Author Topic: Did you know about Google Images that... (Read 9763 times)

click_click · « **on:** March 07, 2012, 15:35 »

... if you are logged in (to Google's services such as Gmail, Analytics etc.), search results will favor your images?

I just randomly looked for images that coincidentally contained keywords that I used for photos that I sell on microstock. I was wondering, WOW my images show up on the first page of millions and millions of images in the Google search. That's pretty neat.

Not so cool when I logged myself out of Google and did the same search again...

My images were gone. Totally different results.

Maybe this is old news to some but I just wanted to let you know. Please disregard if this is "common" Google knowledge...

Dantheman · « **Reply #1 on:** March 07, 2012, 15:38 »

Thanks, never knew this

Perry · « **Reply #2 on:** March 07, 2012, 15:56 »

Now I just need to get the result turned the other way (so that others see MY images when searching

click_click · « **Reply #3 on:** March 07, 2012, 15:59 »

Quote from: Perry on March 07, 2012, 15:56

Now I just need to get the result turned the other way (so that others see MY images when searching

That's what we call "reverse-engineering"...

CD123 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 07, 2012, 16:55 »

Please do not take that I am saying it is not true, I just find it technically very strange. Unless there is a link between your Gmail address / name and/or your PC's IP address and the images which belongs to you, what is the technical link between you and the images which Google can make? So in short, how will Google know which images are yours out of the millions when you are logged in?

Maybe someone has the clever answer to this?

lisafx · « **Reply #5 on:** March 07, 2012, 17:01 »

I just saw recently that unless you disable it in your account settings, google tracks your web history. Maybe that's why your own images are showing?

CD123 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 07, 2012, 17:13 »

Quote from: lisafx on March 07, 2012, 17:01

I just saw recently that unless you disable it in your account settings, google tracks your web history. Maybe that's why your own images are showing?

Sounds like a possible link, but then it should not matter if you are logged in or not, as that will not change your browsing history?

click_click · « **Reply #7 on:** March 07, 2012, 17:20 »

Well Google probably won't tell us but I have disabled my web history with Google as well as targeted advertising.

Whichever way, I do have a Google+ account and all my microstock portfolios are linked with that. My copyright info is embedded into the IPTC but I have no idea if the preview images at any agency still contain that.

Either way, that's what I experienced. Your mileage may vary.

CD123 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 07, 2012, 17:28 »

Quote from: click_click on March 07, 2012, 17:20

I do have a Google+ account and all my microstock portfolios are linked with that.

Sounds pretty much like that is the missing link.

cathyslife · « **Reply #9 on:** March 07, 2012, 17:33 »

Quote from: click_click on March 07, 2012, 17:20

Well Google probably won't tell us but I have disabled my web history with Google as well as targeted advertising.

Whichever way, I do have a Google+ account and all my microstock portfolios are linked with that. My copyright info is embedded into the IPTC but I have no idea if the preview images at any agency still contain that.

Either way, that's what I experienced. Your mileage may vary.

I already disabled my web history, but how do you disable targeted advertising? I think I already have done that too, just want to double-check.

wut · « **Reply #10 on:** March 07, 2012, 17:41 »

Quote from: lisafx on March 07, 2012, 17:01

I just saw recently that unless you disable it in your account settings, google tracks your web history. Maybe that's why your own images are showing?

I watched a clip of a lecture (some internet ~~nerds~~ experts annual gathering or something similar) and that's exactly what they said. Google is tracking our interests and is feeding us "tailor made" news, movies, music etc, for everything we search for, we actually get personalized results.

red · « **Reply #11 on:** March 07, 2012, 19:44 »

Go here -

https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/?sig=ACi0TCiszQvCs5M94NWkF2-E9pC5IOjZuKOJ7UmHKNg_zVCSKBAaGu_wEfYO7lP7FldK2Brzj60BrK6hYpNFAa7G6UMQnjmTTglRltkr7jBh7SrQQa0l1QmKY3SqFgnENjDPg-MSWZJNWKkuVfHg99mQh7akT3fFhgAwsRbZ1Qq84KnshSxQck8kcaTRmBEErFGiCKHiad7hEdS4t5zF16jZfCecE8EWFxK8R34O4rM7MlhMk3cGmt9WXBcKxykA2bKCt7P8C6Vd&hl=en

and Opt out.

