Google Retains Opt-Out Option
February 15, 2018
While the desire by most organizations to land at the top of relevant Internet search results was strong enough to spawn the entire SEO profession, some entities are not so eager for traffic. Now we learn Google will continue to let sites opt out of its search results, even though the legal requirement to do so has expired. Ubergizmo reports, “Google Will Let Websites Opt Out of Surfacing in Search Results.” Writer Adnan Farooqui writes:
Google settled an antitrust investigation by the FTC back in 2012 by promising to change its behavior in several areas. The commitments it made included removing AdWords restrictions that made it harder for advertisers to run multi-platform campaigns and giving websites the option to opt out of being displayed in search results and having their content crawled. Both commitments that Google made to the FTC back in 2012 have expired as of December 27th, 201[7]. It’s under no obligation to continue honoring them but Google has said in a letter to the FTC that it will honor them. ‘We believe that these policies provide additional flexibility for developers and websites, and we will continue them as policies after the commitments expire,’ Google confirmed in the letter.
So, fear not— if you’d prefer your site not be found by drive-by Google traffic, the search engine will continue to have your back.
Cynthia Murrell, February 15, 2018
Should Google Blogger Users Worry about the Platform?
February 13, 2018
Not long ago, Beyond Search picked up a vibe that Blogger, Google’s blogging platform, was going the way of Google Accelerator and Orkut. There may be some tailwind pushing that idea forward.
Navigate to “Google Partners With WordPress To Accelerate The Development Of A Faster Web.” The article reports as “real” news, of course:
WordPress controls a staggering 59 percent of the CMS market. Partnering with the platform makes sense for Google to advance its goals in creating a faster and better web.
I understand the need for speed, but perhaps Blogger is falling behind WordPress, and the Google may love more users more than its own platform. Is Blogger a liability, a black hole of costs, or an acquisition that failed to avoid a Dodgeball fate?
We’re watching.
Stephen E Arnold, February 13, 2018
News Corp. and Google: Glass Houses and Stone Throwing
February 12, 2018
I read “News Corp Executives Say Google and Facebook Created Dysfunctional, Debased Online Environment.” Let’s assume that the information is “real” news and actual factual.
The write up states:
News Corp. chief executive officer Robert Thomson slammed Google and Facebook for what he calls a “dysfunctional” and “debased” online environment that harms traditional media, according to a variety of published reports. The criticism came Thursday, as News Corp. announced its quarterly earnings, France 24 reported. Efforts by the two online giants to reduce misinformation and improve online news were only “modest steps toward changing a digital environment that is dysfunctional at its core,” Thomson said.
I like the phrase “dysfunctional at its core.”
I would point out these pieces of information which did not make it into the “real” news story:
- Phone and email hacking in the UK
- Fox news personnel in interesting situations
- News Corp. management succession activity
“Dysfunctional” means, according to the Wiktionary, not performing its proper or intended function or functioning incorrectly or abnormally; especially, designating of a business, family or social group with harmful, aberrant, strange or abnormal behavior.
As I noted in the headline, “glass houses” and “stones.” I don’t have the energy for “debased.”
Stephen E Arnold, February 12, 2018
And the Greatest Tech Headline of 2018 Is…
February 8, 2018
Short honk: In my morning news flow, I spotted what may be the greatest headline of 2018 (at least in the first five weeks of the year). Here it is:
Google Gave the World Powerful AI Tools, and the World Made Porn with Them
You can read the naked truth in a revealing story in Quartz. Try this link.
Strip away the veneer about AI. Breathless prose ignites one’s passion for tech thrills. With Reddit doing the censorship thing, this is “real” news, maybe just organic (I almost typed another word with and s and m.)
Stephen E Arnold, February 8, 2018
The Appification of Search: Dr. Frankenstein Is Back in the Innovation Basement
February 7, 2018
When I need information, I want to define my area of interest. I want to select a database which is likely to contain relevant information. I want to receive results and short summaries. I want to work through the content which conforms to my query. Time consuming and difficult work. But that’s how I roll down the information highway.
I noted a write up from Google called “The Keyword.” The story or marketing piece tells me that when I look for an airline flight, I will be able to book that flight from the search results.
Sounds like a great idea.
