7 ms·

Got their attention. Looks like they are changing their tune. @jasonjm75 @randfish feel stupid in retrospect - gonna stop - but I hope google revisits how ALL

by 8ig8 13y ago

Got their attention. Looks like they are changing their tune. @jasonjm75 @randfish feel stupid in retrospect - gonna stop - but I hope google revisits how ALL lyrics sites do SEO! our competition is... doing some ULTRA shady stuff! I have no doubt in my mind that they pay for links https://twitter.com/RapGenius/status/415297097072537601 https://twitter.com/RapGenius/status/415297097072537601 https://twitter.com/RapGenius/status/415297158896553985 https://twitter.com/RapGenius/status/415297158896553985

minimaxir 13y ago
Said tweets were immediately deleted.
drawkbox 13y ago
In all fairness, rapgenius does have some of the best content and it really is the best information for lyrics. It sucks they have to resort to this to get good information above spammy lyrics sites. I actually thought rapgenius was a good idea solely because the alternative was spammy almost like before stackoverflow. So yes it is wrong in every way to manipulate the system but how can you get noticed if others are doing it. If anything they shined a light on the problem and the better information should win in google which is fair.
- md224 13y ago
  > So yes it is wrong in every way to manipulate the system but how can you get noticed if others are doing it. If anything they shined a light on the problem and the better information should win in google which is fair. I really don't buy this post hoc justification of RapGenius's actions. I understand the world is a complex place where we often have to make compromises, but saying "Poor RapGenius, forced into using black hat SEO" is kind of ridiculous. These guys (or at least the guy in charge of "growth hacking") enthusiastically made quid pro quo deals for backlinks. I try to be polite on the Internet, but all I can say is fuck that. > In all fairness, rapgenius does have some of the best content and it really is the best information for lyrics. I agree... which is why it's a shame that I'm going to look elsewhere from now on.
  - drawkbox 13y ago
    Stackoverflow had the same problem with expertsexchange early on, they didn't resort to it which rapgenius shouldn't have. I am just saying that really the best content should win, here it isn't due to manipulation by other entities not just rapgenius. It might be more of a google problem. rapgenius might say here, 'don't hate the playa hate teh game son!'
    - md224 13y ago
      Of course, in an ideal world we wouldn't have a black hat SEO arms race. But as you mentioned, Stack Overflow managed to flourish without resorting to those tactics. The context is important, but it doesn't forgive their actions. > rapgenius might say here, 'don't hate the playa hate teh game son!' That's a nice phrase, but I think I'm going to go ahead and hate both.
      - twic 13y ago
        > Stack Overflow managed to flourish without resorting to those tactics Well, or Stack Overflow managed to flourish without resorting to those tactics and getting found out. [subs - please insert dramatic chipmunk here]
    - gaius 13y ago
      I am not sure they are directly comparable - unless rappers themselves are choosing the site, just like programmers themselves (ourselves) voted with our feet. Aren't people searching for lyrics more of a casual browser type?
  - zmitri 13y ago
    If you don't mind me asking, why is this such a big deal to you that you would stop going to Rap Genius? As a music lover myself, I consistently go back to Rap Genius because I know they have the most interesting content. I don't understand why you would be willing to abandon that because a claim (although it seems to be justified) that they might be breaking a rule created by a corporate entity that is often used to enforce their own agenda - putting Google+ results up top in results seems much, much worse than this to me! How can the proprietary Google ranking algorithm be such holiness that a simple infraction causes such vitriol?
- AznHisoka 13y ago
  It's not a right to have your content ranked, even if it's better than others. Google is a business, not a charity.
  - ihatehandles 13y ago
    Take note people.
  - skj 13y ago
    Google's mission is to make the world's information universally accessible. If rapgenius contains information that other sites do not, and people want that information, it is Google's mission to bring those people to rapgenius.
alecsmart1 13y ago
Looks like they deleted the tweets.
danso 13y ago
Looks like the tweets got deleted...in any case, am I missing something here. Is the email received by the OP actually sent by a human? RapGenius already has high results...it can't be terribly efficient for a co-founder to be sending manual link requests, right? Terms of service aside
pathdependent 13y ago
I'm glad they stopped. I'm also glad they deleted this comment, although I would have been happier if they simply never made it. When I read it, I felt like I was watching a toddler who, after being caught cheating, complained "so did Sally!" Just announce your _mea culpa_, and stop doing it. And, if you need to adopt strategies that do boost your ranks -- _which, given that RapGenius is a great service_, I don't think is long-term necessary -- avoid the patently obvious ones.

