Friday, January 26, 2007

Techmeme Found Me!

I've never had a post picked up by Techmeme, that is until today! (see screenshot below)


Miserable Failure - See-ya Googlebomb!

Looks like Google has finally been able to kill the googlebomb. I think most of us who follow web marketing trends know about the bomb. For everyone else, a googlebomb is created by an abundance of anchor text aimed at a particular webpage, for which the owner of that page had no intention of ranking. The most famous bomb, of course, is George Bush's profile ranking for the search 'miserable failure'.

For those interested in more information, Search Engine Land has a post up today that addresses the history of the technique. It's well worth the read.

And for those of us who do web marketing, take comfort that there doesn't seem to be any kind of spin-off effect. The key distinction for this algo change is that it only effects websites that don't want to rank. If your page titles or onpage content match your incoming anchor text, that's still a good thing, and rankings don't appear effected.

The only other comment I have here, is that it does seem a bit of a shame. In and of itself, googlebombing was an expression of online commentary. At one point or another, Michael Moore, Hillary Clinton, Dick Gephardt, and a host of others have ranked. Heck, I've often thought of pointing anchor text at myself, and running for miserable failure status... :-)

I do understand the reasoning, and why it's bad for Google's business, but from a web-culture perspective, I'll miss it as a form of expression. The googlebomb was cool.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Darren Barefoot: Why Do You Blog?

Are you a blogger? Can you describe why you blog? Darren Barefoot's running a session on this topic at the 2007 NV conference, and is looking for some feedback.

And then for a hoot, check out his spoof Second Life site, along with the great response from Linden Labs. You're on a roll in '07, Darren. Keep it up! :-)

[DB's feed here]

