The University's Office of Information Technology is not Big Brother, but it has been watching you.
Every institution that registers with the Google search engine can view daily results called "traffic reports" that pool the day's most popular search keywords, and the University has been using these reports while redesigning Princeton's webpage.
"It's simple," Dwight Bashore, University web specialist with the Office of Information Technology, said. "Basically, we sign up and use part of [Google's] service."
Though traffic reports might have many practical applications, Bashore said the University does not use them regularly to monitor webpage hits.
He did say, however, that OIT is currently using Google's daily reports to help create a new University homepage.
"Right now, we're actively using it because we're redesigning the Princeton home page," he said. "Mainly, though, we use it for stats just to understand what people are searching for."
When creating the traffic reports, Google saves the search text in a daily log and tabulates the results. Only the registered host institution, though, can view the results of the tabulation.
This may be an important feature to the University and other schools that use Google. Tabulated results can allow webpage designers to incorporate links to popularly viewed pages on homepages and other frequently viewed webpages.
"In the past, we actually added a link to Webmail on our main site," Bashore said. "That was a direct result from knowing that people searched it a lot on Google."
However, Bashore added, not all popular Google search items receive such attention from the University's webpage designers. While athletics is also one of the most popular search items on Princeton's search engine, the University decided not to include a link to Princeton's athletic webpages on its home page.
The traffic reports also exhibit anomalies in routine inquiries that can be the result of external events, Bashore said, and unrepresentative of the most popular search phrases over a longer period of time.
"On the day of a snow storm, for example, a word like 'snow' or [a phrase like] 'snow emergency' might be the most popular search items," Bashore said.
According to the University webpage, Princeton's Google indexes more than 100,000 documents within the princeton.edu domain. And any website accessible through princeton.edu can add be easily added to Google's search indices.
Read More
Economics professor Kate Ho passes away after long battle with cancer
Devon RudolphProfessor Kate Ho made seminal contributions to the economics of modeling competition in the healthcare sector and taught well-loved courses in industrial organization.
Professor Kate Ho made seminal contributions to the economics of modeling competition in the healthcare sector and taught well-loved courses in industrial organization.
Pedestrian left in critical condition after traffic collision on Nassau Street
Luke GrippoThe pedestrian was struck by a westbound 2015 Ford Explorer around 11:32 p.m. The driver was identified in the press release as a 39-year-old Princeton resident who cooperated with officers upon their arrival.
The pedestrian was struck by a westbound 2015 Ford Explorer around 11:32 p.m. The driver was identified in the press release as a 39-year-old Princeton resident who cooperated with officers upon their arrival.
Senior class jacket abruptly changed following accusations of AI design
Vitus LarrieuFor more than a century, Princeton seniors have donned “beer jackets” to protect their clothes during Reunions and commencement celebrations, typically with elaborate designs chosen by a class-wide contest. Now, with a selection process marred by accusations of generative AI use, the Class of 2026 may have written its own spot in Princeton history.
For more than a century, Princeton seniors have donned “beer jackets” to protect their clothes during Reunions and commencement celebrations, typically with elaborate designs chosen by a class-wide contest. Now, with a selection process marred by accusations of generative AI use, the Class of 2026 may have written its own spot in Princeton history.