cathyslife · « **Reply #12 on:** March 07, 2012, 20:03 »

Quote from: cuppacoffee on March 07, 2012, 19:44

Go here -

https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/?sig=ACi0TCiszQvCs5M94NWkF2-E9pC5IOjZuKOJ7UmHKNg_zVCSKBAaGu_wEfYO7lP7FldK2Brzj60BrK6hYpNFAa7G6UMQnjmTTglRltkr7jBh7SrQQa0l1QmKY3SqFgnENjDPg-MSWZJNWKkuVfHg99mQh7akT3fFhgAwsRbZ1Qq84KnshSxQck8kcaTRmBEErFGiCKHiad7hEdS4t5zF16jZfCecE8EWFxK8R34O4rM7MlhMk3cGmt9WXBcKxykA2bKCt7P8C6Vd&hl=en

and Opt out.

Thanks!

steheap · « **Reply #13 on:** March 07, 2012, 20:58 »

This has spoilt my day. I used to think that I was doing really well with my blog as I would appear on the first page of results for search terms like "sell your photos." Now I know that it was all just smoke and mirrors. When I log out of Gmail and then do the search for those words in Google, my blog appears for the first time on page 7!

Bummer...

Steve

PS - maybe we should fight back by all setting up a link to each others blogs and websites. If we created a post where we put the title and link of the various sites, we could add that to our own blogs.

CD123 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 07, 2012, 23:29 »

Quote from: cuppacoffee on March 07, 2012, 19:44

Go here -

https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/?sig=ACi0TCiszQvCs5M94NWkF2-E9pC5IOjZuKOJ7UmHKNg_zVCSKBAaGu_wEfYO7lP7FldK2Brzj60BrK6hYpNFAa7G6UMQnjmTTglRltkr7jBh7SrQQa0l1QmKY3SqFgnENjDPg-MSWZJNWKkuVfHg99mQh7akT3fFhgAwsRbZ1Qq84KnshSxQck8kcaTRmBEErFGiCKHiad7hEdS4t5zF16jZfCecE8EWFxK8R34O4rM7MlhMk3cGmt9WXBcKxykA2bKCt7P8C6Vd&hl=en

and Opt out.

Thank you for the link (very interesting - hate it if anything collects info about me without me knowing).

Can see how this can influence the type of advertisements Google place at the top of your searches, but I am still puzzled by the link to one's image searches. Is there any one here that is not on Google+ with linked ports who finds differences when you are logged out from any Google related account? Same results for me if I am logged into my Gmail account or not (I do not have my own site and no linked portfolios)?

steheap · « **Reply #15 on:** March 08, 2012, 11:30 »

It certainly makes a big difference in my ordinary google searches (not the image variety).

Steve

RacePhoto · « **Reply #16 on:** March 08, 2012, 13:38 »

Quote from: click_click on March 07, 2012, 15:35

... if you are logged in (to Google's services such as Gmail, Analytics etc.), search results will favor your images?

I just randomly looked for images that coincidentally contained keywords that I used for photos that I sell on microstock. I was wondering, WOW my images show up on the first page of millions and millions of images in the Google search. That's pretty neat.

Not so cool when I logged myself out of Google and did the same search again...

My images were gone. Totally different results.

Maybe this is old news to some but I just wanted to let you know. Please disregard if this is "common" Google knowledge...

I don't care if Google tracks me and gives me more relevant results, based on my surfing history. They can collect all they want, I don't have anything of use or interesting. Just imagine what they are sorting through. It's not like out of 7 billion people, Google cares about one dope in Wisconsin?

