[WEB4LIB] URL Promotion, Placement Purchasing

[Rod Stroud]

It may not be long away that University consortiums fund their own search
engines where it is exactly known how the algorithms work - there may be no
other alternative.

Cheers

Rod Stroud

> ----------
> From: 	rjtiess at juno.com[SMTP:rjtiess at juno.com]
> Sent: 	Wednesday, 11 November 1998 1:41
> To: 	Multiple recipients of list
> 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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