If you are a casual surfer looking for personal information only, maybe Google Web History is for you, or maybe not. If you are searching for information related to your business that might be more important to you than a casual search, it might just be the right thing for you to install on your computer.
If you have the Google toolbar installed, you can install Google Web History and get a list of all of your recently visited sites. Just a reminder that Google is tracking all of this information, but if you want to look at where you've been on the Internet recently, you can find out in an instant.
I use it to review my search patterns. I have a rather focused search related to a particular SEO Strategy, so I want to take a look at my history to see if I am maintaining a focused search, or if I get distracted from my focal point. Do you ever get distracted on a tangent while surfing for specific information? Yeah, doesn't everyone ? I take a look at where I?ve been in my search, and try to see if my search trail has followed my central search, or become lost along the way.
If you are a heavy duty surfer, you might want to see something that you remembered from earlier in the day, but forgot to bookmark. Google Web History will take you there right away. It could also be used, if you are a meeting and contact sort of person, or if you keep records of someone you spoke with on a certain date. You might remember a conversation on a particular day, and go to your history to find a site that you talked about with that person.
If this sounds like it might be easier than combing through your hundreds of bookmarks to find that lost site, than Google Web History might be for you. I use both Internet Explorer and Firefox for different purposes, but I have to admit that my Firefox bookmarks have become too clogged to be very useful anymore. I like the way Web History records everything, even though the search record has many pages. I usually just review my recent searches from the last few days, and not much further. I word needs to be said about the way Google tracks information. On the one hand, I have to admit, I don?t like Google knowing everywhere I search all over the Internet. I certainly would not want my credit card company or a retail merchant doing such detailed tracking. I know the result would be more junk mail than I get already.
I really don?t expect that Google is suddenly going to flood my gmail account with junk e-mail. I already have a certain level of respect for the way that Google filters junk mail, and I don?t think their policy will change anytime soon. If it bothers you that Google is tracking your browsing history, then by all means, do not install the Google Toolbar or the Web History feature. By the way, if you have not installed the Google Toolbar yet, it used to be installed with the tracking feature turned off by default. I have been told on good authority that Google Toolbar tracking is now turned on by default. Just to repeat, if you have privacy concerns then install the Google Toolbar and change the defaults, or do not install either the Toolbar or the Web History feature.
I think that the information Google gathers will continue to improve the search upon which they have always hung their hat. As long as quality original content still rules in page rank and search position, I will allow Web History to continue doing what it does, gather and store information. Ostensibly from Google?s point of view they do this to provide a better quality search and more personalized search.
The only thing I can see that could potentially derail the Google juggernaut, is to violate what got them to the top, which is their unique page rank algorithm and content quality barometer. It is highly unlikely that Google is ready to alienate users and risk a huge backlash and the resulting negative publicity for a few junk e-mail offers.
Just type Web History into Google, or go to google.com/history to find this new feature.
Happy Surfing !
John Lombaerde is a CAD/CAM/CNC Specialist with over 20 years experience in advanced manufacturing technologies. He is a Designer, CNC Programmer, CNC Machinist, a CAD/CAM consultant, and SEO Strategy consultant. For additional information contact: For more information, see CAD CAM Consulting |
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