Technorati Indexing MySpace Blogs

by Aaron Brazell on March 31, 2006 · 64 comments

Updates: Welcome Steve Rubel and MSNBC readers. I’m glad this piece was linked to and you stopped by. If you like what you’re about to read, you may want to take a gander at the welcome post I gave to Slate Readers a bit ago. Again, thanks for stopping by and feel free to explore!

The quality of the Technorati results has diminished in my eyes. Call me a snob, I can deal. But 99% of MySpace blogs are not blogs. They lack decent quality. They lack focus and bloggers on MySpace make the ultimate mistake of calling blog entries “blogs”. They are not “blogs”, they are “posts” or “entries”. “Blogs” are the collection of entries or posts. They are weblogs. People don’t write journals. They write Journal entries. Likewise, captain’s don’t record logs…. They record log entries. So why do MySpacers think they are writing blogs? They are writing entries in their blogs, or writing entries for their blogs or even writing entries on their blogs, but they are not writing blogs.

And now Technorati is indexing these guys as if they have the same credence as, say, Boing Boing or Steve Rubel.

Ay carumba.

Update: Steve Rubel’s link to this post has had the result of bringing awareness to this issue. Technorati is now buzzing with the story:

{ 14 trackbacks }

Micro Persuasion
March 31, 2006 at 10:26 pm
feedscott » Blog Archive » Ahhh Technorati has indexed Myspace.com
April 1, 2006 at 2:59 am
duncanriley.com » Technorati isn’t tracking Myspace, if they are they totally suck
April 1, 2006 at 6:31 am
Mashable.com/journal » Technorati Now Indexing MySpace Blogs - eek!
April 1, 2006 at 11:34 am
Blogs Are About Being Elite: ProBlogger Blog Tips
April 3, 2006 at 10:32 am
Technology Evangelist
April 3, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Will MySpace pollute Technorati? » @ Ambot ah! [ technology news and reviews ]
April 4, 2006 at 5:00 am
Chrono Tron - 100% » Blog Archive » Myspace helps school expel Student
April 4, 2006 at 9:54 am
Strive Notes » This week’s top 5 postings…
April 6, 2006 at 3:43 am
Shoot Your Television
May 2, 2006 at 5:49 pm
Blogosphere Doubling Every Six Months » Technology, Blogging and Politics
May 18, 2006 at 9:21 pm
MySpace Blogs » Technology, Blogging and New Media
August 23, 2006 at 12:27 pm
Random Shapes Blog Network » Technorati To Include Myspace
September 8, 2006 at 9:47 pm
The Art of War: Facebook’s Strategic Plan for Ultimate Victory
June 6, 2007 at 5:29 pm

{ 50 comments }

1 Jesse March 31, 2006 at 11:19 am

are you sure about that?

2 Jesse March 31, 2006 at 11:19 am

are you sure about that?

3 Jesse March 31, 2006 at 11:19 am

are you sure about that?

4 Jesse March 31, 2006 at 11:19 am

are you sure about that?

5 Jesse March 31, 2006 at 11:19 am

are you sure about that?

6 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 11:20 am

Am I sure about what??

7 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 11:20 am

Am I sure about what??

8 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 11:20 am

Am I sure about what??

9 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 11:20 am

Am I sure about what??

10 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 11:20 am

Am I sure about what??

11 Vinnie Garcia March 31, 2006 at 4:51 pm

Meh, no big deal in my mind.

Put it this way: my 16 year old girl cousin would talk about the same things on her MySpace blog if I set her up with WordPress on her own domain. The WP install would still get indexed by Technorati so I don’t see the big problem with MySpace being indexed as well.

Now a blog’s content will be more important than its Technorati ranking ;)

12 Vinnie Garcia March 31, 2006 at 4:51 pm

Meh, no big deal in my mind.

Put it this way: my 16 year old girl cousin would talk about the same things on her MySpace blog if I set her up with WordPress on her own domain. The WP install would still get indexed by Technorati so I don’t see the big problem with MySpace being indexed as well.

Now a blog’s content will be more important than its Technorati ranking ;)

13 Vinnie Garcia March 31, 2006 at 4:51 pm

Meh, no big deal in my mind.