As I stated in the opening paragraph, I want to work through results. In the case of looking for a flight, I want to check different departure and return dates, available airports, number of stops, layover times, etc.
Once I locate a particular flight, I check the cost of that flight using different online services.
The reason? I have been flying around for more than a half century, and I have learned how an uninformed decision can set up an overnight in February in the Minneapolis St Paul airport. Believe me that’s not a great place to sleep as the snow falls and the meeting in Fargo becomes essentially impossible.
The write up states:
We’re evolving the way our hotel search works on smartphones to help users explore options and make decisions on their smallest screens. The new hotel search experience includes better price filtering, easier-to-find amenity information and the ability to book right from Google.
Some of the folks looking for flights will find convenience and a small screen ideal for their needs.
Not for me.
I do not trust one stop shops. I do not trust aggregators. I do not trust information assembled when ad dollars may be fluttering like those Minnesota snow flakes. I have learned that Southwest flights and some European carriers data require a visit to the airline’s Web site. Some human travel agents still consolidate tickets for wild and crazy “groups.”
But my principal concern is that online trust is no longer an operating assumption for me. Unless I slog through the data, I lack the information necessary for an informed decision.
Appification of search is one more shift from locating information, processing it, and making an informed decision.
Thank you, Mother Google. But no. I don’t want search results to be an app. I want search results to be one component of data collection and a precursor to analysis. Also, I like a big screen.
Stephen E Arnold, February 7, 2018
Saudi Arabia: No China for Google
February 5, 2018
I read “Alphabet Set to Power Major Saudi Arabia Tech Expansion.” Google has not been able to get US scale traction in China. Perhaps it was due to a business misstep or the “viewpoint from the Middle Kingdom.”
If the information in ITPortal’s article is accurate, Google wants to be a very good partner for Saudi Arabia via Aramco.
I learned:
Alphabet is planning a major expansion in Saudi Arabia that could see the region emerge as the next significant technology centre.
Innovation is alive and well in the Middle East.
Alphabet, the parent of Google, will:
see Alphabet assist Aramco in building data centers across Saudi Arabia, although it’s not know exactly what function these facilities would aid just yet.
United Arab Emirates also has an innovation push underway.
Will Alphabet Google be able to nurture its new relationship? Worth watching because suggestions for changes a company should make offered by Googlers may have interesting consequences.
St4ephen E Arnold, February 5, 2018
Google Translate Gets a Needs Improvement on Its Translation System
February 5, 2018
I read “The Shallowness of Google.” The critique is not from a trendy start up in Silicon Valley or an academic who flopped in a Google interview. The analysis is by Douglas Hofstadter. if the name does not ring a bell, this is the fellow who wrote Gödel, Escher, Bach, a quite fun read.
The main point of the write up is that Google’s implementation of its artificial intelligence and machine learning technology for Google Translate is bad.
Google wants to be perceived as the alpha dog in smart software. Do you want to take this canine’s kibble? Google can bite even thought it may not get the whole “idea” and “understanding” behind a reprimand.
Mr. Hofstadter writes:
Having ever more “big data” won’t bring you any closer to understanding, since understanding involves having ideas, and lack of ideas is the root of all the problems for machine translation today. So I would venture that bigger databases—even vastly bigger ones—won’t turn the trick.
The idea is that “understanding” is not baked into Google Translate. In addition to providing examples of screwing up translations from French, German, and Chinese, Google Translate does not look up information in Google Search. Mr. Hofstadter does.
He points out:
Google Translate can’t understand web pages, although it can translate them in the twinkling of an eye.
He correctly observes:
As long as the text in language B is somewhat comprehensible, many people feel perfectly satisfied with the end product. If they can “get the basic idea” of a passage in a language they don’t know, they’re happy.
Mr. Hofstadter touches upon two issues, which another informed critic might convert to a write up in the Atlantic:
- Google is simply delivering “good enough” services. The object is advertising, not outputting on point products and services for a tiny fraction of its user base
- Google’s hype about its smart software is only slightly less off-the-wall than the marketing of IBM Watson. The drum beat for smart software is necessary to attract young programmers who might otherwise defect to Amazon or other Google competitors and to further the illusion that Google’s technology is magical, maybe otherworldly and definitely the alpha dog in the machine learning Iditarod.
The write up is worth reading. However, I would not run it through Google Translate if you prefer to ingest the article in one of Google Translate’s supported languages.
