Ask HN: How to stop Google Plus spamming someone when I add them to my circles?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4036347

by MarkMc • 14 years ago

7 5 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Google Plus often presents me with a list of people and says, "Maybe you want to add some of these people to your circle". If I then do so, it sends them an email that says "MarkMc added you to his circles and invited you to join Google+".

This is really spammy behaviour. When I add someone to a circle I am NOT inviting them to join Google Plus, and I generally don't want them to receive an email. Can I stop Google Plus from doing this?

Thanks

uptown2• 14 years ago

Wish I had an answer for you, but I'm afraid Google is using less than ideal methods to try to grow their network without providing an alternative.

If you don't mind me piggybacking on your Google+ question with a similar annoyance that I'm dealing with - I made the mistake of joining/adding the HackerNews Google+ circle that somebody here had created awhile back. Now my chat client (Trillian) thinks I've got over 700 Google Talk friends that I want to keep in touch with - these are people I don't know and will never chat with. I've tried re-installing Trillian, and deleting these "contacts" from Trillian, but they keep coming back. I've removed myself from the Google+ HN circle almost immediately. These people don't show up in my Contacts list in GMail. Anybody have suggestions on how I can get rid of them?

jayzalowitz• 14 years ago

Link to that btw?

uptown2• 14 years ago

https://plus.google.com/106419647632534512037/posts

dpurp• 14 years ago

If you click the options arrow on the chat feed (next to your name/status), there is a "Privacy Settings" option that allows you to specify which circles can chat with you.

fwiw, you can also specify which circles are in "Your circles" (the ones you broadcast to) and which circles you are just following in the G+ settings (https://www.google.com/settings/plus).

onlyup• 14 years ago

The only solution is not to add people not already on Google+. You can tell if they are already on it by checking if you can see a profile for them or not.

Ask HN: How to stop Google Plus spamming someone when I add them to my circles?

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