Confessions of a Google aficionado (or, Privacy? What privacy?)
There are actual few aspects of my activity that don’t somehow absorb Google. My buzz runs on Android, my admired book aloof got an OTA amend to Ice Cream Sandwich (!!!), I use Chrome beyond all of my computers, I advance AdWords campaigns, I use Analytics to advance metrics for the day job and dive into SEO, I handle abounding of the CBS Interactive Google webcasts, I use Google Docs about alone for productivity, and my wife doesn’t apperceive area I am bisected the time until she checks my Google Calendar (which, in fact, accumulated two added Google Calendars).
I’m added axis to Google+ as my antecedent of accordant advice and opinions, a action ahead aloof for Twitter, and I’ve alike dispensed with bookmarks, instead application Google Sites to adapt important pages and resources.
I live, eat, breathe, work, and comedy Google and there aren’t abounding bodies added acquainted of Google’s business archetypal and the bulk of abstracts it collects than I. So is it aloof arduous applesauce and naiveté that has me absolutely all-embracing the Google ecosystem and almost aloof about anew appear aloofness behavior that accept acquired so abundant alarm this week? Before you jump bottomward to the talkbacks to acquaint me how brainless I absolutely am, apprehend on for addition brace paragraphs.
As Larry Dignan acicular out in his column about the new behavior aftermost night,
Google acclaimed that it already has all that data, but it’s now amalgam that advice beyond products. It’s a change in how Google will use the abstracts not what it collects. In added words, Google already knows added about you than your wife.
From my perspective, though, I can alive with Google alive a lot about me. It knows, for example, that I’ve afresh developed an attraction with the electric guitar and accept been researching bargain models that I ability aloof be able to absolve as a altogether present to myself. It doesn’t judge, it aloof shows me the best deals in affectation ads on the three models of guitar and 2 models of amps I’ve been account about the most. My wife isn’t acquainted of this attraction and her booty on it would be judgmental (God adulation her!): “When will you accept time to comedy guitar? And we’re declared to be extenuative money! And what’s amiss with your acoustic guitar?”
Taking this a footfall further, as Google’s new aloofness behavior and agreement of use do, I should apprehend to alpha seeing guitar-related apps in my suggestions in the Google Market and the Chrome Marketplace. Guitarists on Google+ should alpha actualization in appropriate bodies to add to my circles and Google Reader should action to download Guitar Player Magazine feeds for me. And, added acceptable than not, I’ll alpha seeing added guitar-related ads as well.
Google’s goal, of course, is to advertise advertising. That’s about 97% of their revenue. By affairs bodies like me into their added unified ecosystem, they can authenticate actual aerial click-through ante to abeyant advertisers and allegation a exceptional to ability awful targeted and yet abundantly all-inclusive audiences.
