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EgoGoogling
Feb. 16th, 2007 12:15 pmAbout once a month I like to do an egosearch (normally through Google) for "Rodford Edmiston," which is my pen name. Among other results, I am impressed by how many sites link to one particular article on the F-104 - and wish I could have a dollar for each of those links. (Not even the click-throughs; just the links.) I am also impressed with the stupidity of people who, rather than linking, "quote" the entire article, including the Copyright notice and instruction to request permission before reproducing. Unfortunately, these are all apparently outside the US. Since the article is several years old, and since they do keep my name and e-mail address with it I haven't bothered with protesting.
I have noticed, though, that many of these hits are for pages completely inappropriate to the file being linked to. For example, I wrote a series of rather raunchy stories about an American-born kitsune and his girlfriend, under the group label The Fox Kid. I keep seeing these stories or the page they're on linked to on sites dedicated to the Fox Network's children's program. Either these people are trying to get themselves (And me!) in trouble, or they never checked the links after doing a blind search for them. I've actually e-mailed several of these, pointing out that the links are to material inappropriate for children, with no replies or remedial action taken.
Are some Web sites created completely automatically, with someone selecting parameters (such as search phrases to find links) and just letting the software work? That would explain a lot of this.
One other thing about these searches is the occasional response to someone posting or linking to something of mine to make a point in a forum. I have repeatedly had someone - presumably after reading the carefully-researched article on the F-104 in which I carefully debunk certain myths about the plane - repeat those myths as fact, and say I'm wrong. They don't present any evidence for their statement because, well, they simply know they're right, no matter what evidence to the contrary I have presented. So they don't actually defend their position, merely state it. And they never e-mail their "corrections" to me. They simply tell whoever cited my work that I'm stupid, so there. *Sigh*
I have noticed, though, that many of these hits are for pages completely inappropriate to the file being linked to. For example, I wrote a series of rather raunchy stories about an American-born kitsune and his girlfriend, under the group label The Fox Kid. I keep seeing these stories or the page they're on linked to on sites dedicated to the Fox Network's children's program. Either these people are trying to get themselves (And me!) in trouble, or they never checked the links after doing a blind search for them. I've actually e-mailed several of these, pointing out that the links are to material inappropriate for children, with no replies or remedial action taken.
Are some Web sites created completely automatically, with someone selecting parameters (such as search phrases to find links) and just letting the software work? That would explain a lot of this.
One other thing about these searches is the occasional response to someone posting or linking to something of mine to make a point in a forum. I have repeatedly had someone - presumably after reading the carefully-researched article on the F-104 in which I carefully debunk certain myths about the plane - repeat those myths as fact, and say I'm wrong. They don't present any evidence for their statement because, well, they simply know they're right, no matter what evidence to the contrary I have presented. So they don't actually defend their position, merely state it. And they never e-mail their "corrections" to me. They simply tell whoever cited my work that I'm stupid, so there. *Sigh*
