Cebu Jobs (2)
DLL Files (2)
Andrew (1)
Email Delivery (1)
Greg (1)Want to Test Your Website?
Learn how to increase visitor action, reduce site confusion for new visitors, and get those new visitors returning back for more! Get BWI's Usability and Design Analysis.
Dear Google, I am Removing Your Toolbar
By Robert Campbell on Saturday, November 28th, 2009
Previous: The Vacation!
Next: Popular Posts and Pages on BWI for November 2009
Dear Google,
I just wanted to let you know that I am removing your toolbar. I’m allowing the search box to stay, the one that is default with my browser, but the one I downloaded…your gone.
Here are five reasons why I am killing you off Mr. Google Toolbar
- I used to be able to click on the toolbar, and turn you off or on, and also control other toolbars I had downloaded. You now block that feature.
- You constantly update, which resets my settings. I’m sick of re-setting up my buttons every time you update. You didn’t use to do that.
- You now insert lousy arrows onto my website so I can write notes about a particular page. I don’t like that. See screenshot of blue arrow on the left of the image. Just more garbage to decipher.
- Your PageRank used to have value for your users. Now it is just paid for by those buying links, and offers nothing.
- I used to use it to see if Google had cached a page. This doesn’t matter now, because you can find pages online with PR and no cache. To me, that means either Google Cache is not working correctly, or PR is giving value to pages that don’t really deserve it.
I really have several more reasons. I have always liked Google, but the addition to item #3, the arrow button they now insert onto every page I look at is a complete annoyance. I didn’t ask for it, it as an assumed default. I’m done. See ya, and have a good day, your data mining through toolbar is over for me.
Like this post? Get usability and design tips delivered by email straight to you. Full feed articles are delivered, and are managed by Google's Feedburner service.
Just Posted! Validating HTML Killed a Plugin
Related
Category: Usability & Design Tags: Google, toolbar
Hear, hear! Death to toolbars!!
Seriously, some very good points. What is the cost of the every-ten-minute update culture? User sanity, that’s the cost…
I have deleted toolbar 6 year ago :p
Nice! The main reason I kept it was for the up folder arrow. I use it all the time when working on sites. Unfortunately, the way the toolbar is managed now, every update resets my settings, and I have to keep adding the button back to the toolbar. With that lost, there just doesn’t seem to be a reason for me to keep it now.
I mainly use Firefox, and with all their plugins, the G toolbar hardly seems necessary.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for sharing your feedback. We’re already working to address the issue we think is causing your settings to refresh in each update, and hope to have a new version of Toolbar released soon.
Also, you should still be able to hide or disable Toolbar at any time from your browser’s “View” > “Toolbars” menu. And if you send me a few URLs for sites that have PageRank but no cached page, I’d be happy to share them with the appropriate team.
Thanks,
Brian
Hi Brian,
Thank you for visiting the site. There is the way that you mentioned to turn it on and off, but it’s not they way it used to be or they way other toolbar handle it. You used to be able to right click on the toolbar itself, and turn it off.
In regards pages with PR and no cache, I will tweet you with them as I find again. Not an uncommon find.
I must say that all the reasons you have mentioned are sad but true, the devaluated PR and malfunctioning Cache made me delete my own toolbar a couple of weeks ago.
Hehe
I don’t using Google Toolbar!
I never used Google Toolbar, or any toolbar for that matter. Everytime i see one i head straight to the uninstall. Guess i didn’t missed much…
Any toolbar? Does that mean you don’t use my Twitter Toolbar: http://www.bestwebimage.com/web-services-and-tools/twitter-toolbar-10/
sorry, i can’t change my ways right now…jk
Two week update on this…haven’t missed it one bit.
I must say that all the reasons you have mentioned are sad but true