Put it this way: my 16 year old girl cousin would talk about the same things on her MySpace blog if I set her up with WordPress on her own domain. The WP install would still get indexed by Technorati so I don’t see the big problem with MySpace being indexed as well.

Now a blog’s content will be more important than its Technorati ranking ;)

14 Vinnie Garcia March 31, 2006 at 4:51 pm

Meh, no big deal in my mind.

Put it this way: my 16 year old girl cousin would talk about the same things on her MySpace blog if I set her up with WordPress on her own domain. The WP install would still get indexed by Technorati so I don’t see the big problem with MySpace being indexed as well.

Now a blog’s content will be more important than its Technorati ranking ;)

15 Vinnie Garcia March 31, 2006 at 4:51 pm

Meh, no big deal in my mind.

Put it this way: my 16 year old girl cousin would talk about the same things on her MySpace blog if I set her up with WordPress on her own domain. The WP install would still get indexed by Technorati so I don’t see the big problem with MySpace being indexed as well.

Now a blog’s content will be more important than its Technorati ranking ;)

16 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 7:03 pm

Vinnie–

Platforms do not have equal rights under the law, so to speak. That is why sites are sandboxed by Google for a period of time.

So why does Technorati include MySpace blogs in its search results listed alongside established and respected blogs like Boing Boing, Michelle Malkin and Seth Godin?

You’re right that platform does not dictate content exclusively but I think there is something to be said for prospects of quality content. Someone who has a WordPress blog is far more likely to produce decent non-sandbox type content than a MySpace blog…

17 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 7:03 pm

Vinnie–

Platforms do not have equal rights under the law, so to speak. That is why sites are sandboxed by Google for a period of time.

So why does Technorati include MySpace blogs in its search results listed alongside established and respected blogs like Boing Boing, Michelle Malkin and Seth Godin?

You’re right that platform does not dictate content exclusively but I think there is something to be said for prospects of quality content. Someone who has a WordPress blog is far more likely to produce decent non-sandbox type content than a MySpace blog…

18 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 7:03 pm

Vinnie–

Platforms do not have equal rights under the law, so to speak. That is why sites are sandboxed by Google for a period of time.

So why does Technorati include MySpace blogs in its search results listed alongside established and respected blogs like Boing Boing, Michelle Malkin and Seth Godin?

You’re right that platform does not dictate content exclusively but I think there is something to be said for prospects of quality content. Someone who has a WordPress blog is far more likely to produce decent non-sandbox type content than a MySpace blog…

19 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 7:03 pm

Vinnie–

Platforms do not have equal rights under the law, so to speak. That is why sites are sandboxed by Google for a period of time.

So why does Technorati include MySpace blogs in its search results listed alongside established and respected blogs like Boing Boing, Michelle Malkin and Seth Godin?

You’re right that platform does not dictate content exclusively but I think there is something to be said for prospects of quality content. Someone who has a WordPress blog is far more likely to produce decent non-sandbox type content than a MySpace blog…

20 Aaron March 31, 2006 at 7:03 pm

Vinnie–

Platforms do not have equal rights under the law, so to speak. That is why sites are sandboxed by Google for a period of time.

So why does Technorati include MySpace blogs in its search results listed alongside established and respected blogs like Boing Boing, Michelle Malkin and Seth Godin?

You’re right that platform does not dictate content exclusively but I think there is something to be said for prospects of quality content. Someone who has a WordPress blog is far more likely to produce decent non-sandbox type content than a MySpace blog…

21 Paul April 2, 2006 at 9:42 am

The internet is not for the elite!

22 Paul April 2, 2006 at 9:42 am

The internet is not for the elite!

23 Paul April 2, 2006 at 9:42 am

The internet is not for the elite!

24 Paul April 2, 2006 at 9:42 am

The internet is not for the elite!

25 Paul April 2, 2006 at 9:42 am

The internet is not for the elite!

26 Aaron April 2, 2006 at 12:49 pm

Sorry Paul but reality flies in the face of your assertation. For instance, Google Pagerank does give people more elitism than others. In fact, the entire concept of SERPs is in fact elitist. There is no reason why Technorati or any other indexing service should treat everybody equally. It’s certainly not fair to people who work hard to put their blogs into elite company.

