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rishilakhani
Harith - although the content is interesting - is it worth sphinning? I dont think so - almost all SEOs follow Matt - I am sure they all saw those tweets.
I am glad. And I hope that they put up a BIG sign saying that "these linksare nofollowed. Dont bother spamming - its a waste of your 5 minutes"
Story: Why I Don’t Like Sphinn
To be honest I considered desphinning, my respect of Lisa put aside. However I chose to ignore too - but saying that, I was responsible for a similar submission way back, http://sphinn.com/story/40860.
However, maybe the watercooler category isnt so bad - but maybe they shouldnt be sphunn. Its interesting news, just not frontpage worthy.
Story: Trademarks Germany
Although google will let you bid, the law in Germany may be different elsewhere. In the UK its presently OK to bid on competitors without a worry. In France, however Google lost the case http://news.cnet.com/Google-loses-trademark-dispute-in-France/2100-1030_3-5543827.html/
I would advise taking legal counsel from online experts in Germany, and not just lawyers who specialise in ordinary trademark specialists.
But if in doubt, I would avoid pushing once you get a warning, it till there are some precedents.
Story: Is Desphinning rude?
I think Desphinn Should be used. If the material isnt correct, or is an obvious repetition of another successful story, or not shedding any new light. To be honest its your vote - make it count, but as nick says above - use it with respect and consideration.
I sphunn it because its great. But I do hope you realise this has alreasy gone hot? http://sphinn.com/story/53450
I wonder whos going to do a post on Who Danny Sullivan or Rand Fishkin are following next.
Story: Google Suggestion Gone Wild!
@Janecopland - I have a very strong feeling that linkbaiting via social networks has caused this penalty - it maybe something new thats being trialed. To be honest, it wouldnt be hard to get an algo to visit most well known sites, identify the top hot topics and then discount title based anchor text links to the end page...Or maybe I have drunk too much koolade...
I have been offline for the last two days and amazed at the reception this post got. Thanks everyone for your kind comments.
@Kimota - I have utmost respect for what you have to say.
but re:I'm sure Google doesn't want fake content muddying their algorithm like Matt hinted.
If money.co.uk ranks for 13 Year Old Steals Dad's Credit Card well, unfortunately they are the most RELEVANT result in this case right?
OK I see what you are saying that G doesnt endorse tactics that can manipulate their algo this effectively. And yes its their business and their search results. But true or not - this tactic is no different to what goes on in offline media - how many media whores get fake or outrageous stories published about themselves? Which result in the gain of several hundred inches of valuable print space?
Agreed - maybe not ethical conning people - but as marketers we are ALWAYS conning people. I dont remember ever turning down a client that wanted to be seen as the BEST solution - even if they arent. Do you? Does anyone else?
Granted I dont take on illegal or morally challenged clients - but small twists like this are common practice in marketing.
Maybe I am biased. Or deluded ;) But I certainly DONT think that Google should penalise because a fake story went well.
In addition to my view - I havent seen a better summary of Truth and Lies in media than in http://www.internetbusiness.co.uk/22052008/truth-and-lies-in-media-marketing/
Only sphunn because its bloody ridiculous - if G is going to be the moral police, the first thing they should do is get rid of all fake medication selling sites off their index.
It says that the video on that page is no longer available. Talk about getting caught with your pants down...
@ emanuelh - I am afraid I respectfully disagree - SEO admittedly is a gradual process - but the quesries aren’t limited - what you seem to responding to are core keywords - there are many wins to be had without being at the no 1 rank on page 1 - I deal with niche sites - particularly long tail conversions - for which the ROI is excellent. This doesn’t mean that we aren’t trying to target the top keywords, but working gradually to the top, while still garnering hundreds of long tail (and profitable) keywords.
Regarding the comment "even the most competent ones must fail if they are not allocated sufficient budget" - I question their competency – why would you get into battle half cocked? If they agree to work without the sufficient budget that is required of the objectives, then well….
Story: Linkbait at any Cost?
Ok _ sphunn this not because I am 100% sure about the end stance, but I do see the need for further discussion amongst SEO's and link baiters.
Real life analogy - spoof press that doesnt check their information which it produces - The Sun that printed this, News of the World. I dont think I am convinced Lyndon went too far, but at the same time I believe I understand Jonathans and Andy Beards stances. Some arguments against the bait was the end site it went on and - does the bait need to have a quality of ethics based on the end result? Maybe if it went to a poker or a pron site, the tactic fits the business model better?
Do reporters have the responsibility to check the veracity of web info? Yes. Absolutely. BUT should they build up trusted sources such as money.co.uk where they shouldnt have to? Maybe.
I am on the fence, but I do want to know what the majority believes.
Story: Linkbait at any Cost?
After various conversations with people and racking my brains - I have come to the following conclusions:
1. We as marketers have a job of promoting our clients products, how we do that or what ethics we put into play should be derived from their business strategy and NOT from what we feel is moral or ethical. If you dont agree with a job, dont take it. If you want to do it, do it well. Like Lyndon did.
2. I appreciate the discourse that this generated and the various conversations it stimulated. I dont however think its fair to flame people on either side of the fence - I have seen some of this and I dont think its fair or useful in anyway.
3. The client in this case had the full right to run editorial rights and so did the various reporting organisations. If the client chose to run it in its form, then thats their decision and they have gained from it. The reporting however, was not done correctly - a newstory should have facts if its being reported as fact - the client had an agenda, but they were aware that the story was fabricated. The reporters however saw juicy news filler and went for it without verification - which is their own fault for perpetuating the falsehood.
4. I believe that this tactic isnt one I would use for ALL my clients - however, I see scenarios where its worth the risk of running.
Even an ex - employee can cause a stir, if he/she makes the wrong comment - but the article was not necessarily stressing on the fact that it was, but how twitter can quickly escalate something - if its serious enough - this is where it differs from other networks - due to its instant messaging type functionality. I should have made that a bit more clear :)
Story: What Google Knows About Spam
I wish they had integrated adsense better into existing CSE's - I have spent hours adding the right sites to mine, yet I cant customise the adsense that runs on it.
@iBrian - thats so true. I have had clients absolutely ram their site with recip links...
Story: Matt Cutts Unsubscribing To SEOmoz !!!