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Google's AutoLink = adware?

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Bobby



Joined: 12 Jul 2003
Posts: 764

PostPosted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 3:23 am    Post subject: Google's AutoLink = adware? Reply with quote

I wasn't real sure where to post this on the forum because it possibly has far reaching implications.

The article at this link http://www.thetwowayweb.com/2005/02/22#a272 seems to consider Google's AutoLink feature to essentially be adware.

Thoughts? Opinions?


Bobby
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Voasi



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Posts: 903
Location: California, The OC

PostPosted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 6:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In a way it is. How would Google like it if Yahoo! or MSN put links on Google's result pages, leading to sources of information on their network. I don't think that would go over so well. What about a Mom & Pop shop online that has ISBN #'s listed for the books they're selling, which if you have the new Autolink feature, will turn the numbers into links and link to Amazon. Or even worse, turning links on a major merchant site like Barnes & Nobles and linking to their competitor...Amazon.

We know Google is out for the 'Good of all searchers', but I don't think this was wisely thought out by the many Ph.d's residing at GooglePlex.
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AllanGardyne
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Joined: 02 Jul 2003
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 2:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

While Google's use of this technique is fairly harmless, it certainly conjures up some scary possibilities once it's in the hands of large and powerful companies.
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AllanGardyne
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are some other people's thoughts on the scary implications:
http://www.webpronews.com/news/ebusinessnews/wpn-45-20050227IsGoolgeAutoLinkReallyEvil.html
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Charlie



Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 3305
Location: UK

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's some interesting stuff in the latest Planet Ocean update, too, if you subscribe.
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AllanGardyne
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Joined: 02 Jul 2003
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 4:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We may be fighting a losing battle if we want to control how people view our web pages.

There's now a new tool, an extension to Firefox, called Greasemonkey which
changes the content of web pages in remarkable ways and can add new content. Greasemonkey allows you to write DHTML scripts that run automatically when you visit sites you specify.

Kevin Yank of Sitepoint describes this as the coolest browser extension ever.

http://greasemonkey.mozdev.org/

This altering of web pages to suit the viewer seems to be a fast growing trend.

I wonder if it will lead to new kinds of scumware which try to divert affiliate commissions. (Do a search for "scumware" if you don't know what I'm talking about.)
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Charlie



Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 3305
Location: UK

PostPosted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

AllanGardyne wrote:
We may be fighting a losing battle if we want to control how people view our web pages.

I absolutely hate the idea of someone not seeing my page the way I intended, but at the same time I write notes on books and other people's paper content so next time I read it how I want to, so is there such a great difference.

Yes, overstamping affiliate links does not appeal, but if I read a paper print out of a web site preselling something with genuinely useful info, but I have another preferred product, I may well write my choice on top for the follow up...

The difference is that it is me (the reader) doing the editing not some third party middle man or software. Would it matter if the content was personalised based on an AI algo trying to guess what I would appreciate (based on what I have read before)?

Food for thought,
Charlie.
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RickRamos



Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 20
Location: Miami beach

PostPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not a big fan of AutoLink, I hope Google removes the feature. I can just see more companies adding this to their toolbar.

I would be cool with a notes feature, where I can add notes to a website, but not someone else adding them in for me.

The ISBN links is the one that bothers me the worse, since they could be stealing commissions and/or traffic from another retailer.
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Voasi



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Posts: 903
Location: California, The OC

PostPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You guys will get a kick out of this: www.dougaltoolbar.com . Let's promote it like hell and see what happens! Smile
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AllanGardyne
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2005 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SearchGuild has created a Javascript script that enables websites to opt out of Google's AutoLink tool:

http://www.searchguild.com/autoblink/
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