Google Algorithm Discriminates Against Bad Reviews

j_col writes "According to the official Google blog, Google has altered their PageRank algorithm to not give back linking points to bad reviews of websites belonging to online retailers, following the publication of a recent article in the New York Times describing one woman's experiences in being harassed by an online retailer she found via Google. The specific changes to the algorithm are of course a guarded secret. So considering that these changes are already live, how do we know how the algorithm determines a bad review from a good one, and whether or not innocent online retailers will be wrongly punished by having their rankings downgraded?"

Comments

Simple

[CheshireCatCO]

They look for phrases like

• ...burst into flames...
• ...still sobbing for her pet rabbit...
• ...sucked into the trans-dimensional vortex...
• ...shouldn't even have been any radioactive material IN a children's book...
• ...and that's how little Tiffany learned about death and accidental dismemberment...
• ...came to my home and set it on fire and then kicked my dog...
• ...never knew I was capable of that sort of pain...
• ...ordered the complete Beethoven Symphonies and the discs had nothing buy Justin Bieber on them...
• ..contained a live bobcat... (obligatory)
• ... would not buy again...

Re:Simple

[Anonymous Coward]

Great, Slashdot's PageRank just dropped like a rock thanks to you...

Re:Am I the only one...

[inputdev]

have you tried Bing? ;)

Re:Am I the only one...

[corbettw]

Actually, I've switched the majority of my searching to Bing over the last few months. I've found their results tend to be much more accurate than Google's for the things I search for.

Granted, not everyone out there is searching for transvestite-dwarf wrestling match information, but the way Bing services that niche is impressive.