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The thing is though that these 3 major search engines do, for the most part, return "acceptable" results and so users continue to use them. Perhaps human edited directories like DMOZ do/can/might return better results, it seems like the average user has no reason to go looking for something better since the SERPs from Google and Yahoo are still acceptable at this point. It would be interesting however if a huge directory like DMOZ did a multi-million dollar advertising campaign and got a bunch of people to actually use it.
Of course you still have the problem of freshness which current directories just don't have. I think that's another reason people like to use search engines, because they know they can find info on anything they are looking for, even if it takes a few extra minutes to get past the spam, etc.
Still, it seems like niche directories/portals have got to be the future of "search" ...
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What are advanced features in Toolbar 3.0?
[google.com...]
Pagerank is not dead Im with brett on this one
"The toolbar pr indicator has been offline many times before. It's just a "we are working on it" glitch..."
[edited by: The_Grizzler at 5:22 pm (utc) on May 30, 2005]
They rid themselves of Pagerank technology but never told the webmasters
Or, perhaps.. they are still using PageRank, just don't want to tip their hand and help those that want to manipulate [enhance] their results? (US!)
It's a challenge to be overcome. Google does not owe webmasters or SEO's any keys to their algo. They also do not owe webmasters an easy way to put value on their linking pages by announcing their PR value, thereby - further eroding Google's control over what they think is machine determined relevance.
Personally, I am surprised they did not pull the PR number as soon as text links were being sold on that basis.
Before PR, there was SEO... and thereafter
<hint>Perhaps they will allow Google Advertising Professionals, or "certified by Google" SEO's to take a peek. Or charge a fee. </hint>
Without getting into the old black/white hat argument, White Hat SEO's help them deliver their product.
Exactly! it is a slap in the face, no matter how ya slice it.. they keep getting the goods from us and personally I feel we keep getting the cold shoulder, I really think it is about themselves and not the good of the webmasters... always felt this way actually.
They gain we loose... unless they start being more vocal I cant take them seriously since them going IPO, hickup I mean bent over for the fund managers.....
I see 'em so deep in ^%$# they got flies buzzin' round their ears.
Hollywood
Always just my very well educated opinions...
As developers, we use logic to create our magic. Why not apply the same logic to whats going on?
Google will from time to time have glitches. We've all seen some pretty weird stuff happen, whether it be a problem with servers, problems with sites being indexed faster than others or Google themselves being hacked.
While they are a public company, whether they choose to carry on with PR or not has nothing to do with their ability to make money. thus, they do not have to report it.
From a marketing standpoint, it would make sense for them to say something IF the PR is a thing of the past. They havent said anything, so its not unrealistic to expect that PR is still around, warts and all.
Google just released a beta version of their new toolbar, and for anyone willing to do more than just skim over it, you'll see that on the second page, the PR is right there, in all its glory.
The PR went down Friday afternoon, just at the start of the Memorial Day long weekend. A coincidence? Anyone who has completed any type of launch will tell you that the weekend is the best time for a go/no go launch. If the PR is being updated or revamped, a long weekend when many Americans should be enjoying the good weather, wont be online worries about the toolbar.
PR is here to stay. Thats not to say that it wont be revamped or improved, but PR is the whole basis that Google started with. Its their foundation. To turn their back on it would be a PR (public relations) problem. Can you imagine the spin: Google Admits PR is Garbage: Starts with Something New
I have a sneaking suspicion that by tomorrow morning, the toolbar will be working and all the grey clouds will be lifted.
spiff
What are advanced features in Toolbar 3.0?
The advanced features for the Google Toolbar 3.0 are PageRank, AutoLink, SpellCheck, and WordTranslator.
The PageRank button indicates the PageRank for the page you're currently viewing. PageRank is the importance Google assigns to a page based on an automatic calculation of factors such as the link structure of the web. For more information on PageRank, please visit [google.com...]
Some of the hypocrisy that runs in this thread is unbelievable.
I hate to be the one to bring you the bad news but google is there for regular Joe surfer NOT the webmasters.
Google had a great search engine who used an ingenious new method to decide which pages are relevant for the keywords that were presented.
Unfortunately, they revealed too much about the inner workings of their engine, which led to a lot of webmasters misusing this information to put their sites first on the search results.
People are complaining that google's search engine is broken and they are right. It is broken. But it is not broken because of google, it is broken because of seo and those same webmasters who throw the blame on google.
Look how beautiful google was before the seo boom. The SERP's were right on the mark and it was truly the best search engine available. Now, it is not.
I am sorry to say that, but 99% of all the affiliate sites have no useful content whatsoever. They are no more useful than any other ad you see on T.V or in a newspaper. Actually, they are worse. Lots of affiliates give false or not entirely true information about their products.
And don't tell me about white or black hat seo. All seo is bad. Exchanging even 1 link, already puts you on the side of the tricksters. If your site was really useful, with good content, it would have gotten to the top NATURALLY. Just like in the beginning (Remember that?).
I am aware that people will do anything to make money. I don't blame them for not caring about ruining the search engine for me or any other Internet user, selfishness is only human nature. But to come here and say the google messed it up? Come on...
I reckon by this time tomorrow it will be back. (or maybe the day after - failing that it will be back soon - i think)
