6 ms·

You can no longer browse Quora while being logged out: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332978 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332978

by vladd 14y ago

_delirium 14y ago
I'm still confused how that gets by Google. The full text shows up in search results, but is blurred by CSS for humans. Isn't that not allowed? Even experts-exchange includes the readable plaintext answers way at the bottom if you scroll down, for that reason. edit: removed discussion of googleoff/googleon directives in the HTML source. Seemed suspicious, but apparently it's something to do with Google Search Appliance.
- relix 14y ago
  That's insane, that's a bannable offense in Google. How do they still show up in search results?
  - lucisferre 14y ago
    It's a pretty recent change, give it time.
    - dasil003 14y ago
      Yeah Google better kick them to the curb on this one. Man, for all the quibbling over Google latest activity being evil or not, they still do a much better job with basic ethics than Facebook and their ilk. The non-stop attempt to actively change privacy norms by constantly defaulting existing users into more and more revealing new preferences is starting to get really irritating. Facebook I sort of have to put up with because of friends and family, but Quora I'm done with until they reverse this braindead decision. Seriously I don't know who they think they are.
      - slurgfest 14y ago
        They don't think they are anybody special. What they think is that it is acceptable, normal behavior. This is not even irrational, considering the precedent set by Facebook - not only doing the same kind of awful stuff over and over again, but actually maintaining that nobody should have privacy. And Facebook has thousands of full-time defenders. Apparently you (like a lot of savvy people otherwise concerned with privacy) will tolerate it from Facebook but not from Quora. So I guess what Quora should do is just get bought by Facebook; then you will not (be able to?) complain about their sketchy behavior.
- brador 14y ago
  You can tap CTRL+A to see through the blurred text.
- wahnfrieden 14y ago
  Google allows this if you show the first page's content for visitors that came from Google. If Quora does this, it's fine - it's Google's concession to old-world media.
- JeremyBanks 14y ago
  I just asked about this on Quora (ha). Apparently the full results do not show up in search results: http://www.quora.com/Quora/Why-hasnt-Google-banned-Quora-for-hiding-answers-from-search-engine-visitors/answer/Dan-Leveille http://www.quora.com/Quora/Why-hasnt-Google-banned-Quora-for... (If anybody has a counterexample I'd be interested to see it, but try to make sure it's not just an old result that hasn't been re-indexed since the change.)
  - SilasX 14y ago
    Why do I find it so funny that that question is being asked on Quora?
pygy_ 14y ago
There's a Chrome extension that allows to read without logging in (not sure how long it will work, though). https://github.com/benvinegar/Spectacles/blob/master/README.md https://github.com/benvinegar/Spectacles/blob/master/README....
DodgyEggplant 14y ago
direct links work. try http://www.quora.com/Conversion-Optimization http://www.quora.com/Conversion-Optimization
roguecoder 14y ago
Just get rid of the css style for .blurred_answer_wrapper span.blurred_answer and add display: none to .blurred_answer_wrapper .signup_cta_on_answer. Not that I've had more than one Quora result pop up since that began, but css is easy ;-)

You can no longer browse Quora while being logged out: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332978 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332978

by vladd 14y ago

You can no longer browse Quora while being logged out: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332978 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4332978

_delirium 14y ago

I'm still confused how that gets by Google. The full text shows up in search results, but is blurred by CSS for humans. Isn't that not allowed? Even experts-exchange includes the readable plaintext answers way at the bottom if you scroll down, for that reason. edit: removed discussion of googleoff/googleon directives in the HTML source. Seemed suspicious, but apparently it's something to do with Google Search Appliance.

relix 14y ago
That's insane, that's a bannable offense in Google. How do they still show up in search results?
- lucisferre 14y ago
  It's a pretty recent change, give it time.
  - dasil003 14y ago
    Yeah Google better kick them to the curb on this one. Man, for all the quibbling over Google latest activity being evil or not, they still do a much better job with basic ethics than Facebook and their ilk. The non-stop attempt to actively change privacy norms by constantly defaulting existing users into more and more revealing new preferences is starting to get really irritating. Facebook I sort of have to put up with because of friends and family, but Quora I'm done with until they reverse this braindead decision. Seriously I don't know who they think they are.
    - slurgfest 14y ago
      They don't think they are anybody special. What they think is that it is acceptable, normal behavior. This is not even irrational, considering the precedent set by Facebook - not only doing the same kind of awful stuff over and over again, but actually maintaining that nobody should have privacy. And Facebook has thousands of full-time defenders. Apparently you (like a lot of savvy people otherwise concerned with privacy) will tolerate it from Facebook but not from Quora. So I guess what Quora should do is just get bought by Facebook; then you will not (be able to?) complain about their sketchy behavior.
brador 14y ago
You can tap CTRL+A to see through the blurred text.
wahnfrieden 14y ago
Google allows this if you show the first page's content for visitors that came from Google. If Quora does this, it's fine - it's Google's concession to old-world media.
JeremyBanks 14y ago
I just asked about this on Quora (ha). Apparently the full results do not show up in search results: http://www.quora.com/Quora/Why-hasnt-Google-banned-Quora-for-hiding-answers-from-search-engine-visitors/answer/Dan-Leveille http://www.quora.com/Quora/Why-hasnt-Google-banned-Quora-for... (If anybody has a counterexample I'd be interested to see it, but try to make sure it's not just an old result that hasn't been re-indexed since the change.)
- SilasX 14y ago
  Why do I find it so funny that that question is being asked on Quora?

pygy_ 14y ago

There's a Chrome extension that allows to read without logging in (not sure how long it will work, though). https://github.com/benvinegar/Spectacles/blob/master/README.md https://github.com/benvinegar/Spectacles/blob/master/README....

DodgyEggplant 14y ago

direct links work. try http://www.quora.com/Conversion-Optimization http://www.quora.com/Conversion-Optimization

roguecoder 14y ago

Just get rid of the css style for .blurred_answer_wrapper span.blurred_answer and add display: none to .blurred_answer_wrapper .signup_cta_on_answer. Not that I've had more than one Quora result pop up since that began, but css is easy ;-)