Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
Today we're helping people get better search results by extending Personalized Search to signed-out users worldwide
That's a staggering statement meaning that every computer accessing Google is now being personalized, signed in or not, so any desktop, laptop or kiosk will start tracking everything everyone does and you won't be able to access the same search results from any two machines.
The possible impact to all is staggering.
whether Google is moving us toward a dark future intentionally or just accidentally. The end result is the same.
Yes, agreed!
Information technology itself is a Pandora's box, and when any organization gets beyond a certain size these issues are bound to come up. Remember Carnivore? Remember AT&T's immense data mining projects and government collaborations?
Some of us work tirelessly to prevent this in any form.
Starting with credit reporting agencies, to more nefarious "underground" organizations,
but no one has pulled the wool over people eyes (at least publicly) as easily as Gorg , it seems.
it's their actions - and their shadow.
could someone please write a Firefox plugin that alerts me when a site is using Google products
It's easy enough to spot their cookies...
In FF, click on:
Tools > Options > Security
In the Cookies section you can click Exceptions and enter google.com and click Block.
Or you could set the Cookie options to:
[x] Accept cookies from sites
[_] Accept third-party cookies
Keep until: [ask me every time]
This will show you every cookies Google is trying to place, (note: you can't use Adsense or Adwords and possibly other Google services without allowing their cookies).
For extra fun, check off:
[x] Accept third-party cookies
...and watch the cookie alerts fly.
(remove all cookies before each cycle of testing to see just how many Google cookies you get and why).
What does this new feature really mean for sites that do organic search marketing? Is it really going to make that much difference?
We already deal with all kinds of customized search results - by location (even within the same city), by browser, by cookie to choose candidates for experiments. We already deal with Universal or blended results - that really changed things!
Yes, universal results were a big game changer, and they also opened up new avenues for free marketing within the organic results. Are there marketing opportunities in personalized results for the logged-out? Is there a lemonade recipe for this new lemon?
It's easy enough to spot their cookies...
Not trying to drag this thread OT, but I know how to disable their cookies. I am rather looking for a convenient FF plugin that alerts me when a site uses Google property (e.g. Analytics, Maps, Adsense, etc.). Like a window popping up: "Warning - This site uses Google products!" So that I can avoid them altogether.
Also, I don't think it's done with blocking google.com. One should also block googlesyndicate.com, blogger.com, feedburner.com, youtube.com, and so on and so on.
maybe for someone that is PC savvy but the average joe will be clueless about this ............more reason to send people to a better SE with better results like Bing
[edited by: johnnie at 1:02 pm (utc) on Dec. 5, 2009]
If Google is personalizing search results for each individual based on click preference, then it is logical that the base/generic search results likewise will be adjusted based on the entire world's click habits.
After all, if you have data from 100 people, where 95 click result #2 for a query, and 4 click result #1, and 1 clicks result #3... and you thusly personalize the results for those 95 people to favor the site at #2, how could you not use that data in ranking the generic results to favor the site currently at #2? How could it be a good idea to use data on one hand but not use it on the other hand?
