Should I be carefull when I visit my competitors sites?

[Artyom]

From
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20050071741&OS=20050071741&RS=20050071741


45. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more types of history data includes information relating to
user maintained or generated data; and wherein the generating a score includes: determining whether user
maintained or generated data indicates that the document is of interest to a user, and scoring the document
based, at least in part, on whether the user maintained or generated data indicates that the document is of
interest to a user.
46. The method of claim 45, wherein the user maintained or generated data relates to at least one of
favorites lists, bookmarks, temp files, and cache files associated with one or a plurality of users.


well.....If I visit my competitor's site I may hurt my own website as Google may counts my visit as my interest (my vote) to my competitors site;-)

[LLFitness_Derek]

Simple Solution:

Delete your google tracking cookies and disable your Google Search Bar.

[Sapphire]

Well, if Google really plans to take visits as a vote, so to speak, this shows up just one more reason why that's a flawed system. I doubt that's quite what they're doing, though - while the number of visitors can indicate popularity, it can also indicate someone's spammed a site to the top in totally irrelevant SERPs, and people are clicking on it when looking for something else entirely.

But, presumably, that could be balanced against bookmarking trends...? If lots of visitors come but never bookmark, there's a problem. Then again, I screw that system up - I gave up bookmarks a while back, and just put links in a personal portal that's online from any computer/browser. :)

It sounds like they're just patenting every idea they've ever had, even the ones that contradict the others ones. ;)

[tcampione]

Tracking my favorites would be a real invasion of privacy, and I think searchers would leave Google if such a tactic were deployed.

Even if it started as an 'option' for the toolbar, we all know the ultimate rumor would be "if you use Google search it will record your favorites/bookmarks and who know what other personal information".

That would be the end of Google search in my view.

[DMC_34]

Search Toolbars were made this reason. yeah they help with SE's traffic as a convience factor but surely all do tracking from it. It would interesting to see the code for these toolbars

[Artyom]

Simple Solution:

Delete your google tracking cookies and disable your Google Search Bar.

I know;-) but it was rather rhetorical question, I mean experience users know what to do, but what about people who are n't as savvy as people reading and posting at this forum?