The Gmail Funny

[Anthony Parsons]

It was just a matter of time before the Gmail funnies begun. Pretty funny though.

http://www.gmail-is-too-creepy.com

[rustybrick]

Yup, this is spreading like wild fire over the SEM forums. Glad you posted it here as well.

This post might belong in the Other Google Issues forum.

[gvenditto]

Rusty,

as a mod, you could move it there but leave a redirect here. That way it will be seen from both forums.

- Gus

[rustybrick]

Yup, I know. We need to discuss some policies about moving threads and who should do it. I am not the assigned mod for these forums, so I dont want to step on anyone's toes. :)

[Anthony Parsons]

I was nearly gonna put it under hear too. I thought.......ohhhh.....it is a funny thing more than serious, so maybe I shouldn't put it in the serious sections. The lounges are just a natural for the funny junk...what can I say!

[Everyman]

It's a little bit funny but it raises serious issues. It's also a little sad that Google doesn't feel the need to address some of these issues.

[Webmaster-Toolkit.com]

I dont want to step on anyone's toes. :)
Call yourself a mod? ;)

[Chris_D]

I think the funniest Gmail site is the "I'll swap you for a Gmail account" http://www.gmailswap.com/

Some people are pretty desperate....

[Anthony Parsons]

Aaargghh. I got mine, like it, but haven't used it as such.

[AussieWebmaster]

It has a bunch of features that will be very handy once I have used it a little while longer. It has a search feature so you can find that email without having to go through a ton looking for something.

[Anthony Parsons]

That is a nice feature.....those ads that made so much news are nothing. Hardly noticeable. Its fast, clean and efficient. Good job and surely will only get better before final version release.

[Dodger]

It has a bunch of features that will be very handy once I have used it a little while longer. It has a search feature so you can find that email without having to go through a ton looking for something.

I use it to email web pages that I am interested in ... sort of like clipping newspaper articles and keeping them in a scrapbook. Every now and then MarketingSherpa will come out with a "time limited" freebie that I will tuck away for later perusal.

The ads come in handy sometimes as an added bonus for more information sometimes. This is often pretty convenient, because they usually are pretty dead on and actually lead to some usable or pertinent stuff (which in turn I email those into my account too.)

They strip out a lot of the Html and images from those files too. So if you hate them damn Flash ads and skinny columns ... it really makes reading a pleasure again.

[paulhiles]

The fuss about privacy issues is way over-hyped if you ask me... and the conspiracy theorists make me laugh. I've been using a gmail account for a while now and find it an excellent alternative to my other webmail accounts.

The ability to track back through 'conversations', to sort messages, highlight, create your own labels, the list goes on!
I would also go along with Dodger's comments on the ads, they're extremely pertinent to my area (web design and development) and I don't find them intrusive in the slightest.

[eragon]

I'm in agreement with all the positives listed here. The ads are so subtle that I barely notice them. And a word about privacy: if a person is worried about it, then they probably shouldn't be putting questionable content in their email. Otherwise, letting G's computers read content for purposes of ad placement shouldn't be an issue.

[eragon]

As I was browsing the article some more, I found it interesting that the author states that they don't use Gmail. They don't use it, but they happen to know all about it? :confused:

Also, I clicked on one of their other links (http://www.gmail-is-too-creepy.com/gcook.html) regarding G's use of cookies. Here's an excerpt:

Google uses a single cookie for everything, and it expires in 2038. Your browser offers this cookie, which contains a unique ID number, every time you enter any page on Google's site. If you don't have a cookie, Google will give you one with a new unique ID number....as soon as you enter an email address on a Google form, it becomes easy for Google to assign your cookie ID to you as an individual. That's because your browser, at the precise point in time that you click your email address to Google on one of their forms, sends your Google cookie ID along with the email address you entered.

Perhaps someone more technical than I can explain this, but regardless of whether I delete my cookie now or whenever, am I not assigned another unique ID, thus still falling victim to Big Brother? :eek:

[Dodger]

Perhaps someone more technical than I can explain this, but regardless of whether I delete my cookie now or whenever, am I not assigned another unique ID, thus still falling victim to Big Brother? :eek:

Yep, by Big Brother and Little Brother too. Fact is, by making your post just now, you just got another cookie placed on your machine by SEW.

[eragon]

...you just got another cookie placed on your machine by SEW.

But that's my point. I know cookies are being dropped left and right any time we surf. It's just that this article makes it sound like you could magically escape being "watched" if you simply delete Google's cookie. That's not gonna happen because it's going to drop another cookie when you return, and thus give you another ID, and so begins the circle.

[Everyman]

You have to keep deleting the Google cookie regularly. Every time you do this you get a new cookie with a new unique ID. But if you keep deleting your cookie, then any unique ID Google associates with you is only associated with you for a short period of time. That time is the interval between your deletions.

They can try to tie all your unique IDs together by identifying them as all coming from the same IP address, assuming that you have a static IP address. But they won't be doing this under normal circumstances, because it requires extra effort on Google's part.