April 14, 2004

googlebomb revisited

So our reverse googlebomb seems to have done the trick. The Wikipedia entry is now the top site that comes up when you Google "Jew." Interestingly, Google now has a disclaimer of sorts at the top of the page when it displays these particular search results. I understand their point. The ACLU would concur. It's still disgusting that a hate group could do such a thing.

It also upsets me -- and I write this knowing certain friends will think I'm talking about them, and maybe I am -- but the only people I've seen actually follow suit and link to the Wikipedia entry are also Jewish. I know plenty of people who read my blog who haven't honored my request. They're coincidentally all gentile. So I have to ask: does this feel like a minor thing to you? Too much bother? Because to me, as a Jew, it's rather more.

Posted by Tamar at April 14, 2004 05:34 PM
Comments

Check this out.

Which, of course, is how I found your site.

I know not all linkers are Jewish. ;)

Posted by: Jeremy Dunck at April 14, 2004 08:39 PM

Or there are people like me who have clicked through to both your site and Dawn's site several times a day and followed the link (I think I've probably clicked through to that link more than 20 times so far), but I haven't updated since I have the flu. (I am sitting upright only because I have to turn in the tax return tomorrow.)

Posted by: toni at April 14, 2004 11:05 PM

A number of my pagan blogging friends, no strangers to religious discrimination themselves, also Jooglebombed on our behalf. I didn't, as I ban Google's spiders from my site, but more than anything, I was disappointed that it needed to be done. It's 2004. Good grief.

Posted by: Dreama at April 15, 2004 12:03 AM

I didn't/haven't done it because I haven't done any Google bombs. Of course, of late I haven't done much in the way of entries either...

Posted by: Diane at April 15, 2004 08:43 AM

By the time I found out about it, I checked Google and the Wikipedia article was the first Google entry.

I also have a robots.txt in my main directory meant to keep Google out, so it wouldn't have done much good anyway. Now that I think about it, I probably could have made a new directory and Google-bombed with a page of nothing but links, but it didn't occur to me until now.

Posted by: Julie at April 15, 2004 09:03 AM

No, it isn't a minor thing, and yes, it is a horrifying thing that anyone anywhere in this time would think to actually have a group of hate directed at anyone. I don't want to sound defensive, because what I really am is apologetic. I just couldn't figure out how to make the link work. Most of the time I can't even get diaryland links to work. (Yep, I am indeed a genius...) Yes, I could have verbally directed people to you (I have 2 readers!) and in retrospect I am sorry that I didn't think of it then. Apologies /Bee

Posted by: Bee at April 15, 2004 05:15 PM

Thanks for explaining (and apologizing), folks. I appreciate knowing. And I took a look at Technorati, Jeremy. Wow did a lot of people link to Wikipedia's definition! Wow. And yes, a lot of non-Jews. This is good.

Now if we can just link "Jew" to ten other neutral sites, to push that hate group further down... I'll do that tomorrow...

Posted by: Tamar at April 15, 2004 11:16 PM