The IT gravy train has become seriously derailed
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Google users get control of their accounts
THE MASSIVE Internet service establishment known as Google will enable users to have multiple user accounts, as has been rumoured several times in the past.
It's a well-known fact that people cannot resist the compulsion to create Gmail accounts much the same way they can't resist Hotmail and Yahoo email, for every little reason they can find. At any point in time, they're managing their personal addresses, business addresses, the less legit "I use these to register on shady websites" addresses, and so on.
So Google will be getting you to do some housekeeping, or at least get your stuff together.
Multiple user account logins in Gmail and a few other Google services are available to Google account users and will enable each user to activate a multiple user account sign-in feature by checking a box in their personal settings. The user must then add each account manually to the default account. Swapping between accounts will then be a matter of clicking a drop-down box at the top of, say, your Gmail account screen, says Google.
The multiple account user management feature will allow punters to access this option in most Google-branded facilities like App Engine Code, Calendar, Gmail, Reader, Sites, and Voice. The list is currently being updated and one can expect Google Docs to feature multi-user logins soonish. If you foolishly wander into a site that doesn't support multiple accounts, then it defaults to your, er, default login.
We fathom multiple user accounts won't be available soon to Youtube and others as they rely on unique users for revenue generation and the fact that you could change logins on the fly could be a problem for the Like / Dislike culture.
If you want to know more about the feature, Google has updated its pages with an in-depth explanation on how it works. You can find that here.
The roll out is taking place as we speak, so it's possible that the option might not show up on your Google Accounts page right away. Don't panic, Google has not forgotten you. µ
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@Joe Q on your question why.
This features already exist in Nexus One, Google smart phone, you can set up multiple account, even multiple Gmail account, and set which to sync or not to sync. All Google is going is implement this in non smartphone environment.
In N1, your phone Gmail message does not shows ads, but with your desktop or laptop browser having multiple Gmail account login, Google can really tailor fit what you want, what junk you avoid, the monkey business you have on the side other than your regular life.
Like you said, aggregated data is the most accurate form of information.
If you can have multiple Gmail accounts open at once, it might be easier to accidentally send from the wrong account.
The iPhone iOS4 already allows this sort of flexibility / error_waiting_to_happen (even with G-mail). You can select and change your From address and choose one of your alternate accounts. In other words, receive an e-mail on one account, and forward it from another.
There is always the question why? Why should Google do this. An explanation would be their intention to aggregate information from your different accounts.
I would be cautious about being logged on multiple accounts...
Now they can join up all the data they hold and really know what you're up too