Comments on: Going for the win-lose is a bad sign for Google http://breasy.com/blog/2007/10/10/going-for-the-win-lose-is-a-bad-sign-for-google/ Musings on design and technology Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:50:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Adam Jacob Muller http://breasy.com/blog/2007/10/10/going-for-the-win-lose-is-a-bad-sign-for-google/#comment-9064 Adam Jacob Muller Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:12:01 +0000 http://breasy.com/blog/2007/10/10/going-for-the-win-lose-is-a-bad-sign-for-google/#comment-9064 It depends on the browser you use. With safari for example I get regular URLs. With camino, I get redirect URLs. I am assuming therefor that it has something to do with some limitation or issue with the browser not working 100%. It depends on the browser you use. With safari for example I get regular URLs. With camino, I get redirect URLs. I am assuming therefor that it has something to do with some limitation or issue with the browser not working 100%.

]]> By: Eran Sandler http://breasy.com/blog/2007/10/10/going-for-the-win-lose-is-a-bad-sign-for-google/#comment-9063 Eran Sandler Wed, 10 Oct 2007 07:48:00 +0000 http://breasy.com/blog/2007/10/10/going-for-the-win-lose-is-a-bad-sign-for-google/#comment-9063 As far as I know it only happens when you are logged in (due to Gmail or any other Google app). If you'll log out and perform the search you'll see that it will have the garbled URL. I think there are two reasons why they did it: 1) When you are logged in they have their personalization engine on, so it needs to know which link you clicked. 2) They didn't do it using JavaScript or another technique, probably to circumvent JavaScript problems on devices that don't support it or on browser that it can be turned off. There are still various techniques in monitoring that without the redirect link that I think they are using to some extent when you are not logged in. As far as I know it only happens when you are logged in (due to Gmail or any other Google app).

If you’ll log out and perform the search you’ll see that it will have the garbled URL.

I think there are two reasons why they did it:
1) When you are logged in they have their personalization engine on, so it needs to know which link you clicked.

2) They didn’t do it using JavaScript or another technique, probably to circumvent JavaScript problems on devices that don’t support it or on browser that it can be turned off.

There are still various techniques in monitoring that without the redirect link that I think they are using to some extent when you are not logged in.

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