Google Chrome In-Browser Advertising | Hacker News Reader

Google Chrome In-Browser Advertising

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6 pointsdkokelley6 comments

Has anyone else seen this? I just found it in my browser. The link leads to:

  http://www.google.com/chromebook/index.html#utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ntp-holidays-na-us-bkws&utm_medium=ntp-holidays

Personally, I'm appalled that Google would reach into the browser for advertising. To me it's analogous to Microsoft bringing me pop ups in Windows to show me their new phones. I understand that the ad is small and unobtrusive, but it really feels like an invasion of sacred ground to me. I expect advertising when I venture out into the web, through the pages I request. I don't expect it injected directly into the programs I use.

Google makes the lion's share of its profits from ad revenue. Chrome is a big billboard. A shiny, speedy billboard, but a billboard nonetheless. It's no big surprise for them to want to monetize it eventually.

I would imagine the reason Microsoft never entertained that idea with IE is because Microsoft's core business is selling software, not selling ads. If you're running IE, you already gave MS money, either directly or indirectly.

That's what you get when you use a browser from a company that makes ~97% of it's revenue from advertising.

When people say "the user is the product" in relation to Google, they aren't joking.

I understand that. That's why I'm perfectly happy to see advertising in my search results. I would not have minded if the ad was placed on the Google home page or at the top of my search results, but this ad is showing up in my software, on my own computer. I haven't seen any other reputable browser do that (without annoying toolbars installed, that is).

And no other browser maker makes the vast majority of its revenue from advertising.

Google aren't in the business of making web browsers, or tablet and phone OS' out of the goodness of their heart. it's all about pushing users to use their services, so they can mine that usage for data, so they can serve more ads, more effectively.

Reminds me of the altavista toolbar that came with their free dial up

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