Need info on Google, Google+, and YouTube

[Dixon]

I want to delete my Google+ account, but I notice that my YouTube account (which I want to keep) seems to be connected to my Google account somehow. Questions: Is a Google account the same as a Google+ account? Can I delete my Google+ account without deleting my Google account? Can I have a YouTube account without a Google account?

Thanks in advance for any answers.

[jesswolfe]

I have spent a lot of time with different accounts on Google. Here is the skinny. If you have a gmail account, it is already able to automatically log into any of the Google apps, including YouTube. However, you can have any email account to log into many of those services. They just have a different account for each email account. If you want to you can even have multiple accounts logged into Google at the same time and switch between them.

I found where to delete your Google+ Profile. Unfortunately there are strings attached to doing that. They have integrated the profile into other areas of their service, including YouTube. If you delete your profile, it will also permanently delete any comments or messages you have made on YouTube. Your channel isn't deleted and if you have anyone subscribed to your channel they are't unsubscribed, but your channels do get hidden until you re-enable them. But again, you lose comments etc. which could be a bummer.

To delete your profile, go to Google +. On the top right side is a Home menu. At the bottom of the menu is Settings. This is where you can set things like who sees you, notifications, etc. At the bottom is the option to delete the Google + profile for that account. It doesn't delete your email account and doesn't affect most services you might be using your Google login for, except for the stuff below.

A possible option is to just set all your settings to be so restrictive that you are effectively hidden from a lot of people.

Here is what it brings up from Settings:
Delete your entire Google profile
If you delete your Google profile, you delete Google+ as well as other services and their data that depend on a Google profile. Learn more

Delete your entire Google+ profile and YouTube channel
Over the next few days, Google will attempt to delete your Google profile and the feature and the data that depend on it.

Google+ and its data including:

• Your circles will be deleted, but people in your circles will remain in your Contacts.
• Your +1's will be deleted.
• Your posts and comments will be deleted and won't available to the people or communities you shared them with.
• Any profile information that you did not make public will be deleted.
• Many Google+ social and sharing features will be disabled for you on other Google sites.
• Content from other services, such as videos, will no longer be visible to people in those circles.
• No photos will be deleted: you can still access them in Picasa. To delete them, go to Picasa Web Albums.
• Your connections to third-party services will not be affected. To manage them go to Connected accounts settings.
• Your chat buddies in Google Talk and Gmail will not be deleted.
• Your Google+ Local reviews will not be deleted: They will be marked as private and accessible in the "My Places" section of Google Maps. You will be able to delete them there. Learn more.
• No communities you created will be deleted, unless you're the only member.

Google+ Pages

• Pages you own
  No Google+ pages that you own will be deleted. If you don't want to own a page any more, you can delete it. Deleting a page is permanent. You can also transfer ownership of a page, using the page's settings. Learn More.
• Pages you manage
  You can continue to manage any pages you currently manage. Your name and email address will be visible to the owner and the other managers of any page you manage. You can also remove yourself as a manager of a page, using the page's settings. If you do, you'll no longer be able to act as that page or take any kind of administrative actions. However, all of your past posts, comments, and other actions will remain intact. Learn More.

YouTube
Deleting your Google+ profile will affect your channel Jessica Wolfe. Learn more
If you delete your Google+ profile:

• Your comments and messages will be permanently deleted

• The following will be made private until you re-enable your channel:
  
  • Your channel name
  
  
  • Other people's subscriptions to your channel

Your public Google profile will be removed.

• Deleting your public profile will not affect the status of your Google Account.

Other Google products which require a profile will be impacted. Learn more

Jess Wolfe

I want to delete my Google+ account, but I notice that my YouTube account (which I want to keep) seems to be connected to my Google account somehow. Questions: Is a Google account the same as a Google+ account? Can I delete my Google+ account without deleting my Google account? Can I have a YouTube account without a Google account?

Thanks in advance for any answers.

[Dixon]

Jess, thank you for your very complete answer. I guess I'll have to keep my Google+ account so as not to mess up my YouTube stuff. Damn Google!