April 05, 2004

Joogle

Posted by Chris

It seems that the top-ranked site on Google if you search for “Jew” is an anti-semitic site. So this is CT doing our googlebombing best to correct this by linking to the Wikipedia entry for Jew instead. (See Norman Geras for more details).

Posted on April 5, 2004 08:39 AM UTC
Comments

You have to link to it using the word you wish to relate the page too. In this case the word is Jew. The way you have linked means you are driving the wikipedia page up the search results for “the relevant Wikipedia entry”.

The original google bomb article is here.

Posted by anthony · April 5, 2004 09:32 AM

Thanks Anthony. Fixed this now.

Posted by Chris Bertram · April 5, 2004 09:38 AM

Thanks, Chris.

Posted by norm · April 5, 2004 10:32 AM

Anthony— no. For the full details read Page and Brin’s paper on “Page rank”, but firstly “Page rank” is content-independent — it’s computed over the link graph, not the index — and secondly Google will index (a) all the text in a page; (b) all the text in inlinks to that page. So since the Wikipedia page is actually about the word “Jew”, simply linking to it will be enough to increase its “Page rank”; it already appears when you search for “Jew”.

The other sort of “Google bomb” — where you’re trying to get a site up the rankings for a term which does not appear in it, as with trying to make the White House biography of George W. Bush the top link for “miserable failure” — does rely on putting the relevant term in the link text, but that’s not relevant here.

Posted by Chris Lightfoot · April 5, 2004 11:20 AM

On second thought, Wikis can be vandalized just as easily as googlebombing manipulates popularity-based search results. What’s to prevent someone from trashing that Wikipedia page and replacing it with neonazi crap?
Maybe a better link for Jew would be Jewfaq.org.

Posted by Lis Riba · April 5, 2004 08:10 PM

I agree with Lis, Wikis can be edited too easily. I also prefer a more stable page for a “Jew” link.

Posted by eszter · April 5, 2004 10:45 PM

If you use the word in question too often in one blog post (and its comments) you run the risk of the blog post becoming the number response to a google search instead of the page to which you are linking. This happened on my blog entry with the “unelectable” meme.

Posted by George Williams · April 5, 2004 10:54 PM

“What’s to prevent someone from trashing that Wikipedia page and replacing it with neonazi crap?”

The fact that all edits can be easily reverted, and that there are people who keep a loving watch on pages they’ve worked on? I know, as I do the same myself. If that isn’t assurance enough, you should also be aware that vandals can and do regularly get banned from making edits to Wikipedia.

I think you’re worrying about nothing here.

Posted by Abiola Lapite · April 5, 2004 11:59 PM

I don’t know. Maybe a stronger case could be made for listing a number of sites. I find the CJF site quite off-putting as well.

Posted by liz · April 6, 2004 12:19 AM

The bomb has struck, and Jewwatch is now off the #1 spot in the listings. Good job, all.

Wonder if we can bash it down another spot or forty. That’s probably pushing it. ;)

Posted by Zibblsnrt · April 6, 2004 04:26 AM

What’s to prevent someone from trashing that Wikipedia page and replacing it with neonazi crap?

Nothing. The Wikipedia entry contains a list of previous edits, several of them noting “reverted to previous entry due to vandalism”. Abiola notes that vandals can and do get banned from editing Wikipedia; unfortunately this doesn’t stop new ones from coming along and doing the same thing.

Posted by James Russell · April 6, 2004 06:06 AM

“unfortunately this doesn’t stop new ones from coming along and doing the same thing.”

The thing is, as I’ve noted already, that registered contributors can set up watchlists, so that they get notified as soon as vandals strike. Even if hundreds of troublemakers were to coordinate an attack from scores of IP addresses all at once, the page could simply be locked down to prevent any edits from being made.

Posted by Abiola Lapite · April 6, 2004 10:31 AM

“The bomb has struck, and Jewwatch is now off the #1 spot in the listings. Good job, all.”

