the G+ ghost town. If you have a Google+ profile, anyone can find it and they can choose to follow you. I think that pushes a notice to you. Oh gee, what a wonderful event that someone thinks I'm special and will follow my reviews or other activities. Yech, what a bunch of public ego-stroking. Since I didn't bother to join Google+ (by creating a G+ profile), I don't know how it can be configured. If you login at Google Plus (plus.google.com), assuming you already have a G+ profile (don't bother creating one if you don't have one and don't want one), check its settings. There may be notification settings, like someone choose to follow you. Without an exhibit of the e-mail, impossible to tell if it was a G+ notification or someone is spoofing a G+ notification hoping you reply to the e-mail and divulge you have not only a valid e-mail (which they already validated) but also a monitored e-mail address (something highly prized by spammers). If there is no config setting to disable G+ notifications about boobs that think it's special to follow (stalk) other users, you'll have to define an filter either in your local e-mail client or as a server-side rule. It could be a legit notification e-mail from G+ telling you some ego-starved dimwit found your G+ profile and decided to stalk, er, follow you. It could be a spammer trying to get you to respond to check the e-mail address is monitored by a human. Lots of users generate temporary Gmail accounts as disposable addresses which means they have a G+ account, too, so the spammer doesn't know if he hit a disposable or otherwise unmonitored Gmail address or an active one. I don't if you joined G+ is there is a way to unjoin (delete your profile). If you have a Gmail address, you have a G+ account, too, but you want to get rid of the profile or configure it to eliminate prompts about someone stalking you. Ooh, someone who collect fake friends to up their follow count. Geez. |
#4
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email from Google+?
In message , Paul
writes: J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote: I've just received an email, apparently from Google+; I've not had one of these before, and I don't think I've changed any settings in my relationship with Google. The email subject is "J B followed you on Google+", and the email has a plain text and an HTML part; the HTML part says To share and get the latest, follow J FOLLOW Unsubscribe from these emails. View J's profile or block J completely. Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/brand...us_word_89x27d p.png , where the bits I've put in are links; the plain text part says To share and get the latest, follow J Follow: link ------------------------ Change what email Google+ sends you: link View J's profile: link Block J completely: link Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA in other words much the same except the "J" didn't have a link associated with it. I can't say for sure I don't know anyone called "J B", but no-one springs to mind. I tried the "View J's profile" link from within a Firefox Private Browsing window, and I'm none the wiser - his icon seems to be a picture of Sean Connery (I think) holding a gun - one of the Bonds, anyway. No other information. Is it some sort of obscure phishing attempt? If it's genuine, what on earth is it about - what does "followed" mean in this context? Were you reached at the email address in the header of this post ? The strange email came to my primary address, not the one I use by default when posting; however, I don't keep my primary one particularly secret. Have you actually registered with Google for anything ? I had - have - a YouTube login, which I set up before Google slurped YouTube. It is my understanding that I therefore do have a Google one. I never went for Google Plus ... Maybe if you have gmail, that automatically makes you a member of Google Plus ? Then the only question would .... and I've never had a gmail addy. be, whether you ever "dropped" the email address in the header of this message, into the two factor authentication or recovery information of the account setup. There's got to be some way that email address got acquired, and you'd have to review where you've dropped it, to figure out how such a path could exist. Paul (Most of those two paragraphs went over my head, I'm afraid.) -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf I don't like activity holidays. I like /inactivity/ holidays. - Miriam Margolyes, RT 2017/4/15-21 |
#5
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email from Google+?
