I recently read an article by John Jonas in which he talked about his Gmail account getting deleted. I’ve had my Gmail account for about 6-7 years, so to say that I’m heavily invested would be an understatement. Plus, Google links all of your Google accounts together, unless you have several different ones under different names. Therefore, if you lose your Gmail account, you risk losing all of your other Google accounts along with it – I’m talking about your Google docs, your Google calendar, your Google Adwords, your Google Analytics, your Google Adsense account, your YouTube account, your FeedBurner account… you get the idea. I was utterly and completely horrified as I read his post.
So, as I began to think about how something similar could affect my life, I began taking some of the steps John recommended. He has some really good advice about backing up and using a Google Apps account with a registered domain email address that you should seriously consider. The bright side is that he DID get his Google account back (hooray!) and he explains how he did that in this post (bookmark that baby and hope you never need it!).
It couldn’t have been more than a day or two after I read his last post that Google made a post on their blog about launching Advanced Security for logging into your Google account. Ya gotta love that, especially since the problem John had with his Google account was all due to someone who hacked it. Google’s increased security feature will make it MUCH more difficult (if not impossible) for someone to hack your account. To login, someone not only needs your password but a numeric code that is texted to your cell phone! I signed up already and feel much more secure.
Now, keep in mind, Google does have a zero tolerance policy for not obeying their terms, so if your account is deleted because you’re being naughty, well even this increased security won’t help you. So be good and go setup your 2-step verification now. And for those of you who are thinking that it will be too much of a hassle to have a 2-step verification process every time you login to your Google Account, just think about what a hassle it would be if you lost your Google account to some hack! Go set it up.. NOW 
To Your Success and Prosperity,
YOUR ARTICLE IS REALLY GOOD. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE ARTICLES FROM YOU, I WLL ALWAYS VSIT YOUR WEBSITE
Twitter: mikaylasway
says:
Glad you enjoyed it!
I remember Google introducing the 2-step verification process a few weeks ago. Never really paid much attention to it though and just let it slip by.
However, it seems like it’s a big thing. Think I’ll have to set that stuff anytime soon in case I get hacked. Been using Google’s services for the past, I don’t know, 5 years?
My account is ancient.
Great post, Mikayla! Glad you shared this
Greg Greer recently posted..WordPress Website – Using the WordPress Dashboard
Got to love that new upgrade.
I just love the feeling of security whenever I use my Gmail. If we go about our daily activities without doing anything “naughty” then the risk of our accounts getting hacked is almost non-existent. Google can only do so much to protect us but we also have to do our job to protect ourselves from these hackers.
We can’t expect them to keep protecting us while we do crazy things with out email accounts.
Twitter: mikaylasway
says:
True, we definitely have a responsibility to protect ourselves. A secure password that uses a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters is a great 1st step, but the 2-step verification that Gmail offers is a nice addition.