ajkohn

7 ms·

1.
Acquisition SEO and the Mid-Life Crisis of Search Results(blindfiveyearold.com)
6 points by ajkohn 11y ago|0 comments
2.
by ajkohn 12y ago
My problem is that the filter bubble is increasingly used as a retort of fear, uncertainty and doubt when discussing personalization, marketing and privacy. It’s become a proxy to end discussions about how our personal data can, will and sh
3.
The Filter Bubble Isn't Evil Unless You Are(blindfiveyearold.com)
2 points by ajkohn 12y ago|1 comments
4.
Closing Google Reader Sucks For Me, But Is Dangerous For Google(blindfiveyearold.com)
2 points by ajkohn 14y ago|0 comments
5.
by ajkohn 14y ago
It's interesting. Sometimes the argument is that people are more savvy than we give them credit for and then it's that they don't really understand. I'm not saying you're doing this now (not at all), but I do see people trying to have it bo
6.
by ajkohn 14y ago
Well, using both the links above (though I botched the first link to ad preferences) you can opt-out of the the remarketing/display cookie and the search cookie. For those that get to the Ad Preferences page the stats are pretty interesting
7.
by ajkohn 14y ago
Point taken. But you don't get to speak to those who think Google is evil without getting them to read it first. For me the ends justified the means. Of course you may disagree and simply find it to be an annoying type of pandering.
8.
by ajkohn 14y ago
FWIW - the evil debate we're having here has once again sort of derailed us all from the main thesis which is ... Google wins when people use the Internet more. So while some laugh at the self driving car initiative and see it as indulgent
9.
by ajkohn 14y ago
Oddly, I agree. That's one of the reasons I wrote this piece. Though clearly I've used the evil word to tease people into reading it.
10.
by ajkohn 14y ago
I agree. If there really is this desire, then Google needs to honor it. The Ads Preference manager is fairly straight-forward (www.google.com/ads/preferences) and more people who go there change settings rather than opt-out. The full opt-ou
11.
by ajkohn 14y ago
When you ask someone whether they want their search results or ads to reflect their browse and search history they say no but when presented with the two options, users nearly always select the personalized version. Remarketing works. It's
12.
by ajkohn 14y ago
I covered Google+ in the piece. It's definitely a bit of an outlier. I see Google+ as two things: 1) A way for Google to get primary and active signals about user preferences to better personalize search results. (aka - make search better).
13.
by ajkohn 14y ago
Yes, the 'Don't be Evil' motto sets Google up for being a target for every little thing that someone thinks is wrong, whether or not it really is or not. What I think is meant by that motto is that they want to be a positive force, to use t
14.
by ajkohn 14y ago
While I didn't expand upon it in the piece I believe many apply the 'evil' brush to a host of normal, though sometimes ruthless, business activities. People seem consumed with those 'wrongs' and wind up missing the larger picture entirely.
15.
by ajkohn 14y ago
Yes, Facebook is still the leader here. It's taken a good 6 years for Twitter to decide it wanted to be a real business and there was a lot of drama at the executive level. But in the last year Twitter has a clear direction and they're movi
16.
Twitter (not Facebook) Will Be The Brand Advertising Platform of The Future(blindfiveyearold.com)
3 points by ajkohn 14y ago|2 comments
17.
by ajkohn 14y ago
I too am eager to see Google experiment with AuthorRank. Not only should it be much harder to scam, break and abuse, I believe Google is thinking about those things in the creation phase, something I'm not sure occurred with PageRank.
18.
by ajkohn 14y ago
I'd be interested to hear if others agree with my assessment or not.
19.
by ajkohn 15y ago
Thanks for putting this up on HN. Let me know if anyone has suggestions on how to improve the guide.
20.
by ajkohn 16y ago
The definition of 'low-quality' sites can be rather subjective, can't it? I personally get no value out of Mahalo or Squidoo but I know others actually do. While I might not love eHow's process and tactics, I'll admit that I've benefited fr
21.
by ajkohn 16y ago
Here's some preliminary data that shows that Google Instant may have changed the distribution of clicks by rank, with more emphasis being put on results above the fold. http://bit.ly/dAzvX3 It's not about the query behavior, but about ass
22.
by ajkohn 16y ago
Well, the impact on search query length may be negligible but there are other ways in which Instant may be changing search behavior. I have a small slice of data I hope to post in the very near future.