by 8ig8 13y ago

minimaxir 13y ago

Said tweets were immediately deleted.

drawkbox 13y ago

In all fairness, rapgenius does have some of the best content and it really is the best information for lyrics. It sucks they have to resort to this to get good information above spammy lyrics sites. I actually thought rapgenius was a good idea solely because the alternative was spammy almost like before stackoverflow. So yes it is wrong in every way to manipulate the system but how can you get noticed if others are doing it. If anything they shined a light on the problem and the better information should win in google which is fair.

md224 13y ago
> So yes it is wrong in every way to manipulate the system but how can you get noticed if others are doing it. If anything they shined a light on the problem and the better information should win in google which is fair. I really don't buy this post hoc justification of RapGenius's actions. I understand the world is a complex place where we often have to make compromises, but saying "Poor RapGenius, forced into using black hat SEO" is kind of ridiculous. These guys (or at least the guy in charge of "growth hacking") enthusiastically made quid pro quo deals for backlinks. I try to be polite on the Internet, but all I can say is fuck that. > In all fairness, rapgenius does have some of the best content and it really is the best information for lyrics. I agree... which is why it's a shame that I'm going to look elsewhere from now on.
- drawkbox 13y ago
  Stackoverflow had the same problem with expertsexchange early on, they didn't resort to it which rapgenius shouldn't have. I am just saying that really the best content should win, here it isn't due to manipulation by other entities not just rapgenius. It might be more of a google problem. rapgenius might say here, 'don't hate the playa hate teh game son!'
  - md224 13y ago
    Of course, in an ideal world we wouldn't have a black hat SEO arms race. But as you mentioned, Stack Overflow managed to flourish without resorting to those tactics. The context is important, but it doesn't forgive their actions. > rapgenius might say here, 'don't hate the playa hate teh game son!' That's a nice phrase, but I think I'm going to go ahead and hate both.
    - twic 13y ago
      > Stack Overflow managed to flourish without resorting to those tactics Well, or Stack Overflow managed to flourish without resorting to those tactics and getting found out. [subs - please insert dramatic chipmunk here]
  - gaius 13y ago
    I am not sure they are directly comparable - unless rappers themselves are choosing the site, just like programmers themselves (ourselves) voted with our feet. Aren't people searching for lyrics more of a casual browser type?
- zmitri 13y ago
  If you don't mind me asking, why is this such a big deal to you that you would stop going to Rap Genius? As a music lover myself, I consistently go back to Rap Genius because I know they have the most interesting content. I don't understand why you would be willing to abandon that because a claim (although it seems to be justified) that they might be breaking a rule created by a corporate entity that is often used to enforce their own agenda - putting Google+ results up top in results seems much, much worse than this to me! How can the proprietary Google ranking algorithm be such holiness that a simple infraction causes such vitriol?
AznHisoka 13y ago
It's not a right to have your content ranked, even if it's better than others. Google is a business, not a charity.
- ihatehandles 13y ago
  Take note people.
- skj 13y ago
  Google's mission is to make the world's information universally accessible. If rapgenius contains information that other sites do not, and people want that information, it is Google's mission to bring those people to rapgenius.

alecsmart1 13y ago

Looks like they deleted the tweets.

danso 13y ago

Looks like the tweets got deleted...in any case, am I missing something here. Is the email received by the OP actually sent by a human? RapGenius already has high results...it can't be terribly efficient for a co-founder to be sending manual link requests, right? Terms of service aside

pathdependent 13y ago

I'm glad they stopped. I'm also glad they deleted this comment, although I would have been happier if they simply never made it. When I read it, I felt like I was watching a toddler who, after being caught cheating, complained "so did Sally!" Just announce your _mea culpa_, and stop doing it. And, if you need to adopt strategies that do boost your ranks -- _which, given that RapGenius is a great service_, I don't think is long-term necessary -- avoid the patently obvious ones.