Google Cookies
Posted: Tue 17 July, 2007 Filed under: Customer Services, Cynicism, Geeky, Thoughts 1 Comment »So Google are now supposedly all heroic for saying that they’ll set their cookies to delete after two years (my emphasis) instead of the current setting, where they will expire in 2039.
I’m sorry, but two years is still bollocks. Along the way they also say that two year expiry entails not visiting any Google website in that time.
Now, I use cookies on a lot of sites – they’re a standard thing, after all. But with any site I work on, they’re usually set to delete in 30 or 60 days. Yes, of course if a user re-visits the site then the cookie gets re-set, but still with the 30 or 60 day expiry. If a user hasn’t visited the site in that time, then the cookie deletes, and if they re-visit after that, then they might have to re-set a preference or two.
I don’t understand why a company like Google can’t set their cookie to expire after something sensible, like 90 – or even 180 – days. If someone hasn’t come back in three (or six) months, then the cookie expires. More than fair.
Why on earth would you want a cookie to hang around for two years?
Why on earth wouldn’t you want it to hang around for as long as possible? Isn’t the entire reason cookies are used/were invented, was to make surfing the web easier? You can store info there and save the user having to remember it… so why trash it after 30 days? If I visit that requires a login, I’d much rather it helped me a little by remembering my username than left me groping around in the dark. After all it’s been over two months since I last visited it…
So, why is “something sensible” 90 or 180 days? Why NOT two years, or more?
Sorry, just don’t think that is this big a deal… but happy to prod you to get a response… 😉