| LED Digest 2403: The Paradox of Content & Catalog |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" Data > Information > Knowledge > Wisdom www.GetWebContent.com/LED : the LED's Key Sponsor The Web's Most Experienced SEO Content Providers. ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. May 4, 2007 Issue no. 2403 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Google Supplemental Hell ==-- ~ Alex Hughart "Right now, as it seems, search engines as catalogers are ahead of us..." ~ Michael Martinez "Competitors cannot ruin you by pointing a lot of links at your site from 'bad' pages." --== Recommended Spam Filters ==-- ~ Kristi Stone "I love Spam Arrest...it is a superb white list service." ~ James Miller "I get between 4,500 and 8,000 spam messages every day." --== Why Linux? ==-- ~ Maty Matyszak "I don't obsess about my OS because I don't use it." ~ Michael Linehan "...good educational points on Linux. I'll stick with OS X though." --== Change One Thing ==-- ~ Shel Horowitz "Recently...headaches and eyestrain start after only a few minutes sometimes..." ======== CONTINUING =============================== From: Alex Hughart Subject: Google hell > Forbes has up an article on the consequences of being dumped > into a claimed 'supplemental index', also known as 'Google Hell'... > So, should the SEO be liable for causing the mess, and > shouldn't this industry have some form of standards? - John Smart, LED Digest 2401 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1804/55/ This whole thing is very entertaining! Yet another episode in the Google drama covering anything from unseemly employee blogs to the instances of international censorship plus the money that is, somehow, always involved. In absence of any real contribution to this topic, I'll take the easy road and try to "put things in perspective" (don't roll your eyes.) As humans, we are compelled to compile and share knowledge, an impossible task without a system of storing and retrieving the information. In a way, we always lived in an "information age", the only difference being the informational systems and media in place at a given time. But, we wouldn't be who we are if we didn't add an extra component to this noble "gather, share" process and that is to "manipulate". When it comes to online search, it takes three to tango: user-catalog-content or, the other way around, if you prefer. Right now, as it seems, search engines as catalogers are ahead of us, both as users and content providers. They are the informational rocket that we (willingly) strapped ourselves to. This current imbalance and lack of control on two sides, created a paradox wherein a catalog becomes more important than the information being cataloged. One can presume that the online search will naturally come to its place like any other eco-system. Users will be smarter users, content will be better tagged, engines will become more transparent .. Eventually, laws, ethics, social norms and business itself will catch up and there will be little room left for testing boundaries. Soon enough, Google will become sedated like an ancient library so let's enjoy the ride while it lasts. Alex Hughart Comment? -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Michael Martinez Subject: Google hell > [Regarding the discussion] that Google makes it possible > for a competitor to sabatoge another site using campaigns > that place a lot of links to the victim site originating from > disreputable sites. - Donald Nelson, LED Digest 2402 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1805/55/ This is a myth that simply refuses to die. Competitors cannot ruin you by pointing a lot of links at your site from "bad" pages. Several SEO groups tested this myth last year. The largest test involved over 100,000 links from "bad" pages. Nothing untoward happened. The jewelry site described in the Forbes article did NOT go Supplemental because of "bad" links. It went Supplemental because of a LACK of "good" links (from the Main Web index). Michael Martinez http://www.michael-martinez.com/ Comment? ============ Sponsor Message =========== Would you write your own Super Bowl commercial? Or would you hire a professional ad copywriter? Guess what? Your website copy is your Super Bowl spot, your best shot at winning new business. GetWebContent.com is the web's premier provider of "Super Bowl-winning" web copy. When words are king, visit GetWebContent.com, the King of Words. http://GetWebContent.com/LED ============ Sponsor Message =========== -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Kristi Stone Subject: Recommended Spam Filters? > So LED'ers - do you use any 3rd party spam filters? > Can you name a good one? Please? - John Smart, LED Digest 2402 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1805/55/ I love Spam Arrest http://www.spamarrest.com . While it is not a filter, it is a superb white list service. I went from sorting thru 1000s of emails a day to getting only the couple hundred I really need to read. The system automatically sends a customized email with my picture and a personal note, for those who are not in my white list. When they respond to that email they automatically get put into my white list. Plus, when I use their SMTP all outgoing mail automatically gets added to my white list. I love this service! Sincerely, Kristi Stone http://krististone.org Comment? -------- new post - same topic -------- From: James Miller Subject: Spam filters I get between 4,500 and 8,000 spam messages every day. (I actually collect and analyse them but that's another story.) I use Outlook 2003 to handle and eliminate spam. I find that once it has got going it is pretty good and misses only about ten or so every day. It does help if you have an up-to-date address book in Outlook. The advantage of this method is that every message is available for rechecking. I sometimes get spam-like messages from obscure parts of the world, which are asking about my software, so I don't want to miss any. I have also used POPFile, which is also very good. And free. I once tried Thunderbird, but it was so full of bugs, I couldn't afford to use it in case it lost important messages. However, on balance when it is properly setup, Outlook 2003 (or I suspect later versions) is good enough for me. I would advise though that you organise your e-mail addresses properly and perhaps use different ones where you are exposed as in Yahoo groups or on the web generally. James Miller Daisy Analysis: www.daisy.co.uk Comment? -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Maty Matyszak Subject: Linux > Why would some besides a geek go > with Linux instead of OS X? - Michael Linehan, LED Digest 2401 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1804/55/ I use windows vista. Well, actually I don't. I use gmail, firefox, open office and html kit. windows vista just happens to be the platform I run them on. I'm fully aware that I could shift over to Ubuntu or whatever and keep running these, so why don't I? Well, this is a new computer, and it came with vista installed. I knew that once it booted, it would connect to my (rather specialized) printer, network router and pda. I'm a geek (former sysadmin), but at the moment I am a very busy geek. I have an operating system and it works. I'm not going to switch for ideological reasons, and though I dislike microsoft, I'm not harming Bill Gates by chucking out a system I've already paid for. I don't obsess about my OS because I don't use it. I use programs that run on my OS, and if that OS is (relatively) stable and compatible with my hardware, why change? Oh, and after hours, my games work too. Maty Matyszak www.knowyourcat.info Comment? -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Michael Linehan Subject: Linux By the way, forget to write in my post, Veronica, Charles and anyone else, I was only using the word "geek" in a complimentary way. No sarcasm intended - some of my best friends are geeks. :) And thanks; good educational points on Linux. I'll stick with OS X though. Michael Linehan Comment? -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Shel Horowitz Subject: Change > If you had the power to immediately change > ONE THING (no matter how big or small) > about your job, what would it be? - Adam Audette, LED Digest 2398 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1801/55/ What feel on the surface like the biggest problems -- clutter in my office and in my inbox -- are ultimately within my control, and I'm actually taking steps to manage them. The one I can't figure out is this: Since first going computerized in 1984, I've had fatigue issues involving the computer. Recently they've been much worse. headaches and eyestrain start after only a few minutes sometimes, and that makes it hard to get work done. I used to be able to work pretty consistently for an hour and a half at a time, and now I sometimes have to push myself to get to 30 minutes. And yes, I do use prescription classes for computer work. Shel Horowitz http://www.business-ethics-pledge.org Comment? ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by GetWebContent.com The Web's Most Experienced SEO Content Providers. Free no-obligation proposal: http://GetWebContent.com/LED The Archives: http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/126/120/ Subscribe: http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/52/77/ Unsubscribe, Change Email, or Hold / Resume Delivery: http://www.led-digest.com/content/category/4/17/86/ (c) Copyright 1995-2007 Orange Wheel, LLC. 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