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Splogs, Is Google complicit?

by Tris Hussey at 02:02PM (PDT) on October 24, 2005 | Permanent Link |

Jim Turner posed an interesting idea to me today, is Google complicit in the whole splog problem? This question turned into a great blog post. Jim isn't pointing fingers per se, but let's lay out the premise here. Google owns both Blogger and AdSense. A splog can put AdSense on their blog pretty easily and quickly. Then the splogger scrapes content from legit folks like us, then people visit the splog and click an AdSense ad. Google makes money.

Hmm. Personally I don't think Google is complicit in all this. Granted they are probably reaping some significant monetary benefits from ads on splogs, but I think Google is just as pissed as we are at this. Google is trying to be a big, yet cool, company and being labeled a purveyor of online vermin doesn't help one's bottom in the long run.

As Jim points out, splogs are a big problem. Hopefully the recent changes to Blogger will make it harder for sploggers to get their work done. Now if we could only smite the trackback spammers.

Technorati Tags : Google, Blogger, Splogs

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Re: Splogs, Is Google complicit?

by Robert Banghart on Mon 24 Oct 2005 02:39 PM PDT | Profile | Permanent Link

You are not the only one questioning Google's intentions today. With the blogosphere still heated over the issue of Google's role in the slogification come back to back posts at Signal vs. Noise (http://37signals.com/svn/). The first says that Google Web Accelerator "is back with a vengence," calls it "this virus," and "downright scary." The second post raises serious privacy policy concerns.

I think Google has some serious questions to answer.

Re: Re: Splogs, Is Google complicit?

by Tris Hussey on Mon 24 Oct 2005 02:54 PM PDT | Profile | Permanent Link

Robert, I thik you're very correct. Google is going to have to be very open and transparent or they will be painted with the same brush as Microsoft and others. Worse, even, since they can be accused of tracking us for profit.

Re: Splogs, Is Google complicit?

by Mollyfud on Mon 24 Oct 2005 04:03 PM PDT | Profile | Permanent Link

Google need to take sensible precautions with blogger to help stop it being used for splogging, but a bigger question, as I commented on Mark Cuban's blog, is what are the blog search companies doind to help there users avoid this traffic? Surely they have a roll to play as although Google is hosting the splogs, they are the one that in the most part are distrobuting to peoples RSS Readers!

JMTC
Molly

Re: Re: Splogs, Is Google complicit?

by Tris Hussey on Mon 24 Oct 2005 04:48 PM PDT | Profile | Permanent Link

Exactly, and this is the bigger issue that Google faces. If engines, except for Google, block out Blogspot blogs, Google's blogging strat will collapse.

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