BradleyHorowitz
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Google 'retires' G+ as a requirement, starting with YouTube (update)
After spending a few years plugging Google+ into all of its services -- even as users of those services complained -- Google is rolling that back. It started by breaking out Photos and Hangouts, and now YouTube is taking a turn by reverting the system that's been in place since late 2013. In a blog post, we learn that "soon" you will no longer need a Google+ account to upload, comment or create a channel, and even if you're just a viewer, your comments on YouTube won't appear on Google+ (or the other way around). YouTube is just one of the first products making this change, so you can expect it to stretch across the rest of Google as well. If you want to ditch your Google+ account now that it's no longer a requirement, another blog post says it will make doing that easier too (but don't try it right now -- we'll tell you when).
Google+ is being broken into services you might want to use
It's been the punchline to plenty of gags, and now it looks as if Google is finally ready to do something with its homegrown social network. The search engine has announced that the photography and social elements of Google+ are being broken into two separate products, one called Photos and the other named Streams. In a post on Google+, company VP (and Radiohead fan) Bradley Horowitz announced that he was taking charge of the outfit, adding that the move is a positive improvement to both products.
Google + Nicknames = Hilarity
Google's so desperate for the boys to come to its yard that it won't be long before it buys a milkshake factory. Until then, it's relaxing its ban on nicknames for Google+ users: now amusingly nicknamed composer W.G. "Snuffy" Walden can get back to being himself. Just remember that any name change will carry through Google's entire online service, so try to avoid anything too raunchy if you also use Gmail for work. If you use a pseudonym (say "Madonna") then you'll have to submit scanned copies of you getting papped in Hollywood before you'll be able to use your assumed name. The service will be quietly rolling out to users in the next week, to add your own hilarious nickname, just edit your profile's name and hit the More Options text to the right.
Google sets execution dates for Wave, Knol, Friend Connect and more
In what Google is calling its "off-season spring cleaning series," the mega company is finally setting some end dates for many of its lukewarm services, most notably the once-hyped Wave, Knol and Friend Connect. Sitting on Death Row for some time now, Mountain View has slowly phased out the less-than-successful products, most recently announcing that it would kill seven APIs including Translate and Video Search. The sweep is part of Google's VP of Product Management Bradley Horowitz' overall plan to "[do] less of throwing things against the wall," focusing instead on "doing fewer things well." Besides the aforementioned services to receive the axe, Google will also be putting an end to Bookmarks List, Gears, Search Timeline and its Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative. The company says the overhaul is part of the effort "to build a simpler, more intuitive, truly beautiful Google user experience" -- in other words, "it's not me... it's you." Check the source for more details.
