You can block Google from tracking your online activity and public
references to your profile. It is easy to do and works.
Google hides little about what they do so you know up front the ways they
use your activity to generate revenue for themselves.
They offer enough quality resources for free to offset that as far as I am
concerned. G+, Sites, Groups, Gmail, Drive/Docs, Picasa
and Blogger all make it a positive experience worth significant investment
in time making them work for you..