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As I have said before, I do not approve of any bombs that are not being dropped on our enemies or those civilians who are unlucky enough to get in the way. So when I informed my readers as a public service of a "Googlebomb" that was designed to guide searchers looking for information on Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism
And yet it appears that Google has decided to punish this modest blogger despite the fact that I am actually a victim of this nefarious attempt to hijack Google. Google has now erased all traces of my piece "Jonah Goldberg's Shining (Liberal Fascism with LOLCats)" from search results for the phrase "Liberal Fascism." While it was once in the Top 10 of results for a search on the words "Liberal Fascism" it is now missing from that search entirely. Despite the fact that my piece has 94 links, according to Technorati, Google has decided that after the Amazon page for the book
It turns out that this page in the Urban Dictionary was actually the subject of another Googlebomb by quite a large number of liberal blogs. Despite the fact that until recently the words "Liberal Fascism" did not appear on this page and Google's claim that Googlebombs no longer work, it has risen high in the search results. So why was my page removed and not the Urban Dictionary page? I believe it may have something to do with this post: "What If a Googlebomb Is a Googledud?" which referred to the attempt to Googlebomb "Liberal Fascism" by linking to my piece but did not mention the Urban Dictionary Googlebomb. Both Jonah Goldberg and Instapundit linked to that post, which no doubt resulted in a number of complaints sent to Google. The only explanation I can come up with is that Google responded to complaints by manually editing the results, something they claim they try never to do.
And yet the Googlebomb linking to my page is not really a Googlebomb at all. My piece is highly relevant and informative. It is certainly more relevant than the Urban Dictionary page. It actually praises Jonah Goldberg's ideas and even offers to help him with his project. By removing my page from the search results, Google is suppressing my point of view, engaging in the kind of censorship that ironically might be termed "fascist." The fact that Jonah Goldberg and Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, two people who are outspoken in their support of free expression, apparently aided in this attempt to muzzle my free expression, pains me to no end. What, one wonders, are they afraid of?
I hope that Google will restore my page to its search results. I worked very hard on researching this piece and creating the illustrations for it, as did a number of readers who offered their own contributions. Judging by the number of links it has gotten, many bloggers have found it to be highly edifying. If Google is going to manually edit results to ban sites whenever it receives complaints, where will it end? Will it ban sites that negatively review books whenever an author complains? Will it ban sites that criticize corporations when their CEOs complain? Will it ban sites that criticize governments when their leaders complain? Today, Jon Swift was banned. Tomorrow, it may be you.
Update: Jonah Goldberg himself offers some support for this modest blogger. Thank you, Mr. Goldberg.
Update 2: The inscrutable Google gods have returned the page to the search results where it now sits at #11. From Google there is only silence.
Illustration created by SlipperyBrick.
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Technorati Tags: Jon Swift, Jonah Goldberg, Liberal Fascism, Google, Books, Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, LOLcats, Internet, Politics
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6 minutes ago
35 comments:
First they came for Jon Swift and I did not blog because I was not Jon Swift...
...awww fuck it.
I was very upset to hear that the itinerant lefties at Google would do such a thing. I sent them a stern reprimand as follows:
First off, let me say it was exceedingly difficult to actually "Contact Google". After clicking on "Contact Us", I was lead on a merry chase of links, none of which actually allowed me to "Contact Google". I finally found this link, wherein I was told I would not receive a response to my inquiry. Well, that's fine, I don't want a response, I want action. However, as the company that says they "do no evil", I find this very confusing, as the fact is, if you did do evil, how would anyone be able to report to you that you have done evil, to help you prevent doing evil in the future?
In any case, my point in writing to you is to inquire about your reasoning for removing the search result linking to http://jonswift.blogspot.com/2007/06/jonah-goldbergs-shining.html when searching for "liberal fascism". Jon Swift's piece is the most-linked-to piece regarding Jonah Goldberg's ground-breaking work on how evil lefties are. As a company dedicated to "doing no evil", how could you possibly justify removing this search result to a shining review of Jonah's master debating of the left-to-right positioning of fascism? I can only assume that it is because your company is based in California, a state well-known for its support of leftist fascism, to the extent that they even outlawed lead paint on children's toys (which is very dubious science based on nothing but double-blind studies).
Anyway, I assume no response from the craven Google lefties will be forthcoming, but let this serve as notice that we, the loyal servants of Jonah Goldberg, are watching Google, and plan to tally up its mistakes and publicize them in the blogs of loyal followers, such as the God-like Jon Swift.
Well, that's a real pantload, isn't it? What would happen if you just re-posted the previous "classic" entry? Complete with links back to the original of course (for the comments) and to this one about the heinous efforts of those perfidious "Google lefties" to stifle your perfectly legitimate criticism of a book you haven't yet read!
This is a disturbing act because anyone can be made a victim Jon. However, it is also a validation of the concept of Liberal Fascism if indeed certain "Googlefts" instigated the decision. --Durano, done!
This action fully reaffirms my deep appreciation for Google.
Mr. Swift,
When Jonah was a little up-and-coming "political operative" bouncing on Donald Segretti's knee, nothing made him squeal more than a piping hot batch of google bombs.
Early life for Jonah was difficult suspecting as he did that he was either Dick Nixon's or LBJ's love child; the only clue being that the other kids said his nose looked like a ski jump for midgets.
Oh, how bitter was the sting of from the taunts of little Petey Beinhart and Chucky Todd! He swore he would one day get even. Oh yes, one day he would get even.
Sleep with the light on you librul fascists...
LD
Lovely that Mr. Goldberg has commented that you "unfairly take one for the team", but has he contacted Google about their fascist behaviour? It's as easy to do as artdecodalek points out!
We must support each other in this, or else the fascists/liberals/big business/government/pharmacutecals/neo-nazis/teachers/traffic police will win!
"Googlefties" indeed!
Since teh Google has shown a willingness to play this game the only sensible thing to do is test how far they can be pushed. For instance, when I run a search on Intelligent Design a wiki article on the subject comes up first. The article is dismissive of ID.
I'm sure some people find this