Shout Out
Today's first shout-out goes to my "baby" sister Meg, who has just started her own weblog at Meg In The City. Swing by and offer her some encouragement!
The second shout-out goes to Randy, who hooked me up with a Gmail account. Yes, it is cool. Yes, you are jealous.
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Yeah, Gmail ---uh-huh..
The company plans to include contextually targeted ads in its Web e-mail client are the cause for the concern, because Google intends to have its technology scan the content of e-mail messages, and target ads accordingly. Now that it's clear the initiative isn't an April Fool's joke, analysts, industry figures and individuals are debating the decision across the Net. Meanwhile a group of privacy advocates are drafting a letter asking Google to clarify its policies.
This basically means Google will read your email and insert ads that relate to keywords in your email. i.e. - my STOMACH has been bothering me. - Here comes an add for Gaviscon.
Yeah, because nobody else ever checks the content of emails. Oh wait - virus scan anybody?
If you're concerned about the privacy of your email communications you shouldn't be sending anything that isn't encrypted.
Preach on brother Brad!
First - Way to go Meg! Welcome to the online world.
Second - I'm still trying to figure out what is so "cool" about a gmail account vs any other email account.
Hey, you want ads inserted into the email you're sending, go for it. More power to ya. Personally, I like to know that what I send it what actually arrives.
Joel: What is cool about is that I have one, and you don't! Hahahahaha
Steve: From what I've seen, the ad is not inserted into the body email. Ads in the sidebar of the Gmail page are driven by the text of the email you are reading. There is no modification to email, either incoming or outgoing.
Again, if this causes you concern I'd recommend encryption or snail mail.
steve@nonofyourbusiness.com, you've opened my eyes...
Eek! I better get to posting! :)
Brad: AAAAHHH! I see. Then it is indeed very cool!
Meg: Yep! You better get crackin'! I'll be waiting to read some great stuff.
Steve: I have received email from Brad's COOL Gmail account and there were no ads inserted in the email.
I decided to check it out for myself, and one simple surf to the Gmail "About" page (http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/about.html)
quickly revealed that, as Brad stated, the ads are shown to the Gmail user while he is reading his email on the Gmail web site, nothing is inserted into any email.
Gmail is basically no different from any other "free" email service, as almost all of them show "untargeted" (i.e. random) ads to their users - that's why they can be "free". The difference with Gmail is that the ads are "targeted" based on the text of the email that the user is reading at the time. That's it.
See what it looks like here: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/help/screen2.html
(Oh... another differnce... 1GB of space!!! Wow! Unheard of, even for most paid email services.) (Oh... another difference... the ads are just plain text in a small sidebar, instead of annoying animations and pop-ups that take up half the window.) (Hmmm... Gmail IS a pretty cool, Brad.)