In message , VanguardLH
writes: [] Is it some sort of obscure phishing attempt? If it's genuine, what on earth is it about - what does "followed" mean in this context? Google+ is Google's fail[ing] attempt to compete with Facebook. Like many of Google's services, it is an experiment and it failed yet Google keeps it alive rather than kill this ghost town community, like they did with its predecessors. OK. Since I don't use facebook or twitter either, I don't know what "follow" means. I can't _think_ of anything it could mean that would worry me. [] If you have a Google+ profile, anyone can find it and they can choose to follow you. I think that pushes a notice to you. Oh gee, what a I don't think I have. I have a plain Google one, as a by-product of having had a YouTube one from before Google took over YouTube. wonderful event that someone thinks I'm special and will follow my reviews or other activities. Yech, what a bunch of public ego-stroking. What does "follow" mean - s/he gets an email whenever I write something? Bit weird if that's what it does mean, but I can't say I'm worried. Since I didn't bother to join Google+ (by creating a G+ profile), I [] Without an exhibit of the e-mail, impossible to tell if it was a G+ Not sure what you mean by "an exhibit" of it; what I posted here was cut-and-pasted from the text of the email (just leaving out the links from the plain text version - more to make it legible [they were mostly about four lines long] than to conceal them; they were invisible in the HTML version). [] It could be a legit notification e-mail from G+ telling you some I rather suspect it is - I just hadn't had one before. ego-starved dimwit found your G+ profile and decided to stalk, er, follow you. It could be a spammer trying to get you to respond to check the e-mail address is monitored by a human. Lots of users generate temporary Gmail accounts as disposable addresses which means they have a G+ account, too, so the spammer doesn't know if he hit a disposable or otherwise unmonitored Gmail address or an active one. I don't if you joined G+ is there is a way to unjoin (delete your profile). If you have a Gmail address, you have a G+ account, too, but you want to get rid of the profile or configure it to eliminate prompts about someone stalking you. Ooh, someone who collect fake friends to up their follow count. Geez. -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf I don't like activity holidays. I like /inactivity/ holidays. - Miriam Margolyes, RT 2017/4/15-21 |
#6
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email from Google+?
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , VanguardLH writes: [] Is it some sort of obscure phishing attempt? If it's genuine, what on earth is it about - what does "followed" mean in this context? Google+ is Google's fail[ing] attempt to compete with Facebook. Like many of Google's services, it is an experiment and it failed yet Google keeps it alive rather than kill this ghost town community, like they did with its predecessors. OK. Since I don't use facebook or twitter either, I don't know what "follow" means. I can't _think_ of anything it could mean that would worry me. Imagine if you were a famous person with three million followers. Would you have to hit the delete button in your email tool three million times as a result ? Seems like a scaling nightmare... Paul |
#7
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email from Google+?
VanguardLH wrote on 23/07/2018 1:19 PM:
Snip I don't if you joined G+ is there is a way to unjoin (delete your profile). If you have a Gmail address, you have a G+ account, too, but you want to get rid of the profile or configure it to eliminate prompts about someone stalking you. Ooh, someone who collect fake friends to up their follow count. Geez. Several years ago, I was convinced to start a "Linked-In" account (to keep in touch with family, friends, work-colleagues, etc) but soon found I was doing nothing with it, so I closed it/de-registered/whatever. Every couple of months I get an e-mail from Linked-In telling me someone, whom I don't know, has linked to my account. But, hang on, I thought I closed that account!! ;-( Seems they're just trying to keep their account-holder numbers up!! -- Daniel |
#8
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email from Google+?
"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote
| Since I don't use facebook or twitter either, I don't know what "follow" | means. I can't _think_ of anything it could mean that would worry me. | Generally it means signing up to receive copies of posts from that person. There was recently news that celebrities were losing many of their Twitter followers because Twitter was cleaning out fake accounts. Celebrities pay companies to set up fake accounts to follow them. It's become a status symbol. Anyone who hopes to be anyone needs to have millions of followers receive their 2 cents in their own feed. Then they hire a staff to make posts, like, "I'm so happy with my new Acme handbag. I don't know how I lived without one for so long!!!" