News Source: http://smackdown.blogsblogsblogs.com
Story Found By: mridout196 1590 Days ago
Category: SEO
17 Comments
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News Source: http://smackdown.blogsblogsblogs.com
Story Found By: mridout196 1590 Days ago
Category: SEO
17 Comments
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Comments
I don’t have a dog in this fight, never bought or sold a link, but outing sites is just plain wrong, and ’talking’ to Google after the fact, no matter how much influence he has, is too-little-too-late. The mistake was the initial article, admitting that would carry a lot more weight with the community than some clandestine meeting with engineers.
Besides, if I’m not mistaken Rand has an non disclosure agreement with Google so he probably couldn’t tell us that he talked with Google anyway.I think the inherant arrogance is what gets me on this issue. Are we really supposed to believe that Rand can limit the damage he has done to these sites by simply talking to Cutts? If that’s the case then why isn’t SEOmoz ranked #1 for each and every SEO term there is?
Sorry, I don’t get all the anti-Rand venom these days. He’s a good guy. He’s not perfect. I’m not, either. Nor are you. No Sphinn from me.
MattMcGee: I’m not anti-rand, just in this case I think he was wrong, and being called out comes with the territory.
@Skitzzo - Why would SEOmoz have a non-disclosure with Google? I doubt that. In fact, isn’t it basically their mission, in fact, to talk about Google.I generally don’t like personality related rants, I tend to assume there is more behind it than meets the eye, but in this case I agree what Rand did was wrong. Report link sellers if you feel the need to, but it wasn’t necessary to blog about them.Either way I don’t think this is worthy of a Sphinn either.
<blockquote>@Skitzzo - Why would SEOmoz have a non-disclosure with Google? I doubt that. In fact, isn’t it basically their mission, in fact, to talk about Google.</blockquote>@TimDineen - that was Rand’s explanation to me at one point as to why he couldn’t back up a baseless claim he made. He may in fact have a non-disclosure with Google, possibly having to do with his visit there that one time, about not discussing anything he might have seen. Who knows... but I seriously doubt that he has one that has anything to do with insider information. That is what he is trying to portray himself as having, however.
Sphunn for the conversation awareness, not to beat up on Rand. Looks like he gets to be the poster boy on this issue, though.
@JohnWeb - I disagree that being called out is necessary. If someone disagrees with a post on the SEOmoz blog, have the debate (do the calling out) there. BTW, a couple days ago I read that interview you did about leaving the GWH Group and really agree with what you said in there about info. not trickling down to the people who need it most. Good stuff.
Btw just to be clear, this post was actually a separate issue from the paid links outing one, despite them both happening at the same time. This was about someone trying to create the exact impression, imo, that Matt Cutts warned against almost a year ago:http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/seo-mistakes-matt-friendship/
It is an important issue.
@RMC "Sphunn for the conversation awareness, not to beat up on Rand. Looks like he gets to be the poster boy on this issue, though." it’s not as thought he didn’t "volunteer"
Matt, I don’t really see why it matters if the rebuttal is in a blog post or in the comments on their own blog. When you consider that most of Mvandemar’s comments get voted down on sight no matter their content, I can’t say I’d bother debating or participating over there much if I were him.
FYI, I’ve pulled this from What’s New as we already have a thread covering this topic and more here: http://sphinn.com/story/8393 . I think on thread on the subject is enough.
@Danny - a) The period at the end of that url causes it to 404 out.b) I tried to make it very clear I was discussing that Rand was implying he has an "in" with "MC and team" over at Google, and not anything about the actual outing. Please look 4 comments up above yours. It is a completely different topic, one that Matt has discussed in the past.
@Danny (again) - although of course I understand that it’s your site and what you say goes, wasn’t trying to be argumentative, just so you know. Was just stating my opinion on it. :)I don’t want to piss of the first person who truly recognized the humor of my LOLCUTTS post. :D
Yawn.
> Why would SEOmoz have a non-disclosure with Google? Because everyone invited to meetings at Google (that I’ve heard of) have to sign one. I KNOW he has signed one - I have too, and many more. There is nothing strange about that.However, signing an NDA dosn’t mean there are any great secrets being discussed or that Google will listen more to you than anyone else :)