And for a person going through the Google interview process, it is not a plus to suggest that Google’s technology might be little more than a C or possible an F. Rah rah is a better choice.
That’s why we love Google Translate here in Harrod’s Creek, but we have switched to Free Translations.org since Google implemented a word limit.
Stephen E Arnold, February 5, 2018
Google Has Its Own Browser History
February 2, 2018
Have you ever wanted to look at your past Google searches, but did not want to go through your browser history? Google has a new feature that will allow users to see their recent searches. Search Engine Land reports that “Google Home Page Search Box Now Shows You Recent Searches By Default” and it is a super option. Super annoying, that is. Whenever you use Google search, a default dropdown appears before you even enter text into the search box.
Even former Google search executive Matt Cutts said this “new feature” is super annoying. He tried to opt out of it, but could not find the opt-out option. Search Engine Land sent Google an email to see what the scoop was. They discovered that even Google found the automatic browser history box annoying. Here is Google’s official response:
Google has confirmed with Search Engine Land that this is not the behavior they want and it was likely a bug. “We launched the ability to see past searches by clicking the search box earlier this year. However, past searches should not be appearing immediately on page load, so we are working to fix this issue,” a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land.
All right, Google! You admitted a mistake and provided a solution. Now can you do something about the fake news stories that are plaguing Google News?
Whitney Grace, February 2, 2018
More Artificial Intelligence Fright
February 1, 2018
Is artificial intelligence a bigger development than electricity or fire? Google CEO Sundar Pichai thinks so. In fact, he warns that if not harnessed correctly, AI could be more deadly than fire. We got the full scoop from a recent Newsweek story, “What’s Bigger Than Fire and Electricity? Artificial Intelligence, Says Google Boss.”
According to the story:
“Pichai went on to warn of the potential dangers associated with developing advanced AI, saying that developers need to learn to harness its benefits in the same way humanity did with fire. My point is AI is really important, but we have to be concerned about it.
Scary stuff straight out of a sci-fi novel. Or is it? Investopedia looked deeper into the future and found a mixed bag that has us more than a little concerned. They found that we can relax, because ultimately AI is controlled by electricity and as long as we have control of power we can cut off their source of energy (Warning to power companies: Don’t give your robots the keys!). However, the story continues with a closing thought that mirrors our own—that, yeah, humans are going to push this thing as far as it will go and ultimately suffer some sort of consequence.
What might be more terrifying is the impact of ad centric search results. With more than 2,000 companies in the AI game, we wonder, “What’s winning mean?”
Patrick Roland, February 1, 2018
Google Takes On Russia In Epic Fight
February 1, 2018
It is foolish to challenge Russia to a fight. Napoleon lost his throne because he tried to invade Russia during winter. Hitler pissed off Stalin during World War II, so Russia switched sides, then the Nazis invaded in winter. It is a really bad idea to invade Russia, especially in winter. Google is duking it out with Russia, but this war is digital so maybe Alphabet stands a chance. The Washington Report discusses the wired Cold war in, “Google Is Getting Pulled Into A Fight With Russia Over RT And Sputnik.” The real battle is with two Russian news outlets RT and Sputnik, but they are owned by the government.
The reason for battle is due to Russians apparent and supposed influence on US politics-most notably, the 2016 presidential election. Russia is accused of spreading the fake news through RT and Sputnik. News outlets like Google News pick these up and are pushed to US readers. Russia is threatening to retaliate if Google pushes RT and Sputniks’ ratings lower in search rankings. Google decided to curb fake news stories that could be weaponized information against the US. Russia’s RT and Sputnik are amongst those that distribute fake news.
When asked why Russian-backed sites enjoy favorable placement on Google’s platforms, Schmidt said, ‘We are working on detecting this kind of scenario … de-ranking those kinds of sites. It’s basically RT and Sputnik are the two.’ He added that the company does not want to ban the outlets. And according to Google, the company does not re-rank individual websites.
Russia is, of course, is not happy. They claim that Google is being discriminatory and are demanding that Eric Schmidt explain himself. Google just wants to curb fake news and also make sure their platform is not used for nefarious purposes. Good luck, Google. Russia is hard to defeat, but how do they stand on the digital front?
Whitney Grace, February 1, 2018
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