4 ms·

Because of the SEO, most of the news sites are already clickbaits with junk information in them, it seems like this will grow a new industry: Link-tax-optimizat

Because of the SEO, most of the news sites are already clickbaits with junk information in them, it seems like this will grow a new industry: Link-tax-optimization.

wslh 7y ago
It is true that mass media is plenty of clickbaits with junk information in them. It is also true that these clickbaits are driving profits to Google. I don't know what is the "ethical" business solution to this problem but I know that Google, at least, is favoring clickbaits and text spinning over quality. If you write a good blog with a single article per week it will be in the tail of searchers below text spinning content that has a higher frequency of updates.
- tomComb 7y ago
  Isn't it consumers who are favoring clickbait (which then drivers publishers to do the same)?
  - wslh 7y ago
    Consumers are being deceived by clickbaits.
    - tomComb 7y ago
      I don't agree - to me it seems that one can easily identify and therefor avoid clickbait without clicking on it.
      - wslh 7y ago
        > I don't agree - to me it seems that one can easily identify and therefor avoid clickbait without clicking on it. Do you mean your grandma and grandpa can easily identify clickbaits?
        Nasrudith 7y ago
        Why not? They should have plenty of practice at it from Supermarket Tabloids. If they can't it is a general matter of mental decline and a claim that the elderly are even a population proportionate driver of clickbait is dubious.
- Nasrudith 7y ago
  Detecting 'quality'? Why not request that Google create a Research AI that cures all cancers? That task would be simpler as it is actually something which can be objectively defined and worked towards unlike general purpose detection of 'quality'. Plus if they were to actually achieve such an unrealistic goal it is one and done as opposed to a system which would be gamed constantly by those seeking to maximize their profits. The problem is fundamentally systemic. It is a price/reward ratio dependent upon users and the satisfaction of the advertising clients.
reaperducer 7y ago
I wonder if the news sites wouldn't be so awful if they weren't getting their content leached by Facebook and Google. I frequent the web sites of a two publications that block both crawlers and social media referrers, and they're quite civilized. Maybe if they news organizations weren't addicted to the tech companies, their sites wouldn't look like a meth addict's grin.
- crocodiletears 7y ago
  That's the most disturbingly apt analogy I've ever seen for news sites.
- wutbrodo 7y ago
  > I frequent the web sites of a two publications that block both crawlers and social media referrers, and they're quite civilized. I'd guess the causal arrow flows in the other direction. Publications that are explicitly targeting a smaller, more specific market can afford to avoid courting the kind of person who get their news from Facebook. But pubs that are going for a broader audience can't ignore this channel. I know someone's going to respond "maybe they shouldn't be targeting that audience then" but....why? If CNN stops pandering to the average dimbulb and said dimbulb's Facebook feed becomes even more dominated by Macedonian (actual) fake news sites, is that _better_, for either the reader or for society? The irreducible reality is that most people like the kind of crap that mainstream news sites put out, and those people need to get their news from somewhere. (By the way, this doesn't exclude mainstream "prestige" publications like the NYT that pretend they're going for high-minded audiences; their drivel just has one layer extra of tidying up than CNN's does).
choward 7y ago
Prime example: I opened up cnn.com which some people consider to be a news web site. The main headline is "Experts say grocery stores may need to keep customers out" (https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/19/business/grocery-stores-coronavirus-pickup-delivery/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/19/business/grocery-stores-coron...). The real story is that grocery store workers are dying but a title based on that isn't clickbaity enough. It has to make you think the article actually affects you so you click it. I probably wouldn't have clicked the link if it was about grocery store workers getting covid-19. And of course their "experts" are just random people who said some things. And they mention that even if they do keep customers out they while still have pickup and possibly delivery. So who cares about that part of the story then? Apparently it's not going to affect me. The media has done nothing to prevent panic buying and everything to encourage it with these click bait headlines. There is no reason stores should be running out of anything but PPE and other things where demand naturally shot up because covid-19 like PPE and disinfectant. Demand for toilet paper only went up because of the media (and government). The other thing the media has been doing is shaming people but I'm not going to go there.
- ta1771 7y ago
  Is this a CNN problem, or indicative of a society problem? (IMO: both.)
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- argomo 7y ago
  Stores run out of toilet paper because we're no longer popping at work: https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about-the-toilet-paper-shortage-c812e1358fe0 https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about... The lockdowns have precipitated a huge shift in how we eat and what/where we purchase things. The supply chain is responding, but pivoting is expensive and groceries are a low margin business... the shortages could have been a lot worse. Going forward we may see shortages in imported foods/produce due to pandemic impacts in other countries and/or regulatory/logistics problems getting that food to market. I'm not saying that the media has been responsible, just don't discount the bigger picture of changes in consumer behaviour.
nitwit005 7y ago
I was thinking the other direction. I'm sure companies will start insisting they are not news organizations if laws like this keep popping up, because people won't want to pay the costs involved in linking to news.

