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| Gmail will differentiate between people in your Gmail contact list, and people in your Google+ Circles. |
Google took a leap toward integrating Gmail and Google+ on Thursday as the company announced that you can now send an e-mail to anybody on Google+, even if you don't have their e-mail address.
The messaging option, which Gmail product manager David Nachum said will be rolling out to all Gmail users over the next few days, shares user names from Google+ in your Gmail contacts list, but not Gmail addresses. Those are only shared once the recipient has responded to your e-mail. The screenshot above shows how Gmail differentiates between Gmail contacts and Google+ contacts.
Basically, Google is allowing Google+ users to e-mail Gmail account owners, without actually learning what their Gmail address is until the person responds. E-mails received from Google+ users that you don't know will appear in your Primary Inbox category, but if the sender is not in your Circles, the e-mail will be filtered to your Social Inbox category. Google has created a Help page to assist people with the feature.
When you open the e-mail, you can choose whether or not to add the sender to your Circles. The person will be able to e-mail you only once, until you decide how to manage their e-mail. If you respond via Gmail, they obviously will learn your Gmail address. This, Google said, should cut down on spam and abusive e-mails.
Google has provided an opt-out measure, so that you can choose whether anyone on Google+ can e-mail you, or whether you want to restrict it to Extended Circles, Circles, or disable it entirely. Google+ users who are celebrities, at least on Google+, will have a different default setting. For them, their default setting will be people in their Circles, not everybody on Google+.
Nachum said that people will receive an e-mail in their Gmail inbox when the feature has been activated, which will include a link to your Gmail settings to disable it if you want. All new Google account users will receive the warning e-mail as well.
Given that Facebook has a similar option for messaging anybody who uses Facebook, it's not surprising that Google is moving its social network and e-mail services in a similar direction.
Update at 5:38 p.m. PT adds more details and a link to the feature's Help page.
Credit: Seth Rosenblatt
Source: CNET
The Chief Technomancer
VB Kid
The messaging option, which Gmail product manager David Nachum said will be rolling out to all Gmail users over the next few days, shares user names from Google+ in your Gmail contacts list, but not Gmail addresses. Those are only shared once the recipient has responded to your e-mail. The screenshot above shows how Gmail differentiates between Gmail contacts and Google+ contacts.
Basically, Google is allowing Google+ users to e-mail Gmail account owners, without actually learning what their Gmail address is until the person responds. E-mails received from Google+ users that you don't know will appear in your Primary Inbox category, but if the sender is not in your Circles, the e-mail will be filtered to your Social Inbox category. Google has created a Help page to assist people with the feature.
When you open the e-mail, you can choose whether or not to add the sender to your Circles. The person will be able to e-mail you only once, until you decide how to manage their e-mail. If you respond via Gmail, they obviously will learn your Gmail address. This, Google said, should cut down on spam and abusive e-mails.
Google has provided an opt-out measure, so that you can choose whether anyone on Google+ can e-mail you, or whether you want to restrict it to Extended Circles, Circles, or disable it entirely. Google+ users who are celebrities, at least on Google+, will have a different default setting. For them, their default setting will be people in their Circles, not everybody on Google+.
Nachum said that people will receive an e-mail in their Gmail inbox when the feature has been activated, which will include a link to your Gmail settings to disable it if you want. All new Google account users will receive the warning e-mail as well.
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| You can opt out of letting people on Google+ e-mail you. |
Given that Facebook has a similar option for messaging anybody who uses Facebook, it's not surprising that Google is moving its social network and e-mail services in a similar direction.
Update at 5:38 p.m. PT adds more details and a link to the feature's Help page.
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| A new feature in Gmail and Google+ lets you e-mail people on Google+ even when you don't have their e-mail address. |
Credit: Seth Rosenblatt
Source: CNET
The Chief Technomancer
VB Kid
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