Google keeps on coming up with new features at a rapid pace, some making it to adulthood soon, others stuck in “labs” mode forever, some we like, other’s less so – to each their own. But I’ve never thought the day would come I would write the words utterly ridiculous, iditiotic, intrusive, with absolute certainly about a Google feature. Here’s what I am talking about:
Yes, just as soon as you type an address, Gmail will recommend others ( names partially redacted in above image). Never mind what your email is about ( at this point not only Holy Google knows it), the fact that unlike many social networking features, email tends to be one-to-one, personal, perhaps confidential. I actually wonder if this feature has been developed by a teenager who’s never used email before 
Worst of all, this “feature” is not optional. User frustration is quite unanimous: The Google search “gmail consider including” is nothing but a list of complaints and requests to at least make this optional. Some of the reasons (not that it needs explaining):
I don’t want to accidentally send sensitive commercial details to a semi-random selection of contacts, some of whom i compete with for my livelihood.
I do not need Google to suggest people for me to send emails to, and now i am terrified I add someone accidentally. It’s absolutely mind-boggling why they would add it and not give their users the ability to disable it.
How can anybody at Google say that with a straight face? EMAIL is one of your MAJOR services. If there’s anything you guys should know, it’s the morbid embarrassment and resulting turmoil that your customers endure when accidentally including someone on an email.
How do I turn off “consider including”? Why would a message about sex I send to my girlfriend suggest I also include all
I rest my case. Dear Google: consider excluding the “consider including” feature.
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Don´t agree. It´s useful for me at my company. So user frustration is not anonimous because you said so, you know.
I don’t agree at all!
That feature has proven itself useful in multiple occasions for me!
And it does have an opt-out; it’s just a suggestion, so if one does not like it, one doesn’t use it!
It doesn’t automatically add people – it only suggests them. Not nearly as big a deal as you’re suggesting.
Jerr, Luis and Dan: It might be useful for you because chances are you don’t really write private, confidential emails. Or you’re not afraid that you may accidentally add somebody to a sensitive email because like I said you probably don’t write sensitive emails. You probably write emails that you’d publish on the internet for everyone to see. Good for you, but unfortunately for me I do write private emails. Sometimes they are “I love you honey but I’m afraid I don’t like your friend Timmy. He’s very nosy and he smells like cat piss. I know you like hanging out with him and I don’t mind you inviting him home either. But could you tell him to take a shower and not ask nosy questions? Or would you mind if I did? We could work out a strategy together.” I’ve finally had the courage to tell my husband how I feel about his friend Timmy and as I’m typing I see this ridiculous feature staring in my face asking if I’d like to include Timmy (because sometime in the past I HAD included Timmy on a just-for-laughs) but this is different. No, of course not, I don’t want to include Timmy, is this a joke?
I cannot agree more with Zoli; this feature is utterly ridiculous, iditiotic and intrusive. I thought I hated the “People You May Know” feature on Facebook but this feature is so much worse; I hate it with a vengeance. Who created this feature? Maybe someone like Timmy did. Someone who silently hopes to accidentally be included into every conversation. Timmy, go away, please go away, go take a shower and stop being so inquisitive.
@Luis:
“And it does have an opt-out; it’s just a suggestion, so if one does not like it, one doesn’t use it!” — Could you or someone, anyone please, please help me turn it off? I don’t know how to!
Don’t agree at all, using that feature often and don’t want to miss it any more, neither in business nor in private email (also send confidential email as well).
@rose
The change that you choose the wrong recipient with autocomplete is quite higher then that you click on the link of any suggestion, at least that happened to me several times, including the times I’ve been using outlook.
However, disabling that feature can make sense for some of the people, also those who are afraid of Google having them analysing their emails
Sorry, don’t agree at all. Very usefull for me. Agree on being a optional feature though…
Unfortunately, I have to disagree on this. This is a very useful feature and I use it time and again. It saves me lot of time thinking who are the potential people that need to be CC-ed. It is only a suggestion and you can chose to ignore it. 90% of my emails is business communication and only 10% or even less 5% is confidential type 1-1 emails. Given that split, this feature fits the 90% majority use cases.
I too found it useful sometimes… e.g. sending out an invite to a bunch of friends… as a reminder I may have forgotten someone!
Couldn’t agree more.
Peter
This may be a feature many do like using. The big issue for me is google constantly ‘improving’ their sites and forcing their ideas on us with out the ability to turn things off if we aren’t interested. Seems so controlling to me and it always feels as if someone is reading over my shoulder. I am seriously considering dropping google altogether and using Facebook like so many others have done.
good bye gmail, hello lavabit
good bye google search, hello duckduckgo
for now I’m keeping my Google+ profile, but deleted all the pics and reset the default ‘share everything’ to ‘share nothing’ and not posting.
I’m tired of being molested for my data.
This is such a stupid debate. Why would Google go from making this an option to forcing it down every users throat? Is there a single, good reason why they should force this down our throat rather than give us a choice?
I don’t use it. I don’t want it. I don’t need it!
If I wanted to add someone, I would do it. I completely agree it is INTRUSIVE and feels like a G-man (Google) is looking over my shoulder every damn time I write/send an email. So yeah I’m looking at a different email SERVICE – not some shove-it-down-your-throat corporation which has become the monster that ate the internet!
If you want to know why Google Labs is disappearing, you only need to look at the “Consider Including” feature of Gmail. While a few fanboys just *looooooove* this feature, it is universally reviled as dangerous and insulting by pretty much everyone else. What’s most disturbing is the absolute silence from Google in the face of a tidal wave of user complaints. This is the hallmark of “jumping the shark”, when a prideful nincompoop decides, in the face of open rebellion from customers, to stick by a decision that nobody wants.
I hate this feature so much I am considering changing email addresses.
It is shit, as you point out. How anyone can find it ‘OK’ I cannot comprehend.
They’re not listening to users anymore – we’re all just $$$ to them.