Last week Google announced the release of a new project known as the search wiki. This represents another step where google shows complete disregard for their users, ignoring what they want, and instead forcing them to participate in what can only be described as a plan that was never fully thought out and was ill conceived at best.
Allow me to make an analogy to prove my point … imagine all of your friends told you about this great restaurant in town, where they serve the most amazing steak dinner … eventually you decide to visit for dinner one night …
YOU: Yes I’d like the steak dinner special … cooked medium well please
Waiter: Excellent choice … and can I tell you we’ve made it better … it now comes with a side order of live cobra heart!
YOU: excuse me what did you say was the side dish?
Waiter: A live cobra heart sir … you know it’s a rare delicacy in many countries.
YOU: … umm you know I’m not sure I’d like that … can I have some mashed potatoes or green beans instead?
Waiter: No sir I’m afraid not our chefs are very well trained and they’ve decided this is what makes the meal better, so no substitutions.
YOU: … aaaa ok then … you know what lets just skip the side dish, I’ll just have the steak by itself, all of my friends tell me it’s really the best in town.
Waiter: I’m sorry sir if you want the steak you HAVE to have the cobra heart on your dish, there are simply no exceptions …
So now you have the choice do you want the steak dish so much that you are willing to go through having a live cobra heart on the same plate. Sure you can try and remove it and put it in your napkin, or relocate it to your bread plate, but there’s no avoiding that there will be a live beating cobra heart when the waiter brings your plate to the table.
What does this have to do with Google’s search wiki? Well much like the unaccommodating waiter, Google forgot to give you a way to opt out of the search wiki project. Log into any of the google account services like Gmail, Adsense, Adwords, Google reader, Google Calender, Webmaster Central or Google Analytics and there is the search wiki, just like that still pulsating purplish cobra heart. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it or don’t want it Google engineers and executives have decided they know what’s best for you.
Am I exaggerating for dramatic effect, maybe slightly … but how about something without a flair for the sensational, how about something that is truly offensive, like porn URL’s shown where children could see them …
Ok most kids under 10 won’t be looking for Techcrunch, but that’s just an example of what could go wrong, once the spammers turn the botnets loose, how long do you think it will be before they start invading Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers listings?
Why would children be logged into google services in the first place? I’m teaching my kids how to use online calenders to enter family events so they are shared. So the very real possibility now exists that google’s bad idea will introduce porn onto the family computer, and since there is no opt out, my options are limited, get rid of google services or pray they don’t ever click anything. Dear google please excuse me if I’m not thrilled or thankful that you introduced this problem into my life.
To be honest there are other options, for one I could install a greasemonkey Stylish script that will hide all of search wiki. For me that’s kind of like walking around with sunglasses indoors because the maintenance guy put extra bright light bulbs in your office, it’s a band-aid solution that masks the real problem.
Google has a dominant lead in the search market, in some sectors it approaches near monopolistic levels. The fact that google is unchallenged by its closest rivals gives them some breathing room to have the bad combination of ego and recklessness, and have no fear of repercussions.
Google has history of forcing UI changes on people and not giving them a way to opt out. Previously personalized search was only available to logged in users who hadn’t opted out of the service. Then Google made the decision to serve personalized search to everyone logged in or not. Now the only way out is to use the &PWS=0 parameter on all of your searches. If you use firefox you can use the mycroft unpersonalized SERP plugin. This is all well and good for SEO’s and computer geeks but man on the street … sorry pal you’re SOL, google is giving you the shaft like it or not.
Is this just another example of typical graywolf google bashing … nope Danny Sullivan noted the omission of an off switch, as did Michael Arrington of techcrunch. Of course most techno blogging fan boys fell in line, like the sheep they are praising it as cool or innovative. Except when it mysteriously went AWOL for a few hours Saturday night, then people were a little more honest.
So what’s the right thing to do here? Figure out how long it will take to get an opt out solution in place, if it’s more than a few days, pull the project till they can get their ducks in row. It’s better to admit you made a mistake and have a little egg on your face while you fix it, than to walk around like an arrogant pompous ass in denial that you did anything wrong. People know the difference …
Next Google can stop pushing out changes that don’t have an off switch. If they want everyone else to follow the “do what’s best for users” mantra they should follow their own advice, instead of just paying it lip service. Lead by setting an example, not by preaching from the pulpit.
Post Script:
So what’s with the beating cobra heart reference, where did it come from, and did I make it up just to be sensational? No actually it is a rare and prized delicacy in some parts of the world. I learned about it watching the quintessential New Yorker Tony Bourdain, on the Travel Channel program No Reservations. Tony visits India Vietnam and orders a cobra heart. The wait staff kills the cobra right in front of him cuts out the heart and serves it still beating in a dish for him to eat. Watch if you dare.
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So who’s the loser, Tony Bourdain or the Cobra.
I mean the searcher or TechCrunch, or the young searcher’s porn-blocking parents?
