Threat from toolbar installs?

Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but what's everyones thoughts concerning the reasoning for the $1 install referral? I really doubt it's for increasing googles branding and although it could be to sustain marketshare especially if inbuilt MSN searches come with windows vista, i'm starting to think more and more that G has other plans.

I remember a few months ago the big uproar when google decided to add their autolink feature into the toolbar (http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/050225-104317). I currently changed pc's downloaded g toolbar (i'm a PR junkie ) and it had autolink installed by default, and wasn't even aware of this. What's to stop google enhancing this to add links into many more sites, thereby killing off a large portion of the adsense pie for us publishers?

Is anyone else worried that by promoting an app which can essentially replace text on your site with googles own your shooting yourself in the foot, all for the price of $1?

 

You've got some really good points. Won't you mind to increase my reputation as well?

 

Yeah, I think that's more of a conspiracy theory than a worry.

 

Actually, it is a valid point if not immediately.

The underlying fact about Adsense - and all other pay per click programs - is that they only pay the publisher when someone leaves that publisher's page. This, in turn, means that the best contnet in the world is only worth something when google sends someone to you who thinks the Adsense ads are better than the content you are providing.

There is a perverse incentive there. The auto-link feature does not worry me at the moment; but as that sort of selection becomes more pervasive smaller publishers are going to be left out.

I go back to the supermarket example. Supermarkets charge their suppliers for the best, eye level, shelf space as well as marking up the actual items displayed. The smaller suppliers, unable to afford the shelf space budgets of the big guys get put near the floor and, eventually, get very small indeed.

Great as I think Google is - they have a great deal of power and that power can, with the best will in the world, be used badly. I hope it doesn't happen; but I am preparing for the worst.