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44815550 For young kids it's the Internet version of a fan club. But one also follows one's own friends. I don't use any of these things, either, but I have a neice who occasionally updates me on Millennial culture trends. It seems that companies like Twitter and Facebook started out as social chats. People would follow their friends at Facebook and thereby see posts their friends made. They'd follow their friends quips on Twitter and also perhaps follow pop stars and such. Then came ads masquerading as posts. Companies offered trinkets in exchange for following them. ("Follow us on Facebook!") Facebook inserted ads. Things got crowded. Facebook began deciding which of your friends' posts were more important than a Pepsi ad. (Who knew you'd friended Pepsi? Facebook added news, as another excuse to show ads and keep people on their site. The news got infested with everything from corporate advertisers to Russian spies.... We ended up with Donald Trump in the White House and democracy teetering, while half the population walk around like zombies, glued to their feed. Because their social reputation is constantly a work in progress that needs minding. Because they follow and have followers. And that creates an ever-changing web of posts and comments that one needs to keep up with. I suspect the follower notice you got, assuming it came from Google, was some kind of ad scam. I occasionally get email from LinkedIn. They're now owned by MS and may not be as bad, but for a long time they were tricking people into signing up and allowing access to their address book. So I'd get an email saying so-and-so is sending me an invite to join LinkedIn. My elderly father fell for that one. Someone told him to sign up, he let LinkedIn steal his address book, and they'd send en masse to all those addresses periodically, telling the recipient that he was inviting them to join, wanted to add them to his resume, or some such. Recently I was getting invites from something else. I can't remember what it was now. Someone wanted me to meet them on Facebook or somewhere. I need to reply. Blah, blah, blah. I've had 3 of them from the same person that I've never heard of. Maybe the company rifled through their email. Maybe it's a scam. I don't know. That's one of the nice things about not joining these "social" sites: when you get email from them you don't have to wonder whether it's legit. It's not. There's always the very remote chance that it's a friend of a friend who's trying to contact me. But in that case the person will just have to discover telephones and email. If they can't do that then whatever they have to say can't be very important. |
#9
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email from Google+?
"Mayayana" on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 08:16:04
-0400 typed in alt.windows7.general the following: "J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote | Since I don't use facebook or twitter either, I don't know what "follow" | means. I can't _think_ of anything it could mean that would worry me. | Generally it means signing up to receive copies of posts from that person. I think of it as a "filter" to read stuff by X. Let us face it, there are people in this newsgroup who are worth reading, and there are those who aren't. (Tastes is tastes.) Just as there are authors whose books or articles I'm willing to go out of my way to read, there are people on Facebook/Twitter or in the Blogosphere whose musings I find interesting enough to want to read. ("If you can't be informative, be entertaining".) So, I "follow". I also unfollow, especially when their interest or entertainment value tanks. tschus pyotr -- pyotr filipivich Next month's Panel: Graft - Boon or blessing? |
#10
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email from Google+?
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
What does "follow" mean - s/he gets an email whenever I write something? Bit weird if that's what it does mean, but I can't say I'm worried. https://www.dummies.com/social-media...ers-in-google/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2AEymyw7UA They can see what reviews you've posted. There are probably other activities they can see, like those who want to follow your videos on YouTube (so when you create a new one then they'll know about it). They cannot see your e-mails or dive into your Google Drive (except public folders you created for public sharing). If you don't want a G+ profile, say, because you're not interested in others stalking, er, following you in some circle of fake friends they've created, you can delete your G+ profile (which does NOT delete your Google account). Read: https://www.wikihow.com/Delete-a-Google%2B-Account (As with many of these pseudo-news blogs, there is no datestamp which means the article could be outdated due to changes.) Alternatively, you might just want to kill the G+ notifications. Read: https://support.google.com/plus/answer/6320390?hl=en |
#11
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email from Google+?
"pyotr filipivich" wrote
| So, I "follow". I also unfollow, especially when their interest | or entertainment value tanks. | It has a specific meaning with social sites. It's signing up to get posts from that person on your wall or homepage. You don't get to just follow someone or not. You have to sign up to officially get their posts. As I understand it, you only get a partial vote about what you'll see, and that's your vote, such as it is. |
#12
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email from Google+?
"Mayayana" on Mon, 23 Jul 2018 19:16:28
-0400 typed in alt.windows7.general the following: "pyotr filipivich" wrote | So, I "follow". I also unfollow, especially when their interest | or entertainment value tanks. | It has a specific meaning with social sites. It's signing up to get posts from that person on your wall or homepage. You don't get to just follow someone or not. You have to sign up to officially get their posts. As I understand it, you only get a partial vote about what you'll see, and that's your vote, such as it is. Yeah. Just because I "followed" someone, doesn't en I'm going to see what they wrote. Have to hunt it down. -- pyotr filipivich Next month's Panel: Graft - Boon or blessing? |
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