8 ms·
I always wonder if an open search algorithm would be better or worse? If Google let everyone see the magic, would outsiders be able to make it better so things
by blakesterz 10y ago
I always wonder if an open search algorithm would be better or worse? If Google let everyone see the magic, would outsiders be able to make it better so things like this don't happen? Would the white hats wing against the black hats if it was open to all?
- praptak 10y agoWhy would that matter? Do you think Stormfront are somehow at advantage when it comes to gaming unpublished algorithms?
- gaius 10y agoGiven the Santorum thing, nope...
- wutbrodo 10y agoI thought I knew what the Santorum thing being referenced here is, but maybe I'm wrong: how was Stormfront related in any way?
- gaius 10y agoThe question was, do Stormfront have an advantage here, and the answer I gave was, no, because left-wingers have previously successfully manipulated Google's algorithm to a much greater extent.
- FT_intern 10y agono one would understand the algorithm
- placeybordeaux 10y agoWe analyze and compare things that we don't understand all the time.
- placeybordeaux 10y agoWe analyze and compare things that we don't understand all the time.
- jdietrich 10y agoAlmost certainly worse. As it stands, SEOs fear Google and the webspam team like they're the Wizard of Oz. You have a strong incentive to follow the letter and the spirit of the webmaster guidelines, because you don't know exactly what's going on behind the curtain. Once you start bending the rules, you're living in fear of being banned. If the algorithm was completely transparent, it would give a home-field advantage to spammy SEOs, who could operate at the absolute limit of what is permissible. Legitimate sites that lack the resources to aggressively manipulate their SEO would be at a substantial disadvantage. To give a real-world analogy, imagine a department store that decides not to prosecute shoplifters caught with less than $20 worth of stolen goods. If the rule is kept secret, then it's a perfectly reasonable tradeoff between security and the cost of enforcement. If the rule is publicly known, then shoplifters can spend all day stealing $19.99 products with total impunity.