Comments on: Blogging scholarships and Googlebait http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:51:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: bi http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/comment-page-1/#comment-214154 bi Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:04:29 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/#comment-214154 Henry, Mike Otsuka: I use the rel=nofollow tag when I decide I don't want to increase someone's googlejuice. I guess this particular installation of WordPress allows that? Henry, Mike Otsuka: I use the rel=nofollow tag when I decide I don’t want to increase someone’s googlejuice. I guess this particular installation of WordPress allows that?

]]> By: mpowell http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/comment-page-1/#comment-214069 mpowell Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:44:41 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/#comment-214069 The thing that I always mystifies me is how there can be so much money in advertising. The thing that I always mystifies me is how there can be so much money in advertising.

]]> By: Mike Otsuka http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/comment-page-1/#comment-214007 Mike Otsuka Thu, 18 Oct 2007 08:00:01 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/#comment-214007 <i>But it may make sense as a canny bit of social engineering – if lots of bloggers write posts linking to Kovachs’ site with the word ‘scholarship’ in them, Google will presumably pay attention, driving the site up the search engine rankings on the cheap, substantially increasing revenue streams.</i> I've noticed, Henry, that you've refrained from linking directly to Kovach's site, perhaps because you didn't want to become another one of his blogging pawns. But you've linked to a site that links to his, and doesn't Google also pay attention to the popularity -- in terms of links to <i>it</i> -- of the sites that link to sites? But it may make sense as a canny bit of social engineering – if lots of bloggers write posts linking to Kovachs’ site with the word ‘scholarship’ in them, Google will presumably pay attention, driving the site up the search engine rankings on the cheap, substantially increasing revenue streams.

I’ve noticed, Henry, that you’ve refrained from linking directly to Kovach’s site, perhaps because you didn’t want to become another one of his blogging pawns. But you’ve linked to a site that links to his, and doesn’t Google also pay attention to the popularity—in terms of links to it—of the sites that link to sites?

]]> By: Matt Weiner http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/comment-page-1/#comment-213958 Matt Weiner Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:14:09 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/#comment-213958 (Well, the e-mails may be annoying, but it beats comment spam.) (Well, the e-mails may be annoying, but it beats comment spam.)

]]> By: Matt Weiner http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/comment-page-1/#comment-213957 Matt Weiner Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:13:01 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/#comment-213957 This seems decidedly unsinister to me. It's no great shock if Kovach is using his scholarship to garner free publicity of one sort or another. That's presumably why so many organizations that offer scholarships name them after themselves (and the same goes for other philanthropy). Similarly, so long as he's not being deceptive about the availability of scholarships for twins, tall people, etc., I don't see the harm in his vacuuming up the search results for them. In particular, I think the phrase "too good to be true" doesn't apply at all; the scholarship is there, it's just that Kovach isn't offering it entirely out of the goodness of his heart. But who thought he was, and what does it matter? Unless there's something I'm missing. This seems decidedly unsinister to me. It’s no great shock if Kovach is using his scholarship to garner free publicity of one sort or another. That’s presumably why so many organizations that offer scholarships name them after themselves (and the same goes for other philanthropy). Similarly, so long as he’s not being deceptive about the availability of scholarships for twins, tall people, etc., I don’t see the harm in his vacuuming up the search results for them.

In particular, I think the phrase “too good to be true” doesn’t apply at all; the scholarship is there, it’s just that Kovach isn’t offering it entirely out of the goodness of his heart. But who thought he was, and what does it matter? Unless there’s something I’m missing.

]]> By: Tim Worstall http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/comment-page-1/#comment-213953 Tim Worstall Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:30:11 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/#comment-213953 The creative manner of boosting Google results has been noted: http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/index.php/blog/individual/a_message_to_econ_and_academic_bloggers/ The creative manner of boosting Google results has been noted:
http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/index.php/blog/individual/a_message_to_econ_and_academic_bloggers/

]]> By: sanbikinoraion http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/comment-page-1/#comment-213940 sanbikinoraion Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:50:32 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/10/17/blogging-scholarships-and-googlebait/#comment-213940 Can you say "doh"? Can you say “doh”?

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