I would say the real loser will be Google with this one.
Leave Miley ALONE!
Sorry…
Michael, I am surprised to see such a moderate response. I’ve been struggling with this SearchWiki thing and I find the Usability so horrific that I have not as yet produced anything that is of value to me. It isn’t a scaleable solution to anything. I could go on, but in total it’s a most underwhelming experience.
Since you twittered the Sphinn url, I left my response there.
Good points. I’ve always held the belief that if people who are experienced at using something are having problems, then the average person will be completely lost.
I guess the only good thing about this (for Google) is, even though they seem to be messing up a good product, they saved $200 million by not buying Digg to do it.
Good post. I agree with your sentiment. This “search wiki” feature is set to a bad start for sure. Results this way will have less meaning, more comment noise, and the whole feature will be misused and abused in my view.
Recently added to my DO NOT WANT list:
Cobra Hearts
Google Search Wiki
kthxbye
Sure you can use the &hl=all parameter, install the Greasemonkey plugin or just ignore the arrows and thingamabobs all over the place. But none of these will remove the customizations you’ve already done. So how are you supposed to switch back and forth between customized and non-customized results without logging in and out of your Google accounts all the time?
I think it is completely ridiculous that people can simple move results where ever they want by only looking at how attractive the title and description are. Google gives webmasters zero control on how your title and description appears in the SERPs yet this is how most that use Search Wiki will judge. No one is going to go back and forth from SERP to website to take the time to rank websites. They will be moving websites around by the way they appear in the SERPs. I think that problem alone is not getting enough coverage and is far more troubling than the fact that this feature is being force feed to the webmaster community. I say webmaster community because let’s face it, how many other really have a Google account anyways.
This really was a poor move by Google. The first thing most people will want to do is click the [X] next to all their competitors listings, click the [UP] next to their listing, and then go around leaving offensive or FUD comments on all their competitors SERPs results, like the spam one on Techcrunch.
eBay are the with moronic user interface changes that everyone hates. They can do them though because they are a monopoly. They could have 20 pop-ups per page and people would still have to go there for the lack of a real alternative.
please correct the snake thing..,
ITS NT IN INDIA., IT IN VIETNAM…,
REF: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neSYO1BeRKc&feature=related
I must say I am stunned by this totally. Google will need a completely different spam department to handle all the abuse. This department will eventually have to be bigger than the current department handling the organic spam. Let’s just label this new department as “G-Wiki spam fighters”.
Can you imagine the huge numbers of gambling and porn showing up in comments under site listings? Can you imagine the reputation nightmares involved with each and every listing in google now? Some think the social sites out there are a headache as they may not be thick skinned enough; but now?…. this has the potential to be the ultimate in nightmares. Only the few with very thick skins will handle it.
I am not so sure about this new element to Google, I can see that it has some good and bad points, but really, is it really called for or necessary? Seems like a big waste of time and energy if you ask me.
This article should be an eye opener for Google. I agree they are big and leading the industry but how can they assume that search Wiki is for everyone and force it on all Google accounts. How they missed a simple point?
I will be switching to mahalo dot com or some other human powered search engine.
If it’s true that Google is about to do another round of layoffs, then I’d have to imagine that this feature couldn’t have been launched at a worse time. They needs hordes of people to manually police the spam.
A major fact that can not be argued is that regular users will not try this product, only those in the know will.
Excellent post.Just wondering how searchwiki will affect the sites Google normally spiders, will these suffer from this?
Hi Aaron, Originally I thought the same way that only people in the know would use this search. I’ve since changed my thinking about that however as both my sisters have a google email account now and they haven’t the slightest clue about PPC, SEO or design or anything else related. Heck; just the other day I asked one of them which listings in the results were directly paid for. She did a search and had to hesitate and really, really look to understand what was going on. She said she had been using Google search for years and really never bothered about that question. You can bet that since she uses gmail and IS logged most of the time, she will certainly discover the buttons and added stuff and will start playing with things. I know this.
I can’t imagine anyone else that would have a different mindset. I have to think now that many more people out there will do the same, whether or not they are “in the know”. I also believe Google knows this. This is also why I feel this is kind of a big deal that G should really think about thoroughly. It’s one thing to have a pissed off forums member write about me in a site called “ripoffreport” because he just doesn’t like me, but quite another for the very same opportunity for anyone at all to write comments under each and every person they just don’t like…. true or not, and do so on the biggest and most used site on the planet…google.
For all the reasons above I don’t like this.
I can clearly see new biz models popping up now that offer the searchWiki stuff only to stomp on competitors by manipulation of buttons and comments and any site or person a client just doesn’t like. We already see this happening on a grand scale with regular social media sites… Paid votes, etc, so it’s not a stretch to see many more new business models for Google.
SEARCH WIKI ???
i think nopp, or not at all…. and bad for sure.
the comments should not be made public
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