Likelihood of a Google search finding a Note shared with a Public Link?

[Colin Whalen 287]

Likelihood of a Google search finding a Note shared with a Public Link?

I understand the probability must be low, but to what extent could a Google (or other) search find a Note that has been shared using a Public URL and hence find itself in the hands of those you did not share the URL with?

I am thinking here about some random search term being entered that might be able to find such Notes (as well as whatever the search intended).  Instinctively I feel the probability must be very low, and all attempts I have made to Google search for Notes I have shared using Public Links have failed to return such Notes.  However, it would be good to have a better understanding of the real level of security from Google searching - thoughts anyone?

 

[DTLow 5,736]

2 hours ago, Colin@LW said:

Likelihood of a Google search finding a Note shared with a Public Link?

I just created a public link to a note.  
If this link is kept private, I don't think there's much possibility of a Google search finding the link.  
My note is still secure

The link is https://www.evernote.com/shard/s10/sh/74b1f455-9210-4869-937f-fce02afcb521/45a36de7047a3ef984f9bec98530ad7c

By quoting this link in a public place, I have now made it possible for Google search to find this link to my note.  You can do a search yourself and find posts in this forum

[gazumped 11,689]

Yup.  I searched "https://www.evernote.com/shard/" and got 394,000 hits for public URLs mentioned here,  in other pages and social media.  I don't think any unpublished public URLs are listed - I couldn't find any of the ones I know are shared from my account forinstance. 

It's a blessing and a curse.  If you create a public note (or notebook) it won't be indexed by any search engines so - to a very limited degree - you have some security in that its contents won't immediately be available outside the group you share it with,  unless they share the link on a web page. 

On the other hand,  if you created pages to which you want people to have access,  you're going to have to promote the address really hard.  And it's not like the address is at all human-friendly.  It needs shortening to something vaguely memorable - which in itself breeds problems because some people (including me) don't like clicking on links where you don't know the destination up front...

[Ian MacMillan 0]

Wondering if using a public URL is the way to share access to a notebook with someone who doesn't just yet have Evernote? Given the personal nature of what we'll be working on, a "Public" URL doesn't feel private enough.

At the moment, when I use that person's email to set up a notebook Share and send them a message, Evernote doesn't send them a email....nor does the share dialogue warn me they are not on Evernote.

Feels like a missed opportunity by Evernote to grow their userbase by sending that email, and if they don't have an evernote account, give them the option to open one before redirecting them to shatever's been shared.

[gazumped 11,689]

On 27/01/2017 at 3:23 PM, gazumped said:

If you create a public note (or notebook) it won't be indexed by any search engines so - to a very limited degree - you have some security in that its contents won't immediately be available outside the group you share it with,  unless they share the link on a web page. 

When you share to a new potential Evernote user,  Evernote does send an email - though it's often stopped by spam filters.  When your users access your notebook they'll get a standard page inviting them to sign up to Evernote - which is what many folks have complained about in the past as being too aggressive when they just want to see one note...

[Ian MacMillan 0]

Thanks gazumped.

I'll check with Siteground that are hosting my mail server and see if we can find out why it's not made it into my inbox.

I'm glad that they get the prompt to sign up for Evernote...as I want the person I share the notebook with to be guided through getting set up on Evernote. Saves me trying to do it.

Ian...

 

[gazumped 11,689]

Hmmn.  I don't recall there being a lot of guidance involved,  and I'm not convinced that someone unfamiliar with Evernote would find it 'easy' to set up a new account and open a shared notebook.  If you share to several people you might want to put together a Survival Guide note and share that by public link so the individual can see that by just following the link.  You could also use that note to explain the need to modify their spam filter to accept emails from the Share feature if they wish to use their own Evernote account,  or create a new one.

If you have a secondary email address - one not associated with your existing account - you could set up a 'test' share to that address so you can see exactly how these things work,  and advise your potential audience accordingly...