Friday, July 15, 2011

Google+, Blogspot and a WARNING!

I joined Google+ a few days ago. It looks like it will be a great networking and branding tool. Pretty cool so far, but I really have to figure out how to use it for best results.

But I have to give a WARNING to blogspot users that venture into the Google+ realm. I had no idea, even after using Blogspot to create and share my blogs for years, that all those pictures I uploaded from my computer were actually being stored on Picasa web albums. I didn't even know I had a Picasa account.

Well, I messed up royally. After setting up my Google+ account I noticed that it had automatically populated my account with a LOT of my info from the web. My websites and blogs were listed. My artist statement was in my about me area, and more info around my pages. I also noticed that in my PHOTOS tab there were some folders that I hadn't named, that appeared to be stuff from both current blogs and some old ones I had a long time ago.

I thought I didn't want all those on my Google+ page and figured I'd delete and add pics to the account as I wanted. Well...I deleted the pics. What I didn't know was that those were the source pics from Picasa. I ended up deleting a couple thousand Virtual Paintout pictures, and over 500 posts of pic from my personal art blog.

I have now started the long and arduous task of uploading pics and figuring out where they go. The VPO is on its 30th month with an average of 70 - 100 pics per month.

Please bear with me as I work on the blogs as time permits. And please be careful with you photo albums on Google+.

6 comments:

Benco said...

Aye, that surprised me too when I joined G+. I do like google products but can't help but be a little worried by how they seem to worm thier way into everything...mind you we don't HAVE to use google I suppose.

Roger Brown Art said...

Thanks for the warning,and hope you manage to sort out all your pics again.

jimserrettstudio said...

The Picasa Web Album confused me at first, what it really is, is a file/index of images posted from a particular URL. You can make that account private, so that others do not see those images. I've just started looking at G+ and not sure how they are using those files, but I think you can reclaim those files in Picasa Web. Look in Picasa Help Forum. Hope you find your images, all the best.

Kerry said...

HI Bill, the same thing happened to me too. So frustrating.

http://rnmsn.hubpages.com/ said...

Hello Bill I have used hubpages and this Blog spot for 2 years and didnt know it either till this ast month! what a surprise that was! I love your paintings...Im just a copycat/promise I wnt steal your stuff but I have done one of the old man and the sea looks like you :) but my medium is fire/I like pyrography :)
barbara b

lea said...

hey thanks a lot! I never knew we have picasa account either, glad I found out your article. I was shocked to see some of the confidential pictures are actually public o_O

thanks once again for your help =)