So just recently I was looking at my search terms on my blog and I was surprised to see “Unknown search terms”. I clicked on the link that indicated it would give me more details about that. It took me to a WordPress page explaining what the meant. Apparently in September 2013 Google changed the way it does things. It took me until November to notice, so I was a bit behind. But I guess some search engines don’t reveal search terms for privacy reasons. I don’t really understand that. What does that mean? How does indicating how someone got to your blog interfere with their privacy? I know that NOT knowing how they got there affects what I write. With “unknown search terms” I don’t know what people would like to see more of posted on my blog.
I would understand if search engines couldn’t revel search terms if the terms somehow led me back to WHO asked for them and/or why, but otherwise, all I know is that someone wanted to know about Doberman Pinscher, for example. There was never any indication as to who or why, it just showed that someone was looking for that. So I don’t understand what “privacy reasons” they are talking about.
Also, I might be able to understand it if everything I searched for didn’t start popping up everywhere I go. Do you know what I mean? I recently searched for a specific brand of shoes. Now every time I open a browsers I see ads for THAT specific brand of shoes. I wasn’t even logged into to Facebook and the advertisements on my news feed are about THAT specific brand of shoes. I am receiving e-mails about THAT specific brand of shoes. That sounds like a HUGE privacy issue to me. This is not someone’s whose blog I visited via a search about THAT specific brand of shoes and a few days later I visit again and there is an article about them. No, this is THAT specific brand of shoes ads and e-mails. So how is THAT type of targeted marketing ok? I find it very annoying. I don’t want a “more targeted user experience.”
I used to love going to the internet and typing in a search and getting all types of responses —- unpaid. I would learn a lot of things. Now the responses are ads and targeted to my area. Sometimes I am purposely searching for things I want to find outside my area, but my browser keeps going back to a “my area” setting.
Anyway . . . I digress. I was bummed when I saw all the searches that are clumped under “unknown search terms”. I used to use those now “unknown search terms” to give me ideas on what to write. I had hoped that I was helping someone who was looking for one of those “unknown search terms”. Especially if it was a search that had anything to do with Nia. Now I have a small list of four or five and the rest are “unknown”. I know they are “unknown” to WordPress because Google is not disclosing them, but it would be more accurate if they said “the terms that Google is now keeping secret from us/you”. Because Google knows the terms they just aren’t telling. And I don’t understand all the ins and outs and ways to profit from the internet, but I know it really has nothing to do with privacy and it is all about profit.
Oh well, now there will be some “unknown search term” I will never know about . . . . but I bet I will get an advertisement for it!
Terre Pruitt's Blog 