Tag: google

New Meta description?

Posted by Eric – April 20, 2008

I use the Google Webmaster Tools to keep tabs on what Google is saying about the BrakeBlog as well as if there is anyone else linking to me. One of the things GWT tells me is that my meta description is too short. Right now it reads “All things are possible in Linux”. I’m thinking along the lines of a longer description like this.

I live in Hopkinsville, KY. I am passionate about Linux && { Free || Open || Libre }; Software.

A few things about this description are the keywords included like Hopkinsville KY, Linux, and software. The expression Linux && { Free || Open || Libre }; is a shell statement that means “Linux AND { Free OR Open OR Libre };”.

Edit: Darn it! WordPress won’t let me use all of the fancy ampersands and braces. I’ll have to settle for something less ambitious.

BB&T Bank tracking it’s users

Posted by Eric – March 27, 2008

Check out the homepage of Branch Banking and Trust, it’s got invisible tracking voodoo from Doubleclick/Google.

BBT Bank homepage

This is the unadorned BB&T website. No visible external advertising or mention of Doubleclick at all.

Doubleclick uncovered

The first thing you’ll notice is the two warnings displayed by noscript in the upper-left corner. Remember this was supposed to be blank white space. Doubleclick doesn’t appear on other pages and it sure as hell doesn’t appear in the online banking. Just being on the homepage is bad enough because of the enormous database owned by Doubleclick about nearly all Internet users. Through their advertising network Doubleclick can track me from website to website. Then of course they can also identify me when I go to login to my bank. BB&T now has detailed information about it’s customers provided by Doubleclick.

From the BB&T Privacy Notice

BB&T also gives itself permission to share the information it has about me to other companies that do marketing for the bank, i.e. Doubleclick.

In addition, we may disclose the information we collect about you described above to companies that perform marketing services on our behalf and to financial institutions for the purpose of jointly offering financial products and services to you, such as mortgage life insurance.