just different topics in the news, usually a new thread is started for each topic, but i like my way better......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4685750.stm

 

Yeah I could see why they did that. For instance if a **** site put up a gateway page that featured teletubbies but redirected you to a nudie site. Now BWM may not of had any ill intentions, but Google has to set standards and adhere to them right?

 

i think what BMW did is wrong, and the way google is taking care of this is great..

 

I think it's great too. Only BMW...

 

BMW is just playin the game folks, Just doing the best they can to get customers. They claimed they didn't make any decieving pages, though did do things to boost there name in the search engines. Well.. why wouldnt they do that? There's nothing wrong with it. It's not like this will cause anything bad to happen.

But your right, Google has to know where to draw the line, so I can't blame their actions either.

 

damn thats crazy, id be pissed if i typed in audi and a bunch of bimmr crap popped up.

 

Sure, but the article doesn't say that the BMW pages featured anything besides information regarding BMW cars.

If that is true, and the reasoning for the doorway pages was simply because Google can't search keywords integrated into JavaScript and Flash, then what's wrong with doing it? Seems to me that pages which utilize JavaScript are at a disadvantage from the beginning with search engines and should be able to level the playing field with doorway pages as long as those pages feature the same content as the end page that users are redirected to.

This is no different than what BMW did. Can you still say it's wrong?

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4700982.stm

 

The issue was that BMW made the pages laden with keywords and search terms... and when you clicked on the link, you were taken to a page that had next to no information on the search term that the search hit on.
Like if you searched for "used cars" it took you to BMW germany... not exactly your source for used cars. I dunno, I don't think what they did was awful... I am sure tonnes of companies do this.

 

No where in this article or any other article that I found regarding this subject did it say that the keywords and search terms on the doorway pages were not relevant to the page that the user was directed to.

I would agree that if you were redirected to BMW.de after searching terms like "fluffy cuddly littens", "quattro technical specs", or "lesbian twins video", that doing so would be wrong and that som action should have been taken, but that doesn't seem to be the case. If the content was the same or at least highly relelvant to the content on the end page (and again, nowhere does it specifically say otherwise), then in my mind, there should be no repercussions. So they boosted their visibility to searches for used cars, as long as they're linking to pages regarding used BMWs (and BMW.de does have a pages dedicated to Certified Pre-Owned BMWs), what's wrong with that. Seems to me that Google is following the wording of their rules rather than the intent, which is always a bit goofy.



I don't know what to say about the second link. European and American car makers always have such adversarial relationships with their workers. It's a constant "us vs them" mentality. Unions want more pay than the workers deserve and can force the issue because they can withhold labor from the manufacturers. Car makers always want to maximize production, even at the expense of their workers by transferring production to lower cost countries and use that to make workers feel almost grateful that they still have a job unitl the move. They should all take a page from Mazda starting in the early 90s. They made the workers feel as though they were a vital part of the company, made them feel like a family, everything from profitshares to design input. The lowest guy in the company could go up to the president of Mazda and say "maybe if we did it this way....." or anything and if it was a good idea, it happened. The result was increased productivity, better designed products, and a feeling of security for both parties, the workers knew that Mazda would be there to help them and continue to provide a job, and Mazda knew that the workers would put everything they had into making good car and wouldn't just strike the second that they didn't get a .5% raise.

Alienating the people that you rely on is never a good idea ("don't bite the hand that feeds" kinda thing), and VW, Ford, GM, all of them are doing just that.


I like your topic, Sadi.