Meanwhile, Mostphotos does the same thing. Try new or popular or anything there and when logged in, you will have your own account weighted to show higher. I don't know if any of the other agencies do that, I don't care. I never checked.

Facebook was also exposed for tracking after people had logged out! Yes, even after you closed the connection, they secretly still collected data. This isn't all about the evil giant Google, there could be a stack of other people, places, sites, that are tracking you. Any primitive website shows where you came from - so you log into SS and surf around, then go to IS. IS knows it, your IP address is also recorded and could pretty easily tell from matching up your user data, who you are.

But just in case someone has missed all the other threads on "why do I get ads from <name a site> ?" It's the same answer. Somewhere on your computer is a tracking cookie, maybe from that site, maybe from Google, maybe from someone else, and it knows that you are interested in MicroStock and photography so a related ad pops up in the script.

Sometimes a nuisance, sometimes it's useful. Since I ignore them and have scripts turned off in FF, it's mostly irrelevant.

Elenathewise · « **Reply #17 on:** March 08, 2012, 16:55 »

Tee-heee.... Google "infers" my demographics based on the sites I visit... According to them, I am a male and my age is 25-34:)
(I am a female and I am 44 years old:))
Too funny:)

lisafx · « **Reply #18 on:** March 09, 2012, 15:47 »

Quote from: Elenathewise on March 08, 2012, 16:55

Tee-heee.... Google "infers" my demographics based on the sites I visit... According to them, I am a male and my age is 25-34:)
(I am a female and I am 44 years old:))
Too funny:)

LOL! I know what you mean. Netflix thinks I'm a gay man.

cathyslife · « **Reply #19 on:** March 09, 2012, 16:40 »

Quote from: RacePhoto on March 08, 2012, 13:38

snip
I don't care if Google tracks me and gives me more relevant results, based on my surfing history. They can collect all they want, I don't have anything of use or interesting. Just imagine what they are sorting through. It's not like out of 7 billion people, Google cares about one dope in Wisconsin?

And I don't care if Google tracks me, either. That's not what bothers me. What bothers me is that THEY are deciding what THEY think I should see based on where i've been. That means i am not seeing EVERYTHING. I don't like Google or Facebook or istockphoto or any other site truncating search results because THEY think THEY know what I want to see. I want to see everything, and I will decide what's relevant.

elvinstar · « **Reply #20 on:** March 09, 2012, 18:09 »

Quote

I want to see everything, and I will decide what's relevant.

+100

RacePhoto · « **Reply #21 on:** March 12, 2012, 22:55 »

Quote from: cclapper on March 09, 2012, 16:40

Quote from: RacePhoto on March 08, 2012, 13:38
snip
I don't care if Google tracks me and gives me more relevant results, based on my surfing history. They can collect all they want, I don't have anything of use or interesting. Just imagine what they are sorting through. It's not like out of 7 billion people, Google cares about one dope in Wisconsin?

And I don't care if Google tracks me, either. That's not what bothers me. What bothers me is that THEY are deciding what THEY think I should see based on where i've been. That means i am not seeing EVERYTHING. I don't like Google or Facebook or istockphoto or any other site truncating search results because THEY think THEY know what I want to see. I want to see everything, and I will decide what's relevant.

Oh probably because I don't use Google for my searches to start with. I keep forgetting that. I resented the placed items, before it was moved to the top box or the sidebar.

I still use the search that searches the other searches. I like it best, it gives the best results, the don't screw with trying to match results to my profile. Sorry I forget that some people actually use Google for searching.

http://www.metacrawler.com/

Try it, just a search none of the fancy marketing parts. Same as it was back in the days of Dogpile and some others. It's on my bookmark bar with Weather, TiTan TV, Exif and my home page.

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Author Topic: Did you know about Google Images that... (Read 9763 times)

click_click

Dantheman

Perry

click_click

CD123

lisafx

CD123

click_click

CD123

cathyslife

wut

red

cathyslife

steheap

CD123

steheap

RacePhoto

Elenathewise

lisafx

cathyslife

elvinstar

RacePhoto

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