Google is testing out a new feature, which is going to attract a lot of criticism and attention form privacy pundits. The new search experiment will show Gmail results on the main Google search page.
See the image below, it is an example of the new experiment. The search results show up as usual, but a drop down on the right-hand side shows results from Gmail.
The idea has a few people getting anxious about it being a major privacy issues. If people perceive it in a negative way, it might end up being a bad idea for Google. But I think showing as much information on the search page is actually a great idea.
Why showing Gmail in Search Results is a Great Idea!
Firstly, lets talk about privacy. The users have to be signed into their Gmail account while searching. Also I doubt, Gmail will show the results without giving users a choice.
Also the results will be shown in a toggle format, which will allow you to see the results only when you want them to be shown on the results page.
Google is basically trying to get all their products to work with their search page. It means being able to search the internet and your personal e-mail from a single source. I think it already shows results from maps and social (Google+) in the search page.
If you are interested in trying out for the new experiment, you can visit their Gmail Field Trial landing page.
I have opted in but the feature is still not switched on for me. When it does, I will surely write a follow up post and then maybe write about privacy concerns if there are any. 😉
What are your views? Do you think showing email on the Google search page is a bad idea? Do drop in your comments.
Link: Gmail Field Trial
3 Comments
i dont think its a bad idea at all but i cannot be sure that its good or bad till i use it.. i have registered for the trial in the gmail field trial and is waiting to use it…
I think this is a bad idea.Who wants to show their personal data in the search result.Even if he is doing it in his or her own pc still people can see the personal data.I am not clear why Google is trying this.
Cannot say for sure until its for use.
Based on present experience with google, i think, google will show the result only if user is logged in.
One drawback would be, multiple people googling together, say for some, research purpose or something, then this would be not very welcomed!
Then user should be allowed to disable the feature easily.
Roshni Rupesh.