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Reading into this, I think it is a safe bet that they have an automated process to alert them when there is a trend in new types of spam out there.
The more people that report spam, the better this process works.
IMHO - if you see spam and you want the internet to be a more pleasant experience for everyone, you should be reporting it.
For example:
main site with all destinations: figments-B&B.com
Hundreds of interlinked doorway sites:
london-B&B.com
europe-B&B.com
washington-B&B.com
etc.
Google Spam report uses a single site as the unit of analysis, how do you report the above situation.
HayMeadows wrote:
>Reading into this, I think it is a safe bet that they have an automated process to alert them when there is a trend in new types of spam out there.
If they have an automated system for trending spam reports and alerting them, then why not put a "spam blaster" face on the toolbar and make it very easy for people to flag a possible spammer? Maybe that's what the toolbar sad face :( will be used for in the future?
I would think something along those lines should be possible, then throw out the big offenders for human checking before any penalty is applied. One day maybe they can automate that process, but I wouldn't like to see it happen until it was 100% perfect :)
Maybe even a drop down so you can select what type of spam it is.
Version 1.2 coming soon :)
It seems to me some of the worst SPAM offenders are the travel site that divide up their main site among a bunch of city or regional sites.
Many sites use subdomains for logical, practical, or branding reasons. (Remember when, in its early days, Expedia's URL was expedia.msn.com?) If a network of sites like Suite101.com or About.com has a site on widgets, is it spammy to name it widgets.suite101.com or widgets.about.com? No; it's just common sense. And does it really make any difference whether supercheapodiscounthotels.com's London listings are called london.supercheapodiscounthotels.com or supercheapodiscounthotels.com/london?
IMHO, spam is when supercheapodiscounthotels.com creates half a dozen mirror sites under different names and tries to get them all listed in Yahoo or DMOZ and crosslinks like crazy in the hope of flooding Google's SERPs with its own pages. But that's a whole different issue from using logical subdomains.
Side note: If there's any PageRank benefit from linking between subdomains (as opposed to linking to index pages in subdirectories), then maybe that's a weakness in the algorithm Google needs to fix--but a spam penalty for using subdomains would be unreasonable, unnecessary, and unhelpful to users.
I was speaking about registering actual new domains not sub-domaining.
Most of the previous comments are still aprospro. The main difference is that there is no doubt that the sites in question is trying to do something sneaky.
I think spam report is working. I have 3-4 competitors, each of them have nearly 10 websites. they are making hidden text, link spam. during last 5 days google removed all of them.
One of them has websites like that:
abc.com
abc.net
abc.org
xyz.com
xyz.net
xyz.org
every website using hidden text.
i have reported abc.com, abc.net, abc.org and xyz.com
i didnt see other 2 domains when i was reporting the sites. xyz.net and xyz.org. so i didnt report the last 2 domains.
google dropped first 4 domains and the other 2 still there.
thats why i am thinking spam report is working. I mentioned googleguy and webmasterworld and i sent a report for every single domain.
Now i think it is working.
Thanks.
Perhaps the reason why it's not included is because the technicians who examine spam reports would not be qulaified enough to decide if complaints were true or not. Perhaps it's because Google doesn't want their own staff learning how to subvert their algorithm? Perhaps it's just too time consuming to investigate?
In any case, the most effective Google spam is cross-linked domains, and this cannot be reported with the current spam report.
In any case, the most effective Google spam is cross-linked domains, and this cannot be reported with the current spam report.
Just click "Other" and use the comment box.
If you follow the advice given by espeed (msg #19) when reporting - In my experience, It does work but it can take two or three updates for the offender to be removed.
And hard-wire it directly into the SERPs so that when you hit the button it deletes their site; cancels their domain registration; terminates their ISP account; frys their hard drive; and shoots their dog...
Ted
Don’t concentrate on having Google get rid of the “Bad Guys” - Concentrate on making your own site better than your competition.
And I'm certain there are different penalties for different types of spam. Some spam they do their best to ignore automatically (hidden text, misleading or repeated words, etc.).
Other spam gets you penalized (doorway pages, deceptive redirects, etc.)
Don’t concentrate on having Google get rid of the “Bad Guys” - Concentrate on making your own site better than your competition.
We hear this propaganda again and again. It's based on faulty logic, for several reasons:
1) Most of us are Google users, not just Webmasters. We have an interest in spam-free SERPs whether we're searching for information on our topics or on other topics.
2) Improving own sites may help our own positions on Google SERPs, but it won't reduce the amount of spam in search results.
3) It takes only a minute or so to report spam via Google's e-form, so there's no "either/or" choice between reporting spam and improving our own sites.
I think the system admins and mods on this board have made it very clear that they do not want discussions about turning in so called Spamers - Why do you same people persist?
