Google = Big Brother?

After poring over some articles at Google-Watch.org, I've decided it makes no sense to fight big brother -- he's everywhere, watching everything we do!!! So, I recant pretty much everything from my November Do-No-Track Lists post :)

Some interesting stuff from Google-Watch:

"Google has never been known to delete any of the data they've collected, since day one. For example, their cookie with the unique ID in it, which expires in 2038, has been tracking all of the search terms you've ever used while searching their main index."

"For all searches they record the cookie ID, your Internet IP address, the time and date, your search terms, and your browser configuration."

"Google admits that deleted messages will remain on their system, and may be accessible internally at Google, for an indefinite period of time."

Google and others say that nothing is "personally identifiable", therefore "trackable" back to an individual, but I guess I don't buy it. Don't get me wrong, Google is da bomb -- cuz without them, I'd still be making my living working at a cube farm. Google is my homepage. Gmail is my main email address, for personal and professional use. And, I also use gtalk as my main IM app. SO, I'm logged in 100% of the day.

If Google tracks every search I make, and keeps every email, they know exactly who I am. I signed up for the account using my real name, and my signature includes my name and contact information. See...it wouldn't take much for them to match that all together and send big brother everything they know about me.

Spooky, but we knew it was inevitable, yes?

Killer Beds, Toxic Cheese and Other Fun With PBDEs!

A friend recently sent me some articles about PDBE (PolyBrominated Diphenyl Ethers) in memory foam products. PBDEs are synthetic materials that release toxic cancer-causing chemicals. Several countries have already banned their use in a variety of household products, such as beds, sheets, furniture fabric, as well as food products, such as butter, salmon and cheese.

Here's a good story about it from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
PBDEs: They are everywhere, they accumulate and they spread

She warned me that my Tempur-Pedic might be killing me, so I asked them directly and here's their response:

"Dear Ms. Drechsler,

Thank you for your interest in Tempur-Pedic® products.

While Tempur-Pedic® product formulas are a trade secret; I can assure you that our products adhere to all local, state and federal health requirements.

Tempur-Pedic products do not contain PBDE (Polybrominated diphenylethers) chemicals or any other chemicals that are harmful to consumers. Our products meet fire safety requirements without using PDBE chemicals. TEMPUR® material is, “open celled” and polyurethane-based. It is not latex or conventional foam. Our products are also CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) and formaldehyde free.

Our products have been on the market for over 15 years and have been shown not only that they provide the best sleep surface, but have also been proven to be completely safe. They are sold in more than 50 counties around the world, which means they have been approved by governments in each individual country. In the US , our products conform to all state and federal regulations. While we can't discuss how we make our proprietary products, we can assure you that they are completely safe."

It could be a line a B.S., but all I can do is take them for their word...so I'm not ditching the Tempur-Pedic yet Layla ;)

Following are some links my friend sent, which are helpful in learning more about PBDEs as well as how to find stores with latex or organic beds and bedding:

WikiPedia
National Geographic Green Guide

Dynamic Keyword Insertion

The engines have limited Help sections dedicated to Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI), so I'm going to quickly sum it up. Google FINALLY added something about it last year, which can be viewed here:

General ads will minimize your overall effectiveness. To increase clicks per dollar spent your ads must be relevant to the searcher's query. You can achieve higher CTR and ad relevancy by including keywords in your ads. Also, when keywords are used in ads they are highlighted in bold type in the results, which can help draw more attention to your ad.

To dynamically insert the keyword you are buying (not what the user types into the search engine) into your ad, you will use the {keyword:default text} variable. Here's the Google chart for various implementations:

Keyword Capitalization	Example	Rule
keyword	google ads	None
Keyword	Google ads	Sentence (first letter of first word)
KeyWord	Google Ads	Initial (first letter of each word)

Some things to note when using:

1) Make sure that when you add the default text after keyword: that you include the keyword here as well. If the keyword being dynamically inserted exceeds the search engine's allowable max character limit, then the default text you entered after the colon would be displayed instead.

2) Don't use it for misspelled/typo keywords. Not only do the engines frown on this, I personally think it just looks very unprofessional to have typos in ad text -- even if that's how the searcher queried.

3) DKI is not a loop hole for including trademarked terms in ad text.

4) Make sure that the default text you designate makes grammatical sense and adheres to each engine's editorial guideline.

5) If majority of your keywords are long tail, which means they may exceed the max character limit for the headline, then try DKI in the description.

6) I've heard that DKI doesn't work on Content networks, however have read some posts in blogs advising that Google inserts the most relevant keyword from a Content targeted ad group.

Try an initial cap display URL (www.PPC-Buyers.com vs www.ppc-buyers.com) to increase click through rate as well. Also, I strongly advise rotating at least three ads per ad group/order.

This is another great source for understanding DKI: The Ultimate DKI Guide