Toolbar Hysteria – It Isn’t Really a Penalty
Here are some posts from Rand, Andy and Daniel on today’s toolbar hysteria. What I find most interesting about all the blog posts popping up is the constant use of the word penalty. To me, that just isn’t an accurate description; at least not in the sense that anything has changed recently.
Google has stated many times publicly that they do track and monitor sites that either sell links, or engage in excessive cross-linking. And they have also been pretty clear about the fact that they have the ability to prevent a site from passing juice, without necessarily impacting that site’s own ability to rank. Now that’s a pretty cool system, but the problem Google faces is the fact that is a) most people have no idea that there are two sides to PR, and b) the amount of green showing on the toolbar is still the primary factor used to determine price in the text link market.
Sites like Forbes haven’t been passing any significant juice for quite some time. Yet Forbes continues to have a steady stream of advertisers willing to pay rates based on the perceived value displayed in the toolbar. That’s pretty much a no-win situation for Google when it comes to winning the war on paid links. As long as mainstream sites can charge high prices based on their toolbar PR, there will always be more sites trying to sell links than Google could ever police by hand. So they can either spend a shitload of time and money trying to explain to people that just cause you see it, doesn’t mean it’s real, or they can simply adjust the toolbar score for offending sites to a level that more accurately represents the site’s ability to pass juice.
If you were Google, which approach would you take? For me, it would be a no-brainer. Reducing the amount of PR displayed in the toolbar is the equivalent of the Health department forcing restaurants to hang a sign with their inspector’s grade on it in the front window. Regardless of how nice those restaurants look from the outside, most people will think twice about dining there if the sign in the window has a C on it. And the revenue loss the sign creates motivates the restaurant owner to figure out how to get rid of all the roaches in the kitchen.
In the big picture, I don’t think this approach is going to make the text link market disappear. But it might very well force the big brand sites to stop selling links. And doing that will go a long way in helping Google paint the picture that buying and selling text links is a dangerous and evil practice used only by the worst of spammers.
SEO Vanity Contest Winner
I know I’m way behind announcing the winner, but I didn’t think of the fact that I’d have to provide some explanation for each answer. (I should have never done 50)
Anyway, the grand prize winner was Kris Farmer from RazorGator. Kris has been a regular listener of the extremely irregular Rockstar show, and also has been present at a few of the episodes that inspired some of the plates. That combination gave him just enough edge out Rebecca Kelley and Laura Lippay for the number one spot.
So without further ado, here are all the answers:
Our City is Burning
In the 20+ years I’ve lived in Southern California, I’ve never had the misfortune of living in a neighborhood in the direct path of a wildfire. That changed this morning. On the way into the office, I got a phone call
letting me know a mandatory evacuation had been ordered for our neighborhood. So Barbara and I hauled ass home and packed up all the important stuff. Now we’re just hanging out in the office with our dog trying to get some work done while we wait and see if the fire jumps the riverbed and makes it into our area. I don’t think it will, but you never know.
There are also dozens of other communities throughout SoCal that are burning. One of the worst areas being in San Diego. Hopefully, everyone I know from that area is safe.
SMX New York - IMNY and BOTW Charity Event
If you are attending SMX social in New York next week, I hope that you will put this event on your agenda.
Internet Marketers of New York a non-profit group along with BOTW have joined forces to host an event where proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The IMNY Charity Event will be held at the Town Tavern Bar & Grill at 134 W. 3rd Street/6th Ave at 7pm on Monday 10/15/2007 and all internet marketers are welcome. There is a $40 donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that can be paid at the door. Your donation includes 3 hours of open bar networking (isn’t that the best kind?) as well as raffles and prizes at the end of the evening.
My son Ryan had a friend in kindergarten named Ryan Baker who was diagnosed with leukemia at 5 years old. They were in a bowling league together and Ryan Baker loved to bowl because it was one of the few sports he could participate in. He was very competitive and would get very excited when he’d bowl a strike, even on days when they’d come straight from him getting a spinal tap as part of his treatment (I was always amazed at his courage, he never let that bother him). At the end of the bowling season, the boys got a trophy that was almost as big as they were. It was their prized possession for a while until the excitement wore off.
A few months ago my son’s friend Ryan Baker passed away after a 7 year battle with Leukemia. He was 13. Our family cherishes the moments we had with him and the passion and zest he had for life at such a young age is inspiring.
Ryan Baker is on the left and Ryan Boser on the right.
My son still has that giant trophy and treasures it now more than ever since it’s all he has to remember Ryan Baker by along with a great photo and fun memories.
We all know someone that either knows someone with cancer or has an experience or story to share. This is a great cause and kudos to the group that put this together. Thanks to Chris and Danielle Winfield for letting me know about it this awesome event.
If you are going to SMX, I hope that you will attend this event and force the BOTW guys to break out that Black Amex because they are covering the party tab (because they are cool like that) so that even more money can go towards the fight of cancer.