Goodnight, Google Plus

  In the world of healing, the eye issue I commenced the year with is progressing,  slowly.

  In other news,  Google and their Google Plus platform is going away. Not such a big deal for me, however, it now requires another review of every web post made as the Google + option is put to bed.

  For others, the closure on 2 April 2019 means that their social media platforms now moves across to the others. I use Facebook anda little Twitter - but not enough to link to at this stage.

  Goodnight Google Plus. 

 

...so I contintinue to write.

  Google Plus is gone. Another batch of writings lost to technology..

  I write on paper - with a pencil. It's more enduring that a pen. It's more comforting that dipping into an ink well.

  Over the years I have owned numerous writing implements - all have been damaged long after the gift giver has left me. So I continue to use pencil and paper. The log books from the years are numerous.

  The diary to my eldest daughter is the only one which has ceased.

  In another part of my personal life, I am caring for a another, approaching end of life. It is, tiring.

  So I continue to write.

Recovering Passwords; A Writers Workshop

  Have you ever tried to log in on a device and not been able to remember your password?

  Have you ever tried recovering your password where all your emails are connected through your cell phone?

  Welcome to a Writers Workshop, Recovering Passwords. You could write a novel based on the password recovery process these days.

  Long gone are the "what is you mothers maiden name" insert the answer and welcome back to your account. Now, it's cell phone codes, what was the last password you remember, send an email to your recovery email account (assuming you can remember the password to that account - which I didn't) answer the Captcha symbol where certain numbers always look like a letter but the Google images makes me think that my own street address numbers will eventually show up, reset your password, would you like to add another email account in case you can't back in like you just have (no thank you), confirm your new password, add a safety image so that when you do log back in the image you have selected will identify that you are not at a phishing site, reconfirm, please log out to ensure that the changes are made, log back in on the cell phone - laptop - tablet - desktop - the work computer - the work laptop, answer all the "your password was changed on another device notification and did you authorize such password change" question on each of the devices, and reload the web page.

  I forgot why I was going into the email anyway.

  Got my 30 minutes writing completed for today.

 

Collecting on Writers Revenue

  Recall four months ago I wrote of Google cancelling my Google's Adsence based on reported fraudulent activity.

  Recall that I wrote of discovery that Google cancels Adsence accounts just prior to payout, then keeps the money already paid by the advertiser.

  Recall that I contested their abomination and would proceed through the judicial system to recover monies?

  Rest easy, it appears that Google had a change of philosophy and paid out the earned revenue.

  Writers revenue: if it's acknowledge that approximately 50% of royalties are unpaid to musicians, I can only imagine that there is a similar volume of unpaid revenue to writers. Perhaps even more that do not pursue their earnings.

Writer Frustration: Resurrected

Easter Sunday.

Three and a half hours to do a twenty minute rewrite for Eugene Daily News. (Thank you Firefox, Explorer and Chrome for a glorious morning.)

Two more hours to work why the Xbox would not let me sign in with my email account. It is, after all,  clearly me.

One hour trying to multiple guess the password I have for the email account upon which I do password resets with.

Twenty minutes trying to remember which letter of the password is, or is not, capitlatized.

Thirty five minutes to work out how to sign out of Google Plus, after spending fifteen minutes looking at my circles thinking "where is my profile picture?", only to realize I somehow created two Google Profiles. (Side issue:  this is me, as pictured.)

 Writer accomplishments today:  zero.

  Frustration level: resurrected. 

Tacking

     Sixteen years ago today, I commenced racing in a catamaran series that would eventually produce the fifth of my seven championships. I won the fifth championships with a perfect score, in part, because nobody could "go to windward" better than I.

     The act of going to windward requires sailing in one direction, and then, changing to another direction. The act of turning, is called tacking. When going to windward, a boat may make several tacks, to counter tide, wind, and competition. Sometimes the fastest way to windward is to tack back and forth. Other times, it's two long treks separated by a single tack.

    Writers, like sailors, are often called upon to make decisions similar to those encountered in sailing. What's the best path to the next mark? What is the preferred tack? And most importantly, how to cover the immediate threat. Tacking, is about making decisions, and at times, the realization you have to go in the unfavorable direction, to come back on the preferred path.

    As an author, protecting your unpublished work prior to getting to the printing press, may require a different tack.

    Head to wind, loosening the sheets, pointing the boat through the eye of the wind and letting the sails fill on the "other side". Tacking.

Google Credability Eroded

  Last week I wrote of Google's email of personal identification information that they had detected.

  Apparently, such information was incorrect, and the email was sent in error.

  When a beloved company starts sending erroneous information, credibility is eroded and it is fair to ask "what else was erroneously sent?"

  Is it possible that my Google Adsence claim was another of their erroneous letter?

  Note too, Google Adsence Advertisements continue to appear on my blog.  Even though Google Ads have been disabled, they continue to appear and continue to earn money.

#fraud #googlefraud

Contesting Google's AdSence Fraud Claims

  Google - the company so big, so large, that the left hand doesn't know what the right mouse click is doing.

  In March 2014, the service provider who hosted a body of my written work, closed.  That body of work also included commercial ads using Google's Adsence program. In April 2014, an alternative service provider was located and a new blog was commenced. An application was made to the Google Adsence program for the inclusion of the new blog. Google's policy is that Adsence accounts cannot be added within the first six (6) months of a new blog.

  At the end of the six (6) months, I applied to have the new blog included. The application for the new blog was rejected based on fraudulent activity.

  Fraudulent activity? While the blog didn't exist and a replacement was not yet approved?  This appears to be more of a case similar to the class action suite launched in May 2014 which accuses Google of cancelling Adsence accounts just prior to paying out. I checked the balance of my account, and sure enough it's about ready to pay out my earnings on the previous blog.

  A few more searches located two interesting articles. An unidentified whistleblower reports that Google cancels Adsence accounts just prior to payout, then keeps the money already paid by the advertiser.

  I tracked down a successful civil prosecution of Google for the cancellation of an Adsence account in California from 2009, and discovered that trying to get an answer from Google, is almost next to impossible. While Google has a legal department, trying to locate a telephone number for the Adsence Department is futile. Even with telephone calls to their corporate office, I could not reach anyone who could communicate with me.

  I lodged an on line appeal against my "fraudulent activity" and added the details I considered necessary, with the appropriate legalities if the account was not reinstated.  There was no response to my emails, but this morning, Google Adsence now appears on my blog.

  I surmised that some agent at Google "reviewed" my appeal, went back and saw that their claim of fraudulent activity could not have occurred in the period allowed, as there was no blog or other site upon which any Google ads appeared.

  I wonder how much in "earnings" is left in the hands of Google when they cancel accounts for fraudulent activity, that aren't contested.