Sunday, January 21, 2007

2000 Bloggers Project

Tino Buntic has produced what could be called the biggest linkbaiting project the blogosphere has seen yet. I have no clue how my picture got in the middle of it, but it's certainly an interesting approach to ramping up link popularity. Each photo is linked to the author's blog, with the list below being widely reproduced.
What Is This???Tino BunticHeather ArmstrongKyle MacDonaldMichael PriceChris KnightAndrew WeeLarry HnetkaDanah BoydKloudiiaRoss MayfieldPhil PlaitPhil GerbyshakThingamyRoss RebagliatiSteven D. LevittJeremy SchoemakerBenjamin FittsThat Dude JeffAlister CameronFrank GruberCharles SterlingAndy NulmanChristine KaneJanet MeinersJesse SkinnerBen YoskovitzJordanBen McConnellBrian GardnerMarshmallowTom AsackerDustin StaigerRosie O'DonnellDonald TrumpHoward LindzonBrooke The Med StudentChris RichardsonBrad VanAukenKris JonesJim KukralLady AzurtTom EllisMike SansoneJonathan NailSandyAnthony BaggettStefanie SigurdsonRaphael GilmasKelly MonneySean HowardZoli ErdosSara NoelEmagisKristen KingPhilippe CherelIan SeffermanRonald LewisShane NickersonMichele CoreyAlex PapaKristal KraftMattKintan BrahmbhattBryan CovingtonAditya KothadiyaTony TeegardenAmber MacSarah E EndlineJoshua DziabakGerard RasochaCurt RosengrenHannahRajesh SettyLow Hang WeiJoyce WycoffAngie BrennanStephanie SmythJenniferLamillingerBlog BlokeChris CactusJanet TokerudKirsten HarrelH Webb JrGlen AllemanTanya LocaJim CahillTaniaJeff BarrDaria Radota RasmussenWillem KarssenbergJonathanSteve MillerRoger L. SimonJay BarnesR HaileyLoïc Le MeurVinnie MirchandaniDon ParkDan BricklinJay CrossGrigorRamana RaoWard CunninghamJeremy JacobsJoe DunbarHenri KaufmanBo GilbertJamie LouiseGordon ChoiAmitTishaThomas CliffordBenjamin GautheyDoc SearlsZach LynchElizabeth Lane LawleyPierre OmidyarDenham GreyThis ChickStewart ButterfieldTricia WangScott MaceAnil DashEdward VielmettiMark CubanNeville MedhoraRick SpenceTrishOliviaYaro StarakRobert ScobleDan MarquesDane CarlsonVirginia PostrelRon AmelnMargaret ChoSonia BlancoMatt CuttsJeremiah OwyangMike LopezChris PirilloDouglas KarrMikeLeaJennMaggie LienRobWilliam SlawskiCristian MezeiOmisscoJeremy ZawodnyPaul BruemmerDevil in disguiseTinaJake McKeeBarbara CorcoranKarl LongLucyJeff WissKaren SamsMichelle MalkinRyan ChuaMayor's WifeKarenDoggyS MullisEric AshfordDorothy WaltersHelen SmithNeo-NeoconCriminally VulgarJeff KogaElayne RiggsJay - The Real Estate GuyChris HouchensNatalie BennettChris SandbergKwangDarren RowseScott ClarkClaudia EcoganClaudia RosettClaudiaShawn WaiteAJHidden PersuaderDino RizzoMiss CellaniaPeterKen FergusonGazzaAngeliskaToddTommy SpoonBob ParsonsBilly CalderwoodVernon SingletonDavidLisa AlexanderRikki ArundelBen LynchJames RayKelvin ChoDan-DanAndrewAntonia AzerbicSimon PhippsJenny RyanAka MontyJaneneMary BrownEnrique DansWendy MaynardTom PalmerGreg MillerLizzaRen KatFilipBill NadraszkyNataliaJohn ChowFrank PatrickARDELL DellaLoggiaAlex StenbackJason UngosGuy KawasakiDave BriggsJenLoTeenaRandy ThomasRaymi LaurenSaskBoyDarren McEwanRose DesrochesGillian GunsonIrisBlaine KendallAlynnaChief Happiness OfficerNeuro PhilosopherStephanie ChandlerSeth GodinYvonne PerrySummer HoganShawn hoganDaxAlex KingMelvin RiveraJohn MaedaShin'ichi KonomiNeil KramerChristinaKaitZelmarqShane GibsonBrian CarrollJackie Huba Stephanie WeaverDan McCombSteven NovakEdgar HDanDavid MaisterJackie DanickiJackie KesslerCraig MurrayAlberto PrechtAbiFrank RumbauskasDavid FriedmanAndrea LearnedSchawoTara PakostaMs MartiDan RubinDavid BeachTammy Breigh CanavanJazz ManEthan KaplanEthan PersoffTony MacdonellLaurent-GloaguenEva GregoryStephan SpencerColine NiessMelinda WennerSiapa KamiShel HoltzNate KartchnerChris GarrettDaniel Franklin GomezReviewerBergieSara CantorAndy PiperSunny DurbzFauziahGreg MearesLiz HenryGreg LindenMariannaBanzai BillChris RoseKatie FleckB. RoxLatin TeacherTimPaul DavidsonEl CowboyMike VillarJoe DuckSassy SarahJoel PeetGreg ShortBrett Laffin A. Fatih SyuhudDr. Neill NeillDave ToCarolyn ShelbyJaimie SirovichJonathanQuinn's MomMaggie MasonHelen JaneGabriel SerafiniKristin Joy Pratt-SerafiniChris HayesGeorgina WilsonColleenDrewSRSteve SherlockKatieGonzagueStephanie West AllenStephanie West AllenDerrick DayeMichelle GoldenKammieDr. Lorianne DiSabatoJessica ClaireRexMatthew YglesiasDennis The PeasantJodee BockMelvin LuzardoDaveRoberto ArancibiaAmber SkolnickPhil GomesDustin SacksDonald CrowdisHeather HamiltonRachael ParentaSvetlana PetrovnaJackieJamie OliverVoyageurKatie Allison GranjuGlenn FullerSusan A. KitchensHollee DazeinkFleaFast LadEricAndrew MauryJeff KerrAngelaJack YoestBill WhittleBobbyAnnJonathan AquinoBuzz BruggemanJen CollinsJuan ColeBrett LambChristine ForgioneJonathan Dalton & TobyMike ParsonsTom PetersVince FirpoKerry WooJoseph ZittRon FSunil ShibadRichard A. CookCynthia McKennaEd BottEd LeeJeff WeintraubKatherineKatherineKatieFred ZeldersMuhammad AladdinChristoph C. CemperDaniel LindbergBugJeremiahMelanieKenny SiaDmitry & MaureenSandraDaveBob GlazaLethaTim DraayerGadgetsGuyPudJosephinaRick BarronBorn 2 BlogRenny Bakke AmundsenJosePreeti PSteve HarperKarlynJeremiah GrossmanJenny RyanShelagh WatkinsShelagh WatkinsNickAndyJohn A. MacDonaldJamesKumikoHartRobynKnitting MamaJeremiah OwyangRealtorFran & RowenaDavidBecky TrouttKaren RaniJoseph FerraraC. B. WhittemoreTodd AndScott HendisonSteve PolandDanny SullivanNik CubrilovicSteve MatthewsGeorge AthannassovAkwasi AdjeiJohn WagnerMary SchmidtRobertaHee-HawRobTerris McMahanChristopherEveryday GoddessMichael KleefBernard ChanFrank GumolaTish GrierSean Alexander