[Web4lib] OCLC numbers of Google Books?

[Tim Spalding]

Robert and I have been going back and forth about this privately, I
think quite misunderstanding each other, so I shall put forth my
understanding, which does not involve SEO.

Google does not release totals or detailed lists of what they have
scanned and what they haven't, or allow bots to collect such
information, because they don't want to people to measure their
progress—to say they've done 10% of Oxford and 60% of Michigan, etc.
This was always rather silly, and since Microsoft stopped trying to
compete, quite so. Nevertheless, it is the explanation provided to me
by the head of the GBS program, take that for what you will.

Tim
LibraryThing

On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 12:20 PM, Bob Duncan <duncanr at lafayette.edu> wrote:
> At 08:23 AM 07/20/2008, Robert L. Balliot wrote:
>
>> With Google at around 70% US and 87% Euro searches,
>> the mystery of placement drives all of the commercial
>> SEO strategists to search and research, test and retest
>> optimization.
>>
>> It is not only competitive protection, it is a brilliant
>> strategy that increases use of the Google search engine
>> and apparent market share of search. As apparent
>> market share increases, so does testing to determine
>> parameters of the algorithm.
>
>
> Not the first time I've potentially missed the obvious, but how would
> providing a list of the OCLC numbers for books contained in Google Book
> Search compromise Google's competitive edge as a search engine?
>
> Bob Duncan
>
>
> ~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
> Robert E. Duncan
> Systems Librarian
> Editor of IT Communications
> Lafayette College
> Easton, PA  18042
> duncanr at lafayette.edu
> http://www.library.lafayette.edu/
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Web4lib mailing list
> Web4lib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
>
>



-- 
Check out my library at http://www.librarything.com/profile/timspalding