A came across an article in Medium on the author’s move to avoid Apple, Google, and Microsoft products. It’s an interesting discussion on the power of these companies, and the compromises users submit to for the sake of convenience.
I myself can completely understand, using Google Apps for the email of this domain. Google has an easier time tracking me with the amount of services I use from them. However, I think the cultivation of serviceable options, as well as “…encouraging as many people as possible to find ways to take control for themselves…” is a good idea to keep in the forefront of the public mind.
I really do like Google Apps overall. But when outages like this occur, it’s hard to stay optimistic. I know my personal Drive services are free, but my company, which pays for Google support, is also not operational. It only takes a few of these outages before people go back to local storage.
The idea of using Google+ as a blogging platform is tempting. Built-in user verification, an easy ability to export all posts if I wish, a built-in audience (of sorts…)
Why I Blog On Google
However, several others have made good points that essential you become a digital sharecropper, beholden to whatever policies Google puts into place.
Why You Shouldn’t Use Google+ For Blogging
8 Reasons You Should Never Give Up Your Own Blog for Google+
Springpad, an Evernote-like service for storing information in a distributed manner, announced it’s closure a few weeks ago. Storing important data in the cloud seems a bit risky. However, Springpad is doing an excellent job of providing ways to export your data. Evernote migration is even being supported, allowing a very easy migration path.
For now I’m moving all that data over to Evernote. I personally follow a rule that any cloud-provider needs to provide an easy way to export their data in the event that they do close down.