Proceed with caution!

Our friends at "Don't be evil" Google have just screwed the pooch with Buzz. Even if you opt out with their "Nah, just take me to my Inbox" option, it will automatically configure followers for you based on your contact list. There are a lot of privacy concerns with Buzz and users are having a fit with having their info just thrown out to anyone they've emailed.

If you use gmail, go through the Buzz settings carefully and make sure you really want to share what they are signing you up for.

Googles responds to privacy concerns.

I do not intentionally use anything Google, primarily because its the 800 lb gorilla, as they say; and I prefer to patronize the "under dog".

I don't understand why folks use web mail when these days one can set up Mozilla Thunderbird, for instance (I'm sure there are other free email clients with the same capability), to download Gmail and other free web based email services to their computers.

I started with Netscape and for many years now have used Thunderbird as my email client, thus my address book is on my hard drive not on a Google, Yahoo, or etc. server somewhere. I add only those contacts to Yahoo Messenger I wish to.

Likewise, I will not be "cloud" computing, as I don't wish to store my files, photos, and etc. on some server somewhere in the world. I just don't see the point. One, it seems, will still want a backup copy of files, photos, and etc. So why not store things on a couple hard drives? I just don't get it.

I do not "social network" for similar reasons. I am not that chatty and I value my privacy.

I didn't know you could access imap email servers from an offline client. Even more reason to dump outlook than simply because it's a piece o' crap.

At the bottom of the screen, you can turn off "buzz". I did that on the first day. No problems from here.

I understand the privacy concerns. I have other e-mail accounts for anything "info" that I want to send more securely.

I setup a friend's Gmail account on Thunderbird. It was pretty automatic.

I use Outlook from Office 2000 only for its calendar as my electronic memory. I haven't been able to find a calendar I like more.

Google admits "tens of millions" of users were "rightfully upset" and that the firm was "very, very sorry".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8517613.stm

Something Google has had to say a number of times when rolling out new products.

After losing vital data a few years back, including all my emails in Outlook (some with important information I was saving), never again. And the way I figure it, if I back-up my data to a separate hard drive, what good does that do me if my house burns down or a tsunami hits?

Gmail, GoogleDocs/Calendar/Tasks, Carbonite. I like the cloud and that I can access things from any computer. And most of it from my phone, too.

Not enamored of the Buzz though.

So, how did you resolve the quirky BCC ability of Thunderbird?

What quirk?