Is Google Becoming More About Trust Than Links?
As time progresses and the Internet matures, it seems Google is taking more interest in the social aspect of the web. Trust is becoming much more of an important ranking factor than it ever was. This is one reason why big brands are starting to rank more consistently for top terms, or at least that is the perception amongst the search marketing community.
Have a look at this Google algorithm graph from SEOmoz.org, which tries to show how the Google algorithm has changed over time.
I trust this article on how to link to an image url – does Google know an Internet user trusts it or is just linking to it?
Less Forum Trolling These Days?
“Don’t feed the trolls” has been a common thread on many Internet forums over the last decade. The lack of close contact with other forum members means people are less inhibited when it comes to arguing. And of course there will always be those who annoy others just for a laugh. So never-ending forum arguments, trolling, and personal abuse has been a constant aspect of Internet communication for as long as its been around.
Over the last year or two I have begun to notice less and less of this kind of behaviour going on. I wonder what factors this is down to. Are most people comfortable with how the Internet works now, and ignore such behaviour? Is there better automated management of trolling? Perhaps software can monitor this more effectively now. I have also seen many forums operate a warning system whereby users are given a chance to change their behaviour or be removed. Are the barriers between people online becoming smaller, and hence people are feeling more inhibited, and act more as they would if meeting in person.
Whatever the reason, I think this kind of behaviour is slowly disappearing from the Web.
Welcome
Welcome to my blog. My name is Tom and I do part-time research into social interaction on the Internet. What does my research cover? Anything where one person can contact another online. This could be a forum, a bookmarking site, a networking site – anything. I aim to see how people are changing by this almost constant exposure to Internet communication. Stay tuned for my thoughts.
