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.
Let's stay on topic here now: personalized search is but the most natural way forward, as I stated before. I'll explain, while trying hard not to sound like a google rep.
Here's why: nobody is interested in finding out precisely which site has the most links or relevance. We, as webmasters, might, but the general public does not. People want to hear certain things and they shall hang out where they hear such things the most.
Suppose you're a great Manchester United fan. If you search for Soccer, the number 1 result for you should be MU, not Arsenal. Right? Search is subjective. THAT is where Google is going. Perception is reality.
Thus, a real search engine must present you with what pleases you the most, not what reflects the most voted team. Google is there to please customers, not webmasters. That is the essence of personalized search.
Edit: Type O
Spot on! I agree that while Google is the best engine out there, they may have made little tiny mistakes here and there, thus not diminishing their value at all. The end user is a fair judge and will always go with the best solutions, Google is king and will continue to be king.
Spoken like true Google rep. The intent is way too obvious.
Google may have been King in the past, but Kings have a way of being deposed which is what is going on now within the Webmaster community.
That's why the plex is sending their PR people to the forums that are full of people who actually have enough knowledge and pull to shift the balance. The problem is, it's to late for Gorg PR. The damage has been done.
The shift is happening as we all discuss this and now that the Gorg has made clear their true intentions, people are finally seeing that it's best if we all don't live in Gorg world.
I am responsible for getting a local Jr High Schools computer class to switch their home page to Bing. Now, when those kids tell their parents about the evil gorg, and so on and so forth, it's just a matter of time.
I'm embarrassed to have started the chorus of behind you. But it was rather good fun!
Cheers
Sid
^^)))
G (o o) gle's
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Watching You!
Please, stay on topic, and not on theories about who works for who.
Back to the discussion: the following relates to this thread, but was sparked by the Marissa Mayer interview [webmasterworld.com]. I had an enlightening conversation with a good friend last night. She listens to my stories of frustration almost daily (I probably bore her to death)...
Details to create context: large US metropolitan area, hectic managerial job at a financial services company, active social life. Brainy, but not a "techie" in any way.
I had asked her to read the Mayer interview following earlier remarks I had made about personalized search. Her comments somewhat stunned me:
(paraphrasing) "Yes, and? It's not something that we didn't see coming. In fact, a lot of my co-workers and peers want this. It's *inescapable* (my emphasis) but what can you do, all of our personal information is already out there so it makes sense that it's being used. You just have to take the good with the bad."
Is the general population (including my friend) already suffering from some sort of Stockholm syndrome when it comes to their privacy and personal freedom? Peer pressure, shiny new gadgets, Patriot A^h^h^h regulations... what exactly caused such a massive sentiment shift so quickly? How can this be fixed?
Makes me feel like I'm some sort of last holdout that needs to "get with the program" in a way, even when it is something I abhor. Is there anybody else who sees the irony in Googling, then downloading "Almost Cut My Hair" from iTunes, listening to it on their Windows box, while reading the lyrics in pdf?
What is an important issue in this thread that seems to be unspoken is SEO fear. G has been anti-SEO virtually from the start, yet most folks here have so far managed to overcome each new obstacle G has placed in the way of good rankings. But it has become more difficult and more time-consuming to rank well. And with personalization results, G can make it MUCH more difficult. SEO becomes more and more marginalized, exactly what G has wanted all along, which causes a lot of SEO fear (as well as anger).
The shift is happening as we all discuss this and now that the Gorg has made clear their true intentions, people are finally seeing that it's best if we all don't live in Gorg world.
So if a shift is happening (or going to happen), where will it take us... Bing?
Out of the frying pan into the fire.
While there is no better option, I think the majority will likely stay with the devil they know.
Cheers
James
