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Google Now Forcing All New Users To Create Google+ Enabled Accounts

Greg Finn on January 20, 2012 at 10:16 am

When looking to create a new account for YouTube, Gmail, or any other Google product, new Google users are facing a new requirement: The creation of a Google+ enabled profile with any account. The unofficial Google Operating System blog pointed out the new Google form that requires any new user to sign up for both the social network, and a Gmail account. Previously, an existing email address or setting up a Gmail account would allow users to set up an official Google Account. Now a name, Gmail username, Google+ account and gender are required:

This new form also has this checkbox auto-selected to help push personalization efforts to all new users:

Google may use my account information to personalize +1s on content and ads on non-Google websites. About personalization.

Once users enter their information into the form, they are hit with a profile set-up page. This confirms to users that they will be included into Google+ and features some privacy links:

So now all new YouTubers, Gmailers and Google Account holders will be part of Google+. This will be a controversial move seeing that Google has come under heavy anti-trust fire with the new “Search Plus Your World” feature.

This also very surprising as Google+ is still a beta product unlike Gmail, Google Apps or YouTube. While Google has always tended to keep products in beta for long periods of time, users have never been forced into participating. Just three months ago an internal memo that accidentally went public about how poorly planned Google+ was. Yet now all new users must partake in the network. There is actually a beta warning on Google+ notifying users that the network is still in development:

Users still able easily delete their accounts (Google+ and all) but cannot simply opt-out of the Google+ network.

For more information please see the post from unofficial Google Operating System blog, or follow our Google+ coverage.

About The Author

Greg Finn

Greg Finn is the Director of Marketing for Cypress North, a company that provides world-class social media and search marketing services and web & application development. He has been in the Internet marketing industry for 10+ years and specializes in Digital Marketing. You can also find Greg on Twitter (@gregfinn) or LinkedIn.