5 replies to this topic

[Jill]

Just added a new rule to the Forum Guidelines.

Be sure you read it and agree with it.

Links to sites that you think may be spamming the search engines, should not be posted, and will be immediately deleted if they are.  Instead, please post the specific technique that you think might be spam, and why you think it is against search engine guidelines.  You may take private requests for the URL, if you'd like.

Thanks!

Jill

[mcanerin]

Good idea! Especially since it's possible for someone who is not a spammer to take great offense because a competitor posted it.

Besides, if it is removed shortly afterward you are filling your forum full of bad links, and therefore useless comments. Comments here should be aimed at being useful years from now and not just today. With the exception of the Pub, of course

Ian

[Jill]

Yep, that's the basic idea behind it.

Many times competitors just don't like the sites that are ahead of them and therefore accuse them of being spammers in hopes that they will somehow be deleted. That's fine if you want to report them to Google. Let them decide. Usually nothing happens because the alleged spam isn't actually spam at all.

It's just not our job to police other sites. It's our job to help teach people the best way to optimize their sites in a manner that fits within the search engine's guidelines.

J

[qwerty]

I have a question, just for clarification purposes: is it ok to post code snippets as an example of a questionable technique, and if so, should one be careful that the code being quoted doesn't contain anything that would indicate the URL or company name of the site?

[Jill]

Yeah, sure. Code snippets would be fine. Just don't post anything that would be copyrighted, like huge chunks of code.

And I don't even mind if you post the SERP where the page can be found and mention what number it is in the rankings. Just don't post the actual URL.

When in doubt, feel free to pm me or Scottie or Alan to see if we think it will be acceptable.

Jill

[compar]

Comments here should be aimed at being useful years from now and not just today. With the exception of the Pub, of course

What do you mean? I do my best work in the Pub Aren't these messages going to be preserved in perpetuity?