27 Aaron April 2, 2006 at 12:49 pm

Sorry Paul but reality flies in the face of your assertation. For instance, Google Pagerank does give people more elitism than others. In fact, the entire concept of SERPs is in fact elitist. There is no reason why Technorati or any other indexing service should treat everybody equally. It’s certainly not fair to people who work hard to put their blogs into elite company.

28 Aaron April 2, 2006 at 12:49 pm

Sorry Paul but reality flies in the face of your assertation. For instance, Google Pagerank does give people more elitism than others. In fact, the entire concept of SERPs is in fact elitist. There is no reason why Technorati or any other indexing service should treat everybody equally. It’s certainly not fair to people who work hard to put their blogs into elite company.

29 Aaron April 2, 2006 at 12:49 pm

Sorry Paul but reality flies in the face of your assertation. For instance, Google Pagerank does give people more elitism than others. In fact, the entire concept of SERPs is in fact elitist. There is no reason why Technorati or any other indexing service should treat everybody equally. It’s certainly not fair to people who work hard to put their blogs into elite company.

30 Aaron April 2, 2006 at 12:49 pm

Sorry Paul but reality flies in the face of your assertation. For instance, Google Pagerank does give people more elitism than others. In fact, the entire concept of SERPs is in fact elitist. There is no reason why Technorati or any other indexing service should treat everybody equally. It’s certainly not fair to people who work hard to put their blogs into elite company.

31 Jason Boog April 4, 2006 at 12:20 pm

Hey Aaron,

Thanks for the visit, this was one of the most thought-provoking posts I’ve read in awhile. Better minds than me have weighed in on this great conversation that you created…

But, in response to your question, “Do you want your blog to do poorly,” I wanted to say–of course not!

But I do want MySpace users who love Neil Diamond, Paul Auster, or my other favorite artists to read my site! Putting them in the Technorati mix makes it easier for me to find them and for them to find me. Already, you can choose the “most authority” button on Technorati if you want to create a more elitist list of search results.

I don’t use that option. I want my blog to be read by many different kinds of people, not just people who read Steve Rubel.

Cheers, Jason Boog

32 Jason Boog April 4, 2006 at 12:20 pm

Hey Aaron,

Thanks for the visit, this was one of the most thought-provoking posts I’ve read in awhile. Better minds than me have weighed in on this great conversation that you created…

But, in response to your question, “Do you want your blog to do poorly,” I wanted to say–of course not!

But I do want MySpace users who love Neil Diamond, Paul Auster, or my other favorite artists to read my site! Putting them in the Technorati mix makes it easier for me to find them and for them to find me. Already, you can choose the “most authority” button on Technorati if you want to create a more elitist list of search results.

I don’t use that option. I want my blog to be read by many different kinds of people, not just people who read Steve Rubel.

Cheers, Jason Boog

33 Jason Boog April 4, 2006 at 12:20 pm

Hey Aaron,

Thanks for the visit, this was one of the most thought-provoking posts I’ve read in awhile. Better minds than me have weighed in on this great conversation that you created…

But, in response to your question, “Do you want your blog to do poorly,” I wanted to say–of course not!

But I do want MySpace users who love Neil Diamond, Paul Auster, or my other favorite artists to read my site! Putting them in the Technorati mix makes it easier for me to find them and for them to find me. Already, you can choose the “most authority” button on Technorati if you want to create a more elitist list of search results.

I don’t use that option. I want my blog to be read by many different kinds of people, not just people who read Steve Rubel.

Cheers, Jason Boog

34 Jason Boog April 4, 2006 at 12:20 pm

Hey Aaron,

Thanks for the visit, this was one of the most thought-provoking posts I’ve read in awhile. Better minds than me have weighed in on this great conversation that you created…

But, in response to your question, “Do you want your blog to do poorly,” I wanted to say–of course not!

But I do want MySpace users who love Neil Diamond, Paul Auster, or my other favorite artists to read my site! Putting them in the Technorati mix makes it easier for me to find them and for them to find me. Already, you can choose the “most authority” button on Technorati if you want to create a more elitist list of search results.

