Google Side Wiki: Massive Webmaster Panic Attack
The announcement of the launch of Google sidewiki has sent many webmasters into panic over-drive and I can totally see and understand why. Sidewiki will be installed on google toolbars on browsers such as firefox and eventually Google Chrome. I suspect, it will integrate with nearly every browser out there that allows the google toolbar.
So why is this such bad news? Well, this tool allows anyone with a Gmail account or multiple gmail accounts to leave comments on certain sites via sidewiki. This has a variety of implications, but two of the main ones concerning many webmasters are as follows:
1. Other webmasters will undoubtedly leave links to their sites on competitors websites, thus mooching off the all traffic these guys get that use the google toolbar/sidewiki feature.
2. Angry customers/competitiors will use the service to spread lies and deceit about the company using the side wiki comment feature. People have now been given the ability to spam sites they disapprove of at will.
Webmasters all across the globe are scratching their head and wondering what they can do about this, and the answer at this time is; not a lot.
My solution for the time being is just try and be as real, true, ethical, honest and straight forward as humanly possible. I am going to be my best all the time and hope it is good enough. And what is more, if some of the side wiki comments are genuinely negative, then I will take time to listen to the thoughts and act on them, and hope that no one out there holds a big enough grudge towards me that they would try and ruin my site.
Just my quick 2 cents on the issue.
| Print article | This entry was posted by Alex on September 28, 2009 at 9:33 am, and is filed under News. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 10 months ago
I think it’s a good thing as you will be able to get the young new companies started faster and seems to be more fair. The internet is getting more and more social and democratic, which I believe is a good thing.
On another note, I have this friend who is an awesome singer and lyricist but for some reason he doesn’t want to share that with the world. How can I convince him?
RobinTabari
about 10 months ago
What do you mean bud? Care to expand on that?
Why does Side Wiki allow smaller companies to grow faster?
about 10 months ago
Uh-oh. This is totally a bad news. If webmasters feel that way, blogger too. Imagine the chaos this will cause when people have the capacity to spam and discredit sites at will. But for now, I give the benefit of the doubt to Google. They know what they’re doing and I suppose they can filter really bad comments. Cross my fingers on this one.
about 10 months ago
Because smaller companies can provide better service = higher in ranks. As the more quantity falls.
P.s I think this “frustrated musician” of mine.. should get his content out there…don’t you think? It might make him no longer frustrated.
about 10 months ago
Hey bud.
I don’t know if I have been clear in this post, but google sidewiki has not got too much to do with rankings and I think it is more dangerous for small business than it is larger business. The larger business can absorb the problems, where as the smaller business might get over-loaded by them. Imagine a business owner who has graffiti scrawled over the front of their shop, google sidewiki creates an online equivalent of this.
Oh, and that frustrated musician may not be releasing any music too soon, because he is working days and nights this week, and is going back home for his brother’s 18th this weekend. lol.
about 10 months ago
I don’t think Google intends to filter out the bad comments and that is one of the major problems with all of this.
I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best as well.
about 10 months ago
That frustrated musician’s brother is now 18!! Man… don’t we all grow up fast.
Well maybe the frustrated musician should have a youtube account under that name.. but a name sticks so… he will always been known as frustrated, which I don’t think is a good thing. I think he should really expose his name… or as a tester he can put his content in the “iii shy of nine” youtube page, so that when he creates a new band with this other guitarist, he can put some more content under a new band account.
about 10 months ago
You talk in riddles sir. I have no idea who this could be! lol.
about 10 months ago
Frustrating isn’t it? Maybe I am the frustrated musician haha. But seriously this frustrated lyricist needs to get his songs out there immediately otherwize he will also be thinking what if? and “if only…”… these songs.. could make his family happy, his life happy…and will enjoy life, rather than doing 9 -6 pm work! Easy answer really..
about 10 months ago
Hello, thanks for your analysis, I think things are not too bad, because the worst spam is going to be filtered through automatical algorithms and people clics and just annoying comments can be drowned inside an avalanche of constructive messages.
Best greetings, LF
about 9 months ago
I wanted to be the first one to take your “Sidewiki virginity” and post one on your page.
I think it’s going to be nothing more than another tool used by spammers to flood sites with worthless and useless spam for porn and virus infected sites, just like our email has gotten. I did read that there is html code that blocks it from being used on your site, but haven’t found the actual code yet.
about 9 months ago
This has to be the most ill-thought out idea that Google has ever foisted onto the world. If anything kills it, it will be the thousands of Adwords advertisers spending big bucks with Google suddenly stopping throwing money at a company that thanks them by giving every parasite spammer out there the opportunity to leach off that expenditure.
about 9 months ago
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
about 9 months ago
If you so wish amigo.
Go for it.
about 9 months ago
I too got the same impression when Google Sidewiki is introduced.