Please read the forum charter before making assumptions about what is or isn't permitted on this board.
I think they make themselves very clear...
efv have you ever read the forum charter?
from the forum charter,
Off Topic:
SPAM reporting issues
Apparently you didn't read the body text.
Off Topic:
SPAM reporting issues.
If you have spam to report, please report it to Google. We are not the Google spam reporting system or the place to "shop the competition" knowing that Google techs may read it. Posting someone elses url is no different than violating them by posting their name and address. That includes posting of Google search terms.
(etc.)
If even discussing the topic of spam reporting were a violation of the forum charter, this forum would be useless, and GoogleGuy would have been banned by now. :-)
BTW, advocating censorship (or even self-censorship) isn't the best way to deal with topics that make you uncomfortable or with people whose opinions you don't share. If, for example, you believe that reporting spam to Google is wrong or counterproductive, why not tell us why and use logic to support your position?
BTW, advocating censorship (or even self-censorship) isn't the best way to deal with topics that make you uncomfortable or with people whose opinions you don't share. If, for example, you believe that reporting spam to Google is wrong or counterproductive, why not tell us why and use logic to support your position?
I have on several threads, Just like the one that I listed above, it's just that logic does not convince people who's minds are already made up, like yours.
Some people have decided that the way to success for their one and only site is to turn in your competitors for spam, spam being anything they don't understand or like, and of course any site that is beating theirs in the SERP must be spaming.
I personally think that is wrong, but then I am sure you would not approve of the way I get sites in the travel industry top 5 placement. ;-)
The topic of spam does not make me uncomfortable - I used to be (on another well known SEO forum) a crusader against "Spam", until I figured out that trying to fight "Spam" was an exercise in futility and fighting “Spam” was helping a company (Google) that would like to see all the people in my profession working at McDonalds.
People want to succeed and make money, they don’t care what a Search Engine’s policies are. Note I said a Search Engine’s POLICIES, not law, not regulations, just some companies policy. A policy that I might add that is not very well concieved.
Let me ask you this - If for under $2000.00 someone can get a domain and a working site then place that site in the top 5 for a competitive key word where they were making an average of (low end) $300.00 a day and it took a minium 5 or 6 months (usually much longer) for Google (or any Spam fighter) to ban this domain - would that $2000.00 be worth it? Of course it would, and this happens everyday, all day. How you gonna fight this? And please don't start spouting "I fight Spam for truth, justice and the American way" - cuz you don't. You do it so your site will be #1.
[edited by: Lots0 at 3:30 am (utc) on Jan. 12, 2003]
tunayilmaz, glad you had a spot-on experience.
And mosley700, if you're willing, fill out a spam report on that $29 million dotcom--make sure you include evidence with specific urls or queries that demonstrate cloaking. We'll check it out.
Wow, GG, impressive.
The topic of spam does not make me uncomfortable - I used to be (on another well known SEO forum) a crusader against "Spam", until I figured out that trying to fight "Spam" was an exercise in futility and fighting “Spam” was helping a company (Google) that would like to see all the people in my profession working at McDonalds.People want to succeed and make money, they don’t care what a Search Engine’s policies are. Note I said a Search Engine’s POLICIES, not law, not regulations, just some companies policy. A policy that I might add that is not very well concieved.
You sound suspiciously like a guy who used to post here. No matter: I have no desire to rehash the issue of whether helping private companies maintain the accuracy of their search results is a communistic contribution to corporate greed. :-)
The original post in this thread asked: "I was wondering if anyone has had any luck filling out spam reports." GoogleGuy's latest post suggests that the answer is "Yes." As a longtime Web surfer who uses Google as a search engine (and not just as a promotional tool), I consider that good news, but I won't question your right to have a different opinion.
You sound suspiciously like a guy who used to post hereNope not me. <added>But he sounds like a great guy - Lots0 is the only "handle" I have ever had here</added>
Funny efv you asked for logical arguments - when I give them to you , you just ignore them.
And GG I know of a large .com that is using IP redirection (cloaking) Should I turn them in? Oh never mind, you work for them...
Funny efv you asked for logical arguments - when I give them to you , you just ignore them.
What logical arguments? Statements like "Some people have decided that the way to success for their one and only site is to turn in your competitors for spam, spam being anything they don't understand or like, and of course any site that is beating theirs in the SERP must be spaming"? That horse is already dead; it doesn't need to be beaten again. :-)
If for under $2000.00 someone can get a domain and a working site then place that site in the top 5 for a competitive key word where they were making an average of (low end) $300.00 a day and it took a minium 5 or 6 months (usually much longer) for Google (or any Spam fighter) to ban this domain - would that $2000.00 be worth it?
