Google prefererred source needs login?

[NAwlins Contrarian]

The article about the Google preferred source button / system is not clear to me on maybe the most important point: do you have to be logged into a Google account when performing a search for this to have any effect?

And if so, why do people remain logged into Google accounts? E.g. I use Gmail, but when I'm finished emailing, I always exit Firefox, which I have set to delete all the cookies etc. on exit. I don't want to make it easy for Google to scrape up data on me. Why do others facilitate this? I remember years ago, when my wife was surprised when she got served up ads for things related to searches she'd made or websites she'd visited. She's not tech-savvy, but surely people have picked up on the basic practice, and more than a few others dislike being tracked, monitored, sold to, and just plain sold at frequent intervals?

Hey DPReview, you need more money? How about paid memberships? I'd do that, at least to a point. Not a chance I'm staying logged into Google for DPReview or any other site.

P.S.

I get that using a smartphone presents other complications. But the issue and preferred approach remain the same. And I treat a smartphone substantially differently from how I treat my actual computers.

 

[robert1955]

I clicked on one of the links in the dpr article and that brought up the googe log in page, so i take it that you need to log in and stay logged in to Google. No go for me.

Useful comments on said article BTW

EDIT Sorry for the double reply, Cloudfare seemed to have eaten this one, but still placed it.

 

[robert1955]

The article about the Google preferred source button / system is not clear to me on maybe the most important point: do you have to be logged into a Google account when performing a search for this to have any effect?

I experimentally clicked in the article (useful comments there BTW) and it brought up the Google log in. Seems logical as this is a google ‘ service’, but it is a no go.

And if so, why do people remain logged into Google accounts? E.g. I use Gmail, but when I'm finished emailing, I always exit Firefox, which I have set to delete all the cookies etc. on exit. I don't want to make it easy for Google to scrape up data on me. Why do others facilitate this? I remember years ago, when my wife was surprised when she got served up ads for things related to searches she'd made or websites she'd visited. She's not tech-savvy, but surely people have picked up on the basic practice, and more than a few others dislike being tracked, monitored, sold to, and just plain sold at frequent intervals?

Hey DPReview, you need more money? How about paid memberships? I'd do that, at least to a point. Not a chance I'm staying logged into Google for DPReview or any other site.

P.S.

I get that using a smartphone presents other complications. But the issue and preferred approach remain the same. And I treat a smartphone substantially differently from how I treat my actual computers.

 

[Dale Baskin]

The article about the Google preferred source button / system is not clear to me on maybe the most important point: do you have to be logged into a Google account when performing a search for this to have any effect?

And if so, why do people remain logged into Google accounts? E.g. I use Gmail, but when I'm finished emailing, I always exit Firefox, which I have set to delete all the cookies etc. on exit. I don't want to make it easy for Google to scrape up data on me. Why do others facilitate this? I remember years ago, when my wife was surprised when she got served up ads for things related to searches she'd made or websites she'd visited. She's not tech-savvy, but surely people have picked up on the basic practice, and more than a few others dislike being tracked, monitored, sold to, and just plain sold at frequent intervals?

Yes, you need to be logged into your Google account for Preferred Sources to affect your search results.

Your concerns about privacy and data collection are valid. I suspect the average DPReview user is more knowledgeable about these issues than the typical Internet user, and we understand and respect the choice to minimize tracking.

At the same time, as a publication, we have to operate in a world where Google remains the dominant gateway to information for most people. Whether we like that or not, it shapes how content is discovered and how readers find content on sites like DPReview.

For those who do stay logged into Google, using the Preferred Sources feature can make it easier to find the content they already trust and value. For those who prefer not to, we respect that choice.

Hey DPReview, you need more money? How about paid memberships? I'd do that, at least to a point. Not a chance I'm staying logged into Google for DPReview or any other site.

We're working on a paid membership option that includes perks like an ad-free experience. Stay tuned.

--
Dale Baskin
Managing Editor, DPReview

 

[NAwlins Contrarian]

The article about the Google preferred source button / system is not clear to me on maybe the most important point: do you have to be logged into a Google account when performing a search for this to have any effect?

And if so, why do people remain logged into Google accounts? E.g. I use Gmail, but when I'm finished emailing, I always exit Firefox, which I have set to delete all the cookies etc. on exit. I don't want to make it easy for Google to scrape up data on me. Why do others facilitate this? I remember years ago, when my wife was surprised when she got served up ads for things related to searches she'd made or websites she'd visited. She's not tech-savvy, but surely people have picked up on the basic practice, and more than a few others dislike being tracked, monitored, sold to, and just plain sold at frequent intervals?

Yes, you need to be logged into your Google account for Preferred Sources to affect your search results.

Your concerns about privacy and data collection are valid. I suspect the average DPReview user is more knowledgeable about these issues than the typical Internet user, and we understand and respect the choice to minimize tracking.

At the same time, as a publication, we have to operate in a world where Google remains the dominant gateway to information for most people. Whether we like that or not, it shapes how content is discovered and how readers find content on sites like DPReview.

This issue just tipped me over the edge of a change I've been contemplating for a while: I just went into my browser settings and changed my search engine from Google to DuckDuckGo. We'll see how satisfactory a response that is.

Often when using Google in a targeted way, I use the advanced search function, where you can specify a website. More than rarely I do that e.g. when trying to find a specific old post on DPReview.

For those who do stay logged into Google, using the Preferred Sources feature can make it easier to find the content they already trust and value. For those who prefer not to, we respect that choice.

I get that. And I totally feel your pain about seeing the Google top response be AI that mostly parrots with DPReview posted.

Hey DPReview, you need more money? How about paid memberships? I'd do that, at least to a point. Not a chance I'm staying logged into Google for DPReview or any other site.

We're working on a paid membership option that includes perks like an ad-free experience. Stay tuned.

Sounds good. I'm envisioning something like a $19.95 or $24.95 annual subscription. I would pay that to support the site. I think many of us who use it a lot would do so. You can still have a free option for light-duty users / those who refuse to pay, maybe with limited access to premium content, posting limits, and/or advertisements or whatever.

 

[sherman_levine]

For google, this syntax works nicely

Type any of these into the google search field

exposure site:dpreview.com
exposure site:dpreview.com/forums
exposure site:dpreview.com/articles
FZ1000 site:dpreview.com/reviews

--

Sherm

Sherms flickr page

P950 album

P900 album RX10iv album
OM1.2 150-600 album

 

[NAwlins Contrarian]

For google, this syntax works nicely

Type any of these into the google search field

exposure site:dpreview.com
exposure site:dpreview.com/forums
exposure site:dpreview.com/articles
FZ1000 site:dpreview.com/reviews

Or use the Google Advance Search page:

https://www.google.com/advanced_search

and enter in the "site or domain:" box dpreview.com or whatever. That will automatically generate that syntax and also offers some additional options.

Or do what I did and just change in your browser your default search provider from Google to DuckDuckGo or some other.