[WEB4LIB] URL Promotion, Placement Purchasing

[Shelley Voie]

I attended the Internet Librarian conference last week, and I seem to
remember someone mentioning that Alta Vista would be entering the
pay-for-placement arena too.  I don't think the speaker was referring to
AV's RealName service, but I may be mistaken.  I just checked Search Engine
Watch, and don't see anything mentioned there about it.

Did anyone else hear this mentioned at Internet Librarian?


-----Original Message-----
From: rjtiess at juno.com <rjtiess at juno.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib at webjunction.org>
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 1998 6:29 AM
Subject: [WEB4LIB] URL Promotion, Placement Purchasing


>Some search engine results are determined by
>more than data retrieval algorithms.  Money
>could be part of the equation.  For example:
>http://www.goto.com/d/about/advertisers/faq.jhtml
>
>This is not a new concept, but an intriguing one
>nonetheless for its obvious dark effects on web
>reference.  It would be interesting to learn how
>others feel about this.  Imagine what PACs would
>be like under similar practices.  It can be
>rationalized, but is it a direction to be encouraged?
>
>Those in support of this compare listings to yellow
>pages (vs. white), where yp ad space can be
>purchased in addition to listing.  But I have problems
>synonymizing URL registration with advertising,
>although the former could imply the latter.
>
>Some related articles:
>http://www.zdnet.com/products/content/articles/199804/search.bidder
>http://searchenginewatch.internet.com/sereport/9803-goto.html
>
>This issue underscores the importance of continued
>development of noncommercial Internet guides in
>and beyond the library community and was partly
>motivational in my steep involvement with Internet
>resource management.  We must preserve unbiased,
>dependable outlets for information and encourage
>a diversity in that information--core ALA concepts.
>
>With so many other factors (e.g. bias, censorship),
>distempering information, paid search results provoke
>further consumer concern--but, not to unsuspecting
>eyes.  A negative of this practice is that we may not
>clearly discern "highest bidder" sites from other sites,
>as the results may be mixed in with other unpaid hits,
>whereas contemporary advertising is easy to perceive,
>because it's apparent--on the radio, in print
>publications, on billboards, on television--and we
>know to critically analyze it in its commercial context.
>Another argument asserts the highest bidder is often
>one of the best sites in its category anyway.  Is
>that not a bold and dangerous assumption?
>
>Does anyone know of other search services offering
>pay per top-percentage hits?  I'm well aware of the
>consultant services and web promotion enhancement
>programs out there, both free and premium.  I'm
>interested specifically in search engines doing this.
>Rumors have been rampant that this practice is far
>more regular online--and it is, if we include the
>proliferation of paid banners/pop-up pages in this
>discussion--but concrete search engine examples
>(and URLs) would be appreciated.
>
>In parallel to this, I've established a concise guide
>to *free* website promotion/announcement services,
>including links to search engines offering free URL
>inclusion/site indexing.  It's the "URL Registration
>Center," and it can be accessed at
>http://members.tripod.com/~rtiess/urlreg.htm
>There's also a section regarding further steps to
>take to improve a site's accessibility, such as using
>metadata (W3C & Dublin Core) and XML, learning
>more about search engine techniques, and free
>banner exchange programs.
>
>I also see URL promotion as problematic to general
>Internet cataloging initiatives, particularly in the
>misapplication of metadata keywords, which more
>search engines draw from these days.  The Dublin
>Core is an attractive standard, but diverse data
>and future data structures necessitate extensibility
>mechanisms nonexistent until we consider
>metadata sets larger than those fifteen elements,
>or XML, which still suffers from a lack of
>implementation, adoption, and understanding.
>
>Cumulatively, promotional malpractices and
>unstable electronic document referencing systems
>have helped fracture this glass sphere of lost and
>found or unfindable documents we now call the
>Internet.  Standards alone do not suffice; they
>must be used--usable--easily, to all netizens
>seeking equitable recognition, honest light in the
>midst of these shadows, shards and refractions.
>
>
>Robert Tiess
>rjtiess at juno.com
>http://members.tripod.com/~rtiess
>
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