For those who use gMail/Gmail/GMail or whatever it's called, Google has made some changes... again.
They have removed the "Display Images..." function in the desktop, web-based, email viewer. If you use a real email reader/viewer, I don't think you'll see any difference. And there are, supposedly, settings that will return control to the user to keep these remote images from displaying automatically.
If you still don't understand why displaying images in an email is a bad practice, please review this article: <
Gmail blows up e-mail marketing by caching all images on Google servers,
by Ron Amadeo, ars technica - Dec 12 2013, 1:06pm CST>
So, Google is helping make it harder for SPAMmers/marketers/etc. to view your info.
+1
However...
QUOTE
Google support pages also warn: "senders may be able to know whether an individual has opened a message with unique image links." Unfortunately, the significant caveat is missing from the blog post Google published Thursday.
Of course, Gmail users can easily prevent these details from being exposed by reversing the change Google is in the process of rolling out. But given the small percentage of people who change default settings for any software or service, it's a fair bet that most Gmail users won't bother. So kudos to Gmail for rolling out a safer way to deliver remote images, but let's not give too much credit. The way the new system works now, it also gives a major leg up to marketers and other senders many users would prefer to keep in the dark.
That's how another ars technica article ends: <
Dear Gmailer: I know what you read last summer (and last night and today),
by Dan Goodin - Dec 12 2013, 7:18pm CST>
The reason for the change is probably a lot less because of any concern for the recipient. Remember, you are not a customer of Google, you are a "user" (perhaps with the same negative connotations of a 'druggie?'). The real purpose if probably explained in the last few line of that first article:
QUOTE
Google exists because of advertising dollars, but they don't do e-mail marketing. They've just made a competitive form of advertising much less appealing and informative to advertisers. No doubt Google hopes this move pushes marketers to spend less on e-mail and more on Adsense.
-.75
Overall: +0.25
Anyone surprised? I'd only be surprised if anyone
IS!
