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:
- Hyku says: As Aaron points out it will add some clutter to the results from Technorati, but hasn’t there always been clutter? - Yes, but that doesn’t mean adding more irrelevance to search results makes Technorati any stronger for it.
- Duncan says: “>Duncan Riley says: My understanding is that MySpace blogs can’t be tracked, they have an internet version of what corporate bankers would know as a Chinese Wall. If you were right then I would adore you, but the reality is, that this is not the case.
- FeedScott says: We all just got alot younger by average.
Stumble it!
About the Author: Aaron Brazell is the lead editor of Technosailor.com and a social media expert. His passion is to see companies and individuals use the internet and web technologies wisely and effectively to promote their brands and companies. He is Business Development Manager for Lijit and he worked as Director of Technology at b5media from 2005-2008 and is currently an independent consultant.
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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 ;)
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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...
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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
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