You’re a bit premature with the congratulations. Are you sure you don’t have SafeSearch on? Turn it off, and you’ll see that JewWatch is still number one on Google’s index.

Posted by Abiola Lapite · April 6, 2004 10:35 AM

Google has different server farms such that search results will vary slightly depending on your location.

Posted by George Williams · April 6, 2004 01:39 PM

I posted this, and a friend pointed out in comments that it would be nice to force the scumbags right off the first page of results:

jew
jew
jew
jew
jew
jew
jew
jew

Posted by sennoma · April 6, 2004 04:11 PM

I am glad that your Joogle campaign is gradually proving successful.

I have recently been teaching in Kosovo and the local Albanian Kosovars have a similar story about the monopoly of search results for Serbian sites when you type Kosovo into Google.

Perhaps Google really does need to think of ways of addressing the “authority issue” in its ranking.

Posted by jonathan briggs · April 10, 2004 07:44 PM

Jew Watch

Fun with Google.

Posted by IXLNXS · April 12, 2004 06:58 AM
Followups

→ Googlebombing in a good cause.
Excerpt: Help drive an anti-semitic site off Google's top spot when you search for "jew"
Read more at Blog.org

→ Googlebombing in a good cause.
Excerpt: Help drive an anti-semitic site off Google's top spot when you search for "jew"
Read more at Blog.org

→ Google bomb.
Excerpt: I think googlebombing can very easily get played out, but Crooked Timber has one I can definitely get behind. Apparently the first hit for the word jew on Google is an antisemitic hate site. If you think its not a...
Read more at the american street

→ Google bomb.
Excerpt: I think googlebombing can very easily get played out, but Crooked Timber has one I can definitely get behind. Apparently the first hit for the word jew on Google is an antisemitic hate site. If you think its not a...
Read more at the american street

→ Googlebombing in a good cause.
Excerpt: Help drive an anti-semitic site off Google's top spot when you search for "jew"
Read more at Blog.org

→ Joogle.
Excerpt: The Crooked-Timberites (amongst others) are Google-bombing for a good cause. Apparently the #1 google hit for "jew" is currently an anti-semitic site. If enough sites join in the linking to the wikipedia entry for Jew, this should soon be corrected.....

→ Just in time for Passover.
Excerpt: Jew - Wikipedia A worthwhile google-bomb: attempting to make the top result of a search on "Jew" return the wikipedia entry, rather than the anti-semetic site it was coming up with. Thanks to Crooked Timber for the link....
Read more at Foolippic

→ Doing my bit.
Excerpt: Via Crooked Timber I see that if you Google the word "Jew," the top ranking result is an anti-semitic site. So, CT and Normblog are urging people to google bomb the Wikipedia entry for Jew in order to sort things...

→ Doing my bit.
Excerpt: Via Crooked Timber I see that if you Google the word "Jew," the top ranking result is an anti-semitic site. So, CT and Normblog are urging people to google bomb the Wikipedia entry for Jew in order to sort things...

→ Googlebomb against fascism.
Excerpt: This in from Crooked Timber: apparently the first site that comes up when one does a Google search for "Jew"...
Read more at scribblingwoman

→ Anti-Anti-Semitic Googlebombing.
Excerpt: Joining the googlebomb effort. But what's the ultimate goal here?
Read more at The Bonassus

→ bombs away.
Excerpt: Zibblsnrt abuses his soapbox to incite you to abuse Google in the name of abusing a bunch of anti-semetic dumbasses.

