SEO and its opposite, Googlewash [1]. Writing on the Googlewashing episode in the New York Times, Stanford linguist Geoffrey Nunberg warned [2] that: The ranki

SEO and its opposite, Googlewash [1]. Writing on the Googlewashing episode in the New York Times, Stanford linguist Geoffrey Nunberg warned [2] that: The rankings give disproportionate weight to opinions of the activists and enthusiasts that may be at odds with the views of the larger public. It's as if the United Nations General Assembly made all its decisions by referring the question to whichever nation cares most about the issue: the Swiss get to rule on watchmaking, the Japanese on whaling. That seems quite prophetic now. And there are links between gaming the system for political gain then and now. [3] Oh, and the feedback loop [4]. [1] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/04/03/antiwar_slogan_coined_repurposed/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/04/03/antiwar_slogan_coine... [2] http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/18/weekinreview/18NUNB.html http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/18/weekinreview/18NUNB.html [3] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/28/web_politics_how_real/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/28/web_politics_how_rea... [4] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/26/britannica_slaps_google/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/26/britannica_slaps_goo...