Yikes, I’ve angered the Google gods
Note: none of the search result pages above contain links to justinsomnia.org.
I’m assuming it’s just a temporary blip on their end. Makes that convenient little search box on the top right pretty useless though.
Worse than others not coming to my blog to find something they might be looking for, I can’t freaking find anything on my blog anymore. Frankly this is the first time I’ve felt vulnerable as a result of my dependence on Google for retrieving my own information. Granted I’m no Answers.com, but I’m no splog either.
Update: a full and exhilarating report explaining why can be found at Search Engine Marketeers are the new script kiddies.
LMAO
Okay. I know why it came up, but it still amuses me that a sponsored link with your name is described as “Watch Free Commercials with Gay and Lesbian Themes.”
Thank you, internet, for immortalizing my good friend Justin in this way. May everyone, everywhere, have free access to LGBT-themed commercials.
I ♥ teh lgbt cummershulz!!1
Google thought its own blog was a splog, so … yeah. Power!
wow, I just randumbly put characters into the location bar, and then came to this splog?!?!?! should have used google :(
Site search on this website returns no documents. Looks like you got served. What’s the read out in Webmaster Tools?
Two things: “Googlebot last successfully accessed your home page on Aug 10, 2007” and “No pages from your site are currently included in Google’s index.”
Searching for site:justinsomnia.org is apparently the definitive way to determine whether my site exists in Google’s index. That of course returns: “Your search did not match any documents.” Ouch.
Anyway, I just posted a complaint on the Google Group for Google Webmaster Help: Dropped from Google on August 8th, 2007? (in addition to having already filled out “Dissatisfied? Help us improve” at the bottom of search results for “justinsomnia” and “justin watt”).
Hi,
I think one of the comments here is from Matt Cutts => if that is true and his comment is correct then you certainly have broken some of googles rules.
Having said that somewhere, some place there needs to be a serious discussion about google, as at the moment they have the right to censor any of their listings, as any company would have, but as they, effectively, control a large percentage of Web traffic, they effectively form a body not dissimilar to the Chinese Politburo.
There needs to be a world wide discussion as to whether it is right or legal for a corporation to have such power.
Many people are scared to discuss google, effective, censoring of the Internet because of the fear they will be censured.
Anyway that’s just my 2 cents worth. ron@mynetshack.com
Ron, the first comment from “matt” is from my friend who blogs at antigenius.net, not Matt Cutts who blogs at mattcutts.com. So whether I have broken any rules remains to be seen.
Clearly I am not one of the people to scared to discuss the effect of Google because I am blogging about it. Though I’m upset about not showing up in their index (and believe it to be a mistake) I am more frustrated that there isn’t a transparent process for getting relisted. In the meantime, the best I can do is publicize my experience.
shouldn’t you point to the later Search-Engine Script Kiddies entry somewhere at the end of this blog entry?
As google, I’d otherwise consider you to be breaking rule # 42: badmouthing a behemoth even if you know by now, that said behemoth is innocent. This time at least :>.
Peter, a complete oversight on my part. Fixed.
I’m not sure I understand your rule 42 reference (other than that it’s the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything), but considering statements I made like, I’m assuming it’s just a temporary blip on their end, I never felt like I was badmouthing Google.
If anything I was frustrated by their lack of transparency or advance notice (given their “power” [to drive traffic]), which I made known at every step in the process.
I was informed that the lack of advance notice was actually a bug.