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>> We know people don’t find content helpful if it seems like it was designed to attract clicks rather than inform readers. So... Back when "SEO" was new, I wo

>> We know people don’t find content helpful if it seems like it was designed to attract clicks rather than inform readers. So... Back when "SEO" was new, I would read the Matt Cutts blog. He was head of "anti-spam." I remember thinking back then that anti-spam was an ignorant frame. Once Google gained importance, websites started trying to improve their rankings. That might mean migrating from Flash to HTML. It might mean meta-tags, content, keyword stuffing, link collecting... paying a consultant. Google's early view/advice seemed to be: "Just ignore rankings. You do your thing, makes your site as useful you can. We'll do our thing: judging your site algorithmically and deciding how to rank it." Websites intentionally trying to improve rankings was ipso facto spam. The very idea of SEO was spam. Naturally, cracks appeared. Flash and embedded images was an early one. Google's initial position was: "HTML is better for users." They thought websites should use clean HTML regardless of rankings. No contradictions need be confronted Once a two sided conversation starts, that crack becomes a wedge. It becomes clear that website owners don't care about the usability of plain html text. Usability doesn't matter until you have users... and users come from Google. The "language" of SEO continued developing in this disingenuous way. Google pretended to be giving tips about accessibility or content, that tangentially also improve rankings. Websites pretended that their keyword stuffing was about usability or whatnot. Google have been carrying this culture of euphemisation for almost 20 years now. Elephants stampede all over the meeting room. Everyone tries hard to pretend they don't hear the deafening trumpeting. Youtube is an even more extreme example. Google's algorithms, policies and processes throw an entire media industry around, while Google pretend these are just minor side effects, or that it isn't happening. The gaslighting is awful.

gsatic 4y ago
They lost control long long ago. It's basically a Jurassic Park story at this stage.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
kylecordes 4y ago
I agree with you, but Google also faces a perhaps impossible problem of how to detect good content on YouTube. They can look at how long people watch; but that ends up rewarding rambling pointless blather when a concise two minute video would be perfect. They can look at likes or subscribes, but that causes many wasted human lifetimes per day, of people saying and listening to pleading to click said buttons.
- bsedlm 4y ago
  no longer true, a lot of videos have autogenerated captions. so that's a start, it's text, use text ranking techniques.
- dalbasal 4y ago
  >> Google also faces a perhaps impossible problem of how to detect good content on YouTube Perhaps, but only because Google is being small minded. Define the "problem" in a certain way, and come up with certain solutions. A broader minded frame would define the problem(s) more broadly. Presenting users with UI. Creating a good, or at least respectful, commercial incentives framework for creators. The litmus for this is the content. What content gets created. Mitigating or avoiding bad consequences, like spiraling towards pointless blather. Yes, this would require subjective decision making, but at least it doesn't require dim witted, corporate delusion. Call the dog by its name.

gsatic 4y ago

They lost control long long ago. It's basically a Jurassic Park story at this stage.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

kylecordes 4y ago

I agree with you, but Google also faces a perhaps impossible problem of how to detect good content on YouTube. They can look at how long people watch; but that ends up rewarding rambling pointless blather when a concise two minute video would be perfect. They can look at likes or subscribes, but that causes many wasted human lifetimes per day, of people saying and listening to pleading to click said buttons.

bsedlm 4y ago
no longer true, a lot of videos have autogenerated captions. so that's a start, it's text, use text ranking techniques.
dalbasal 4y ago
>> Google also faces a perhaps impossible problem of how to detect good content on YouTube Perhaps, but only because Google is being small minded. Define the "problem" in a certain way, and come up with certain solutions. A broader minded frame would define the problem(s) more broadly. Presenting users with UI. Creating a good, or at least respectful, commercial incentives framework for creators. The litmus for this is the content. What content gets created. Mitigating or avoiding bad consequences, like spiraling towards pointless blather. Yes, this would require subjective decision making, but at least it doesn't require dim witted, corporate delusion. Call the dog by its name.