How is Google's policy different from Facebook's? Google is enforcing the policy more strictly? People are just complaining because it's new and they think they can change it?
I don't really get it. Host your own blog and you can be called whatever you want.
If you start a new product, label it 'Beta' and people use it, like it, but have a problem with it: Do you answer 'So - go away and build it yourself'?
I agree that there is a lot of whining involved. 'The right to use G+', 'Think of the children/lesbian/gays/victims of numerous crims' arguments that cannot really be countered in a productive way. But if you actually look into the debate you find lots of people that are merely asking Google to reconsider. These are people that started using the product in its early beginnings, care about it (otherwise it would be a non-issue and we could just host a blog as you suggest or go elsewhere with a shrug), but won't - for a multitude of reasons - support this 'community guidelines'.
Facebook? Really? Who cares about Facebook. Why is Facebook coming up in this discussion all the time? If G+ is ~like Facebook~, why do we need it in he first place? It's a competing product in the same market, granted. But arguing 'Facebook does X, why do you care that G+ does the same' is really weird in my world.
G+ is different from Facebook because Facebook's policies are already firmly set. G+ is still nominally in "limited field testing" and Google has shown a willingness to change the system based on feedback from their users.
Facebook doesn't go out and actively eliminate users they think have pseudonyms. Google+ does.
Facebook just reserves the right to ask you for your government ID, if there's a dispute or you need to reclaim an account. But in practice pseudonyms are tolerated unless you make a nuisance of yourself.
One significant difference is that loss of a G+ account can mean loss of access to other linked accounts, including use of your Google-linked Android phone.
And that this is a highly arbitrary process.
And that the process occurs on a stated 4-day grace basis (what happens, if, say, you're offline / disconnected for ... 5 days or more?).
And that in actuality, the 4-day grace period isn't respected.
This is a royal clusterfuck for Google. The only firm resolution I've made is to as rapidly as possible dissociate anything I value highly with the company. And they're one I've championed and respected for most of its life.
I don't really get it. Host your own blog and you can be called whatever you want.