I don’t use that option. I want my blog to be read by many different kinds of people, not just people who read Steve Rubel.

Cheers, Jason Boog

35 Jason Boog April 4, 2006 at 12:20 pm

Hey Aaron,

Thanks for the visit, this was one of the most thought-provoking posts I’ve read in awhile. Better minds than me have weighed in on this great conversation that you created…

But, in response to your question, “Do you want your blog to do poorly,” I wanted to say–of course not!

But I do want MySpace users who love Neil Diamond, Paul Auster, or my other favorite artists to read my site! Putting them in the Technorati mix makes it easier for me to find them and for them to find me. Already, you can choose the “most authority” button on Technorati if you want to create a more elitist list of search results.

I don’t use that option. I want my blog to be read by many different kinds of people, not just people who read Steve Rubel.

Cheers, Jason Boog

36 Shanks Pandiath July 14, 2006 at 10:53 am

Yep… I guess you are right.. It is high time they updated the blog program.. Besides, the blog being available only o members has its limitation, while submitting to sites like Technorati.. Anyway, there are some good ones out there.. it is like a dediated club.. somebody pens a blog and by the end of the day, he has his usual ons of comment feedback.. Now this for a regular blog, will take sometime to build up a regular comment database.

37 Shanks Pandiath July 14, 2006 at 10:53 am

Yep… I guess you are right.. It is high time they updated the blog program.. Besides, the blog being available only o members has its limitation, while submitting to sites like Technorati.. Anyway, there are some good ones out there.. it is like a dediated club.. somebody pens a blog and by the end of the day, he has his usual ons of comment feedback.. Now this for a regular blog, will take sometime to build up a regular comment database.

38 Shanks Pandiath July 14, 2006 at 10:53 am

Yep… I guess you are right.. It is high time they updated the blog program.. Besides, the blog being available only o members has its limitation, while submitting to sites like Technorati.. Anyway, there are some good ones out there.. it is like a dediated club.. somebody pens a blog and by the end of the day, he has his usual ons of comment feedback.. Now this for a regular blog, will take sometime to build up a regular comment database.

39 Shanks Pandiath July 14, 2006 at 10:53 am

Yep… I guess you are right.. It is high time they updated the blog program.. Besides, the blog being available only o members has its limitation, while submitting to sites like Technorati.. Anyway, there are some good ones out there.. it is like a dediated club.. somebody pens a blog and by the end of the day, he has his usual ons of comment feedback.. Now this for a regular blog, will take sometime to build up a regular comment database.

40 Shanks Pandiath July 14, 2006 at 10:53 am

Yep… I guess you are right.. It is high time they updated the blog program.. Besides, the blog being available only o members has its limitation, while submitting to sites like Technorati.. Anyway, there are some good ones out there.. it is like a dediated club.. somebody pens a blog and by the end of the day, he has his usual ons of comment feedback.. Now this for a regular blog, will take sometime to build up a regular comment database.

41 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:25 pm

MySpace does indeed suck but about your pet peeve on MySpace? This screenshot pretty much says it all really:

42 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:25 pm

MySpace does indeed suck but about your pet peeve on MySpace? This screenshot pretty much says it all really:

43 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:25 pm

MySpace does indeed suck but about your pet peeve on MySpace? This screenshot pretty much says it all really:

44 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:25 pm

MySpace does indeed suck but about your pet peeve on MySpace? This screenshot pretty much says it all really:

45 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:25 pm

MySpace does indeed suck but about your pet peeve on MySpace? This screenshot pretty much says it all really:

46 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Goddamn refusal of img HTML. Here, have this instead:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/2312108705_...

47 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Goddamn refusal of img HTML. Here, have this instead:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/2312108705_...

48 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Goddamn refusal of img HTML. Here, have this instead:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/2312108705_...

49 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Goddamn refusal of img HTML. Here, have this instead:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/2312108705_...

50 Qelqoth March 5, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Goddamn refusal of img HTML. Here, have this instead:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/2312108705_8164888725.jpg

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