→ Googlebomb.
Excerpt: It seems that the first result for "Jew" on Google is an anti-Semitic trash site. As part of a blogosphere campaign to remove the site from the top of the rankings, please include a link to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew under the text of "Jew." Than...
Read more at Independent Thinker

→ Googlebomb against fascism.
Excerpt: This in from Crooked Timber: apparently the first site that comes up when one does a Google search for "Jew"...
Read more at scribblingwoman

→ Just in time for Passover.
Excerpt: Jew - Wikipedia A worthwhile google-bomb: attempting to make the top result of a search on "Jew" return the wikipedia entry, rather than the anti-semitic site it was coming up with. Thanks to Crooked Timber for the link....
Read more at Foolippic

→ Redirect.
Excerpt: Here's a googlebomb I can support. Jew. Seen here; more info here....
Read more at Unfogged

→ Joogling.
Excerpt: OK- I will play: It seems that the top-ranked site on Google if you search for “Jew” is an anti-semitic
Read more at Balloon Juice

→ Working on Google for Passover.
Excerpt: Googlebombing anti-Semitism (with some reservations).
Read more at I Speak of Dreams

→ Working on Google for Passover.
Excerpt: Googlebombing anti-Semitism (with some reservations).
Read more at I Speak of Dreams

→ Doing my bit to clean up the blogosphere.
Excerpt: I'm reposting this piece by Chris Bertram over at Crooked Timber It seems that the top-ranked site on Google if you search for “Jew” is an anti-semitic site. So this is CT doing our googlebombing best to correct this by...
Read more at John Quiggin

→ righteous googlebomb.
Excerpt: I am ostentatiously not linking to this site called "Jew Watch". It is anti-Semitic. Instead, I am linking the word Jew to the Wikipedia entry for Jew. Right now, the odious Jew Watch site is the top site on the...
Read more at BARISTA

→ Let's break out our old machines now.
Excerpt: It sure is good to see them run again Oh gentlemen start your engines And we know where we get the oil fromDave Neiwert has another great post up called "Bringing It On". I guess it would be a lot to ask for mainstream media to provide analysis of...

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

→ righteous googlebomb.
Excerpt: I am ostentatiously not linking to this site called "Jew Watch". It is anti-Semitic. Instead, I am linking the word Jew to the Wikipedia entry for Jew. Right now, the odious Jew Watch site is the top site on the...
Read more at BARISTA

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

→ Round and Round.
Excerpt: Brian Leiter has some good advice for prospective grad students. I'd agree with all of it, except he hinted that sometimes it's in your best interests to choose not-Cornell over Cornell. I might write more on this, and on why Cornell always beats not-C...

→ Jews In Cyberspace.
Excerpt: Crooked Timber is running a googlebombing campaign: It seems that the top-ranked site on Google if you search for “Jew” is an anti-semitic site. So this is CT doing our googlebombing best to correct this by linking to the Wikipedia...

→ Jews In Cyberspace.
Excerpt: Crooked Timber is running a googlebombing campaign: It seems that the top-ranked site on Google if you search for “Jew” is an anti-semitic site. So this is CT doing our googlebombing best to correct this by linking to the Wikipedia...

→ Jews In Cyberspace.
Excerpt: Crooked Timber is running a googlebombing campaign: It seems that the top-ranked site on Google if you search for “Jew” is an anti-semitic site. So this is CT doing our googlebombing best to correct this by linking to the Wikipedia...

→ Jews In Cyberspace.
Excerpt: Crooked Timber is running a googlebombing campaign: It seems that the top-ranked site on Google if you search for “Jew” is an anti-semitic site. So this is CT doing our googlebombing best to correct this by linking to the Wikipedia...

→ Jews In Cyberspace.
Excerpt: Crooked Timber is running a googlebombing campaign: It seems that the top-ranked site on Google if you search for “Jew” is an anti-semitic site. So this is CT doing our googlebombing best to correct this by linking to the Wikipedia...

→ Jews In Cyberspace.
Excerpt: Crooked Timber is running a googlebombing campaign: It seems that the top-ranked site on Google if you search for “Jew” is an anti-semitic site. So this is CT doing our googlebombing best to correct this by linking to the Wikipedia...

→ "Jew Watch", Google, and Evil.
Excerpt: Google ranks popularity, not authority
Read more at Infothought

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.