Because of the SEO, most of the news sites are already clickbaits with junk information in them, it seems like this will grow a new industry: Link-tax-optimization.

wslh 7y ago

It is true that mass media is plenty of clickbaits with junk information in them. It is also true that these clickbaits are driving profits to Google. I don't know what is the "ethical" business solution to this problem but I know that Google, at least, is favoring clickbaits and text spinning over quality. If you write a good blog with a single article per week it will be in the tail of searchers below text spinning content that has a higher frequency of updates.

tomComb 7y ago
Isn't it consumers who are favoring clickbait (which then drivers publishers to do the same)?
- wslh 7y ago
  Consumers are being deceived by clickbaits.
  - tomComb 7y ago
    I don't agree - to me it seems that one can easily identify and therefor avoid clickbait without clicking on it.
    - wslh 7y ago
      > I don't agree - to me it seems that one can easily identify and therefor avoid clickbait without clicking on it. Do you mean your grandma and grandpa can easily identify clickbaits?
      - Nasrudith 7y ago
        Why not? They should have plenty of practice at it from Supermarket Tabloids. If they can't it is a general matter of mental decline and a claim that the elderly are even a population proportionate driver of clickbait is dubious.
Nasrudith 7y ago
Detecting 'quality'? Why not request that Google create a Research AI that cures all cancers? That task would be simpler as it is actually something which can be objectively defined and worked towards unlike general purpose detection of 'quality'. Plus if they were to actually achieve such an unrealistic goal it is one and done as opposed to a system which would be gamed constantly by those seeking to maximize their profits. The problem is fundamentally systemic. It is a price/reward ratio dependent upon users and the satisfaction of the advertising clients.

reaperducer 7y ago

I wonder if the news sites wouldn't be so awful if they weren't getting their content leached by Facebook and Google. I frequent the web sites of a two publications that block both crawlers and social media referrers, and they're quite civilized. Maybe if they news organizations weren't addicted to the tech companies, their sites wouldn't look like a meth addict's grin.

crocodiletears 7y ago
That's the most disturbingly apt analogy I've ever seen for news sites.
wutbrodo 7y ago
> I frequent the web sites of a two publications that block both crawlers and social media referrers, and they're quite civilized. I'd guess the causal arrow flows in the other direction. Publications that are explicitly targeting a smaller, more specific market can afford to avoid courting the kind of person who get their news from Facebook. But pubs that are going for a broader audience can't ignore this channel. I know someone's going to respond "maybe they shouldn't be targeting that audience then" but....why? If CNN stops pandering to the average dimbulb and said dimbulb's Facebook feed becomes even more dominated by Macedonian (actual) fake news sites, is that _better_, for either the reader or for society? The irreducible reality is that most people like the kind of crap that mainstream news sites put out, and those people need to get their news from somewhere. (By the way, this doesn't exclude mainstream "prestige" publications like the NYT that pretend they're going for high-minded audiences; their drivel just has one layer extra of tidying up than CNN's does).

choward 7y ago

Prime example: I opened up cnn.com which some people consider to be a news web site. The main headline is "Experts say grocery stores may need to keep customers out" (https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/19/business/grocery-stores-coronavirus-pickup-delivery/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/19/business/grocery-stores-coron...). The real story is that grocery store workers are dying but a title based on that isn't clickbaity enough. It has to make you think the article actually affects you so you click it. I probably wouldn't have clicked the link if it was about grocery store workers getting covid-19. And of course their "experts" are just random people who said some things. And they mention that even if they do keep customers out they while still have pickup and possibly delivery. So who cares about that part of the story then? Apparently it's not going to affect me. The media has done nothing to prevent panic buying and everything to encourage it with these click bait headlines. There is no reason stores should be running out of anything but PPE and other things where demand naturally shot up because covid-19 like PPE and disinfectant. Demand for toilet paper only went up because of the media (and government). The other thing the media has been doing is shaming people but I'm not going to go there.

ta1771 7y ago
Is this a CNN problem, or indicative of a society problem? (IMO: both.)
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
argomo 7y ago
Stores run out of toilet paper because we're no longer popping at work: https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about-the-toilet-paper-shortage-c812e1358fe0 https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about... The lockdowns have precipitated a huge shift in how we eat and what/where we purchase things. The supply chain is responding, but pivoting is expensive and groceries are a low margin business... the shortages could have been a lot worse. Going forward we may see shortages in imported foods/produce due to pandemic impacts in other countries and/or regulatory/logistics problems getting that food to market. I'm not saying that the media has been responsible, just don't discount the bigger picture of changes in consumer behaviour.

nitwit005 7y ago

I was thinking the other direction. I'm sure companies will start insisting they are not news organizations if laws like this keep popping up, because people won't want to pay the costs involved in linking to news.