Google Gets Personalized Home Page Feature

[dannysullivan]

So Google now is offering a personalized home page (http://www.google.com/ig). More details are in this SearchDay article: Google Personalized Home Page (http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3506541). Comments, thoughts?

[rcjordan]

>Comments

Inevitable. The real estate is too valuable to leave undeveloped.

<added>
Besides, they've got to have a place to hang their 'Google Travel' shingle

http://battellemedia.com/archives/001552.php

[Gerardism]

There's not enough features yet to make me want to switch from using 'My Yahoo' page. I'd like to be able to add personalized links and be able to add RSS/XML feeds which are the main things I use everday.

I hope this isn't the final version where there's no Beta showing on the logo. What I do like is that there's no banner ads showing or ads of any kind for that matter.

[ephricon]

I'm still hesitant to want to use this just as I'm hesitant to want to rely much on Gmail or their other products. I'm not sure I want them tracking everything I do, read, etc. back to me. I don't want them to know all of this. Anyone else feel tentative about getting involved in many of the non-search related products offered by search engines?

[L0rdDiabl0]

I worte my in-depth thoughts in my blog http://l0rddiabl0.blogspot.com

[rcjordan]

quote from Danny's roundup post in the sew blog:

"...In case you're wondering, the lack of horoscopes is what prevents it from being a portal page :) "

Damn, Danny, you're stealing all the good cynical lines.

[shepherd]

This is not about helping users, it is not about yahoo, it is not about MSN, it is not about being "late". All it is about is a pattern google are playing for the last few months, tracking.
gmail+my search history+web accelerator*+google homepage , what do they all have in common? They all require you to log in, they all track every movement you make within google - the search engine. Although they didn't start yet, when you are logged in they have the ability to learn and serve better personalized ads - that is the key to all of these "wonderful" services.
There's nothing noble in compromising user's privacy, trading off without disclosing you are trading off, and taking advantage of users as long as it works. That abuse will not fly forever with users. It will be noticed, people will learn about it, and avoid it.


* Not signed in but just the same, complete tracking with appID installed when surfing.

[rcjordan]

Google Vice President Marissa Mayer:

'We want this to be a walled garden--a good way to start your entree to the Web"

Yeah, we know that already, Marissa, but you aren't supposed to say things like that in public. Cnet article (http://news.com.com/Do+you+Google/2100-1038_3-5715707.html)

[Nacho]

Why the whole "MY" thing? Actually, Google doesn't have to make it be my.google.com. They could just do the personalization on google.com if the user is signed in. It would be a much better approach in my mind. Don't make users think with new URIs then spend a bunch of dollars on marketing them.

The best thing that Google ever did was to have a clean homepage... unless, it's what I (the user) wants it to be.

[USRecoveryInfo]

Google has no clothes! Google is overrated. Now it is trying to be all things to all people. My Google is another feature that will clutter up their site. I was irked when Google Directory (http://www.google.com/dirhp) was removed from the Google Front Page (http://www.google.com/).

[dannysullivan]

RC, great catch on the CNET story but...

They've been saying they DON'T want it to be a walled garden, and I'm willing to bet that's what she said -- and that the NOT was accidentally left off. Of course, it could have been Marissa saying what she was really thinking :)

But I also suspect a slip given that Marissa's gained a big promotion in the story to VP level. That's news to me. Last I heard, she was still director of consumer search products.

[rcjordan]

>VP

Others have pinged me on that, we're not sure that was correct either.

>'We want this to be a walled garden--a good way to start your entree to the Web"

The whole sentence makes sense using the phrase 'walled garden' though, the highlighted text is marketspeak for the walled garden mentality. I'll bet you lunch they got it right.

<added>
BTW, add Business Week to the "Yep, it's a portal" group.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2005/tc20050523_3577_tc024.htm

[krisval]

Looks like they are half pregnant with this one. Certainly won't make me switch from Yahoo as my home page for news, email, and financials.

[incrediblehelp]

How do you "uninstall" this personalized home page?