Google Related - Anyone see a problem with this?

[bmiller011]

I just about always use Firefox as my primary web browser. Tonight I was using IE to check PR on a couple of my pages. I stopped paying attention to page rank over a year ago I would say so I had to install the Google Toolbar as I didn't have it installed. Went to one of my websites and to my surprise Google Related popped up on the bottom showing ads for "related" sites. I am sorry but this is my website, I feel I should have a choice of allowing this type of activity. Am I wrong? I did a quick search on WPW for Google Related and I didn't see anything relevant to this post. If there was already a thread started in this regard I apologize. Below is a screenshot of my site with Google Related displayed:



After doing some research looks like I am behind the times, this came out in a Google Toolbar update in August. Haven't found a working solution to disable it yet.

[deepsand]

That's a BHO that functions on Google Search, activated by a Toolbar setting; see Google Related

To disable, change your Toolbar settings so that Google is not the default SE.

[bmiller011]

To disable, change your Toolbar settings so that Google is not the default SE.

That is great for me and my view. I don't use IE anyway (normally). But what about the rest of the individuals viewing my website? I think it is outrageous that Google is putting ads over the top of individuals websites with links to their competitors.

[deepsand]

Said BHO is invoked only when a search is done.

You saw its handiwork because you executed the query link:http://webmancomputer.com

If I directly navigate to http://webmancomputer.com, with both the GTB installed, and Google set as the default SE, the Google Related items are not displayed. In fact, even if I do the same search as did you, I still see nothing added, presumably because there's no content or links on the displayed matter related to anything in my geo-location.

The primary distinction here is that one is a Google display, while the other is one of your site's making.

[bmiller011]

Changed default search to Bing, Cleared Cache ,Closed Browser ,Opened Browser, directly navigated to site:



Not sure if you can read the ad that is up but it is for a location in California, I am in Wisconsin, which leads me to believe geo-location has nothing to do with it.

Update: I went to a different computer all together, installed GTB on it, same results with direct navigation to the site.

[deepsand]

Well, that's not the way it's supposed to work!

Wonder if you're part of a Google rolling test group?

[bmiller011]

Your site:



Hope you don't mind that I posted a screenshot of it, is so feel free to delete this post.

[deepsand]

Try one of the below.

To disable directly from the Google Related bar:

• Click the Google Related Options menu in the bottom right corner of the bar.
• Select "Disable Google Related".

To disable or enable from the Toolbar's options menu:

• Click the Toolbar's wrench icon.
• On the Privacy tab, select (or deselect) the “Use Google Related to discover interesting content about the pages you're viewing” checkbox.
• Click Save.

[bmiller011]

I don't think you are understanding my point here. I don't really care that it is displaying it for me. I care that there is a possibility that others are coming to my website, which I have worked hard to get them there, and they are now seeing competitors' ads.

For example:

I am looking for Penn State Tickets. I know you from WPW so I go to your site, or better yet, I don't know of your site so I search Penn State Tickets and your site comes up so I click on it. Open your home page to be greeted by Google Related. Oh, look there, Google is telling me that I should continue my search beyond your page. Oh, and making money on top of it.

[deepsand]

From Enhanced features

Enhanced features Toolbar's enhanced features provide services based on the page you are viewing at the time. For these features to work, Toolbar has to send Google the URL and other information about a page when you visit it. For example, Toolbar can show you PageRank information for a given webpage by sending the URL to Google and retrieving the site's PageRank score. If Google Related is enabled, the URL is sent to Google in order to pull up related information to the site you're on. Similarly, when you +1 a webpage, the fact that you +1'd something will be recorded by Google, along with information about the page you were viewing when you clicked the +1 button. The +1 button helps you and others receive personalized content from Google and our partners. Currently, enhanced features include Google Related, PageRank, and the +1 button, but more features that work this way may be added in the future.

Some enhanced features like the +1 button associate things like the URLs, latency, and other information about the sites you visit with your Google account.

You can disable enhanced features such as Google Related, PageRank and the +1 button. When these features are disabled, they no longer send URL information back to Google. If you re-enable these features, Toolbar will resume sending this page-related information in order to provide the service. Learn how to disable Google Related, disable PageRank, or disable the +1 button.