diberry - 7:53 pm on Oct 26, 2012 (gmt 0)

*claps*

Part of why I started that thread was to show that it didn't seem possible Google could have enough info to make user metrics a factor WITHOUT using Chrome or something. What you're saying explains a lot. And as you point out, technically they're not lying.

It also explains a mild skew I see in Google, which is that it's very good on certain queries, but not on others, as if it "knows more" about those topics. The people likely to use Chrome are going to be a bit more tech savvy than the typical PC user. Topics that attract people who aren't tech savvy but use the web to learn, shop and network - gardeners, knitters, golfers, for example - seem a bit less robust in Google queries to me. These types of surfers aren't downloading Chrome - they're using what came with their computer, so unless they have Google toolbar installed or get an Android device and do significant browsing (rather than just downloading emails and videos of family and stuff), they're not sending Google much info on their browsing habits.

My own take on Google is not personal in any way. They aren't my friend or my enemy - they're a really huge corporation that's under huge pressure to make ever-increasing revenues. And the longer a company stays on top, the fewer ways there are for it to increase revenue - no matter how nice or honest they may be, eventually they HAVE to play dirty. That's the nature of largely unregulated capitalism, and Google didn't invent that. (And between you and me, even if all the worst things we suspect about Google are true, they are still more ethical than a lot of oil companies, pharma companies, etc. - and facebook, LOL.)