Google Toolbar: All Your Bookmarks Belong to Us
February 2nd, 2006 by Michael Gray in Google, SEOIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Read my top posts or learn more about Michael Gray. Want more frequent updates follow me on Twitter. Thanks for visiting!
If the latest edition of the Google Toolbar doesn’t convince you that the Goolge Patent of 2005 was more than smoke and mirrors I don’t know what will. In section 46 they mention using user data such as bookmarks, and incorporating it into the ranking algo. The theory consisting of two parts, firstly people are going to bookmark sites they feel have value. Secondly large scale distributed bookmark forgery while not impossible would be difficult.
So how is Google gaining access to these bookmarks? In the latest toolbar edition you sign into Google and import your bookmarks which allows you to have access to them from any location (home, school, work, friends house etc). Good for the user and good for Google. Now I will admit I am somewhat concerned they actually rolled this plan out considering the interest the DOJ has with Google’s search data. However I suspect this plan was put into motion long before the DOJ request was issued. I suspect it will be years before anyone in the government actually gets a clue that anyone is actually aggregating bookmark data and that it might be of value. So if you’re comfortable with Google or the US Government having all of this data about and handing it to them on a silver platter be sure to download and install it.
Now if there’s an enterprising person or two reading who like to get in on the ground floor of a developing business opportunity I’d suggest you start buying up old PC’s and start build a computer network for visiting bookmarks. Use the machines to log into accounts like Earthlink and AOL so you can mingle with the great unwashed masses behind big proxy farms. Last time I checked you were able to log into multiple screen names under one account on AOL. Using a browser with the Google toolbar installed run a script to visit the bookmarked websites, and visit a few pages. For a nominal monthly service charge you will visit pages on peoples websites. Offered tiered services for more pages per websites, multiple visits per day, and multiple sites.
Sphere It
February 2nd, 2006 at 10:45 am
[...] Graywolf points out in his recent entry, that Google documented in their 2005 Patent filing a mechanism to use bookmark information to determine page relevancy. [...]
February 2nd, 2006 at 10:48 am
Google Toolbar Privacy Concerns
Graywolf points out in his recent entry, that Google documented in their 2005 Patent filing a mechanism to use bookmark information to determine page relevancy.
This, in conjuction with the recent news about the government subpeona against Google to pr…
February 2nd, 2006 at 11:29 am
[...] Graywolf has pretty much been on the Google Smokescreen rant for the past couple of days and I am glad to see it. I usually chuckle a bit when people get their panties in a bunch every time Google *applies* for a new patent. People think that a patent application translates into Google using everything they are asking for a patent for in their technology today. It is just plain silly to think that. If anything, Google has realized that there is a tremendous amount of money to make in patenting itellectual property. There have been vast fortunes made (which I won’t get into here) in the technology world by patenting silly little things and processes. I have seen people come rushing into a forum to post about Google’s latest patent application and rant about how things are going to change. Pretty funny if you ask me. Seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same with SEO, to me. Put yourself in Google’s shoes. If you wanted to reduce spam and crap in their index, what would you do? If you were smart, you would probably realize that perception is 9/10ths of what people believe. Most “SEOs” are not very technical people and they rely on the information they receive from others. Most real SEOs are out there hacking and testing every little thing out and learninng what works and what doesn’t work for themeselves. But, as I said, these people represent a huge minority in the SEO world. So, I would basically put the smokescreen out and see how many people I could throw off of my scent if I were Google. And, clearly this is a tactic they are using…if you are paying attention. Anyone home? Is this thing on? Herro? [...]