Dear Google
It has taken you a while, but you have finally worn me down.
After many years of resisting your tentacles, I have succumbed to your lure.
And now I’m hooked.
Kind regards….
As a Mac user, most of my internet activity has been based on using Safari. Safari for my browsing. Safari for my photoblogging. Safari to access my webmail. I didn’t even use Google as my default search engine inside Safari. It was DuckDuckGo or Bing. Chrome was only there as a fallback option.
But as an Android phone user, I regularly used Gmail, Google Photos, Chrome and occasionally Maps. Because they are the defaults for Android. I didn’t use Calendar, relying mostly on my memory. My failing let-me-down memory. The one that allows me to forget doctor appointments. Haircut appointments. Birthdays. Thank goodness for text message reminders 24 hours in advance. Not that I get text reminders for birthdays.
But recently, I received a Dear John letter from Mr Big G. It didn’t actually say Dear John. Or Dear Rick, for that matter. Just matter-of-factly told me that my basic free 15GB of storage that came with Gmail /Photos was all used up. No room left for more photos automatically uploaded from my phone. No room left for email messages. No more room for Docs – if I used it. They invited me to upgrade. So I did.
For a while, I had been aware that I would need more storage to back up my photos. And my documents. And my videos. And anything else that needed backing up.
Down here in NZ, the cost of good-quality SSDs for external storage is now quite expensive. Driven by global demand. By comparison, Google Drive would cost a mere pittance. So I took the bait and invested in the Google Premium 2TB plan. A special offer for 12 months. Then back to the normal price. So far, I am very happy with it. And not regretting my decision.
I know. There will be doubters about my choice.
And sure, it was a long, slow process over several days to upload all my giggly-bites of photos. But subsequent regular syncs take just a few minutes.
A tip for you. Don’t use Google Drive desktop to sync your files. Try FreeFileSync. That’s what I use.
Offers more options. Works like a charm. Seems faster too. Or just upload to Google Drive using the web interface.
You do need Google Drive Desktop, however, to set up a virtual drive in Mac Finder. And I guess, also in Windows.
Set Google Drive up to stream files, not sync them. That way, files only get downloaded to your computer when you need them. Saves lots of storage space. Especially if your system is like my MacBook, with only 256GB on board. I use a portable USB SSD as my primary storage. Now I can leave that SSD at home when travelling, as Google Drive gives me access to all my photos. And other stuff. A bit slower than an SSD, but it works well with fast, fibre broadband. Slower on mobile data.
Here’s how to integrate Google Drive with DxO PhotoLab in just 30 seconds…well, 34 seconds actually.
But wait. There’s more.
At the end of March, I published a story on my website stating that excessive YouTube use is not good for your health.
Now, a few weeks down the track, I think I have ended up with egg on my face as Google tightens its tentacles even further. I’m probably damaging my health!
Why? Because I inadvertently started a YouTube channel some time ago.
I say inadvertently because it wasn’t a channel when I started it. Just a place to “park” videos I made specifically to embed in my photoblog. I didn’t want to chew through storage space on my web host’s server. And at that time, I didn’t have any cloud storage suitable as an alternative to using YouTube.
YouTube was only supposed to be a support act for my photoblog. But now, the support act is starting to pick up a few viewers and a few subscribers. What is the term? Gaining traction.
And I admit I kinda enjoy making videos for YouTube. It’s fun. Frustrating. Annoying. Time-consuming. But now, I feel obligated to continue making and posting videos. To support my photoblog.
Now my accidental YouTube channel is in danger of becoming the lead role.
So here I am watching YouTube videos again. Regularly. About YouTube itself. About how to create better videos. About how to get more views. How to master iMovie. As opposed to watching photography videos.
Having said that, my YT channel will be only a contributing part of my photography hobby. Not to make money. After all, I am merely an amateur.
So watch this space! Or maybe watch that space!