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Of Google Bombs and Joogle Bombs
By: MARK MIETKIEWICZ Freelance Writer
It had all the elements of a classic Internet controversy: antisemitism, secret technology and a debate over censorship versus freedom of speech.
Even the most casual user of the Web has come across Google, the popular Internet search engine. And anyone who has ever built a Web site knows about the power that Google wields. Getting a high ranking in Google can have a huge impact on traffic directed toward your site. Currently, Google is responsible for just over half of all searches done on the Web. (The only other major player is Yahoo.)
(searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156431)
Google has developed secret algorithms - or mathematical formulas - to help decide its rankings, or how high a particular site would be listed in its search results. For example, if you type the word "Israel" into Google, you get 7.8 million referrals (the top three being the Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz and Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs). (tinyurl.com/2857f) Obviously, any site wants to be the number-one- ranked site - and not number 7.8 million.
The problem is that if you typed the word "Jew" into Google recently, clicking on the number-one link would take you to JewWatch, an antisemitic Web site. Other high-ranking sites included Christian missionary groups. This incensed many people including Steven Weinstock, who created the Remove JewWatch Web site and started a petition urging Google to rectify the situation. (www.removejewwatch.com)
Google responded to the controversy with this explanation: "If you recently used Google to search for the word 'Jew,' you may have seen results that were very disturbing. We assure you that the views expressed by the sites in your results are not in any way endorsed by Google... Some people concerned about this issue have created online petitions to encourage us to remove particular links or otherwise adjust search results.
"Because of our objective and automated ranking system, Google cannot be influenced by these petitions. The only sites we omit are those we are legally compelled to remove or those maliciously attempting to manipulate our results. We apologize for the upsetting nature of the experience you had using Google and appreciate your taking the time to inform us about it." (www.google.com/explanation.html)
In addition, whenever anyone searches for "Jew" on Google, the top on the results page will lead you to that disclaimer.
The Anti Defamation League praised Google for quickly addressing the concerns. "Google has shown great responsiveness to this issue and a willingness to consider changes to better identify extremist Web sites, so that users can still have the benefit of Google's unique search technology while being alerted when they are about to enter into a hate zone." (www.adl.org/PresRele/Internet 75/448275)
Despite the explanation, that still meant that that antisemitic site was placing high in the rankings. Enter Daniel Sieradski of the Jewschool Web site. Sieradski believes strongly that the Internet is a marketplace for diverse points of view, no matter how objectionable. He also maintains that a solution can be found without resorting to censorship. In this case, Sieradski felt a "Google Bomb" was in order.
I mentioned earlier that Google uses secret algorithms to help it decide its rankings. It seems that part of the secret to ranking high with Google lies in how many other Web sites link to your page. People have tried, with some success, to influence their ranking by encouraging other sites to link to theirs. That technique is known as a "Google Bomb." (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/googlebomb)
(To see a Google Bomb in action, try typing the phrase "miserable failure" into Google and see what site comes up first.) (www.google.com/search?q=miserable+failure)
Daniel Sieradski organized what would later become known as a "Joogle Bomb" in order to raise the ranking of a reputable site to the top of Google's rankings (tinyurl.com/3eh9m). He spread the word to as many people as possible to link to the entry for "Jew," at the Wikipedia Web site. The Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and Sieradski called its entry on "Jew" the "most inclusive, non-denominational, and democratic source on the subject" (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew).
It worked. Web site creators responded to Sieradski's appeal. Within days - and without resorting to censorship - the antisemitic JewWatch was been pushed off its perch atop the Google results for "Jew" to be replaced by Wikipedia.
Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Internet producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be reached at highway@rogers.com.
Even the most casual user of the Web has come across Google, the popular Internet search engine. And anyone who has ever built a Web site knows about the power that Google wields. Getting a high ranking in Google can have a huge impact on traffic directed toward your site. Currently, Google is responsible for just over half of all searches done on the Web. (The only other major player is Yahoo.)
(searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156431)
Google has developed secret algorithms - or mathematical formulas - to help decide its rankings, or how high a particular site would be listed in its search results. For example, if you type the word "Israel" into Google, you get 7.8 million referrals (the top three being the Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz and Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs). (tinyurl.com/2857f) Obviously, any site wants to be the number-one- ranked site - and not number 7.8 million.
The problem is that if you typed the word "Jew" into Google recently, clicking on the number-one link would take you to JewWatch, an antisemitic Web site. Other high-ranking sites included Christian missionary groups. This incensed many people including Steven Weinstock, who created the Remove JewWatch Web site and started a petition urging Google to rectify the situation. (www.removejewwatch.com)
Google responded to the controversy with this explanation: "If you recently used Google to search for the word 'Jew,' you may have seen results that were very disturbing. We assure you that the views expressed by the sites in your results are not in any way endorsed by Google... Some people concerned about this issue have created online petitions to encourage us to remove particular links or otherwise adjust search results.
"Because of our objective and automated ranking system, Google cannot be influenced by these petitions. The only sites we omit are those we are legally compelled to remove or those maliciously attempting to manipulate our results. We apologize for the upsetting nature of the experience you had using Google and appreciate your taking the time to inform us about it." (www.google.com/explanation.html)
In addition, whenever anyone searches for "Jew" on Google, the top on the results page will lead you to that disclaimer.
The Anti Defamation League praised Google for quickly addressing the concerns. "Google has shown great responsiveness to this issue and a willingness to consider changes to better identify extremist Web sites, so that users can still have the benefit of Google's unique search technology while being alerted when they are about to enter into a hate zone." (www.adl.org/PresRele/Internet 75/448275)
Despite the explanation, that still meant that that antisemitic site was placing high in the rankings. Enter Daniel Sieradski of the Jewschool Web site. Sieradski believes strongly that the Internet is a marketplace for diverse points of view, no matter how objectionable. He also maintains that a solution can be found without resorting to censorship. In this case, Sieradski felt a "Google Bomb" was in order.
I mentioned earlier that Google uses secret algorithms to help it decide its rankings. It seems that part of the secret to ranking high with Google lies in how many other Web sites link to your page. People have tried, with some success, to influence their ranking by encouraging other sites to link to theirs. That technique is known as a "Google Bomb." (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/googlebomb)
(To see a Google Bomb in action, try typing the phrase "miserable failure" into Google and see what site comes up first.) (www.google.com/search?q=miserable+failure)
Daniel Sieradski organized what would later become known as a "Joogle Bomb" in order to raise the ranking of a reputable site to the top of Google's rankings (tinyurl.com/3eh9m). He spread the word to as many people as possible to link to the entry for "Jew," at the Wikipedia Web site. The Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and Sieradski called its entry on "Jew" the "most inclusive, non-denominational, and democratic source on the subject" (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew).
It worked. Web site creators responded to Sieradski's appeal. Within days - and without resorting to censorship - the antisemitic JewWatch was been pushed off its perch atop the Google results for "Jew" to be replaced by Wikipedia.
Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Internet producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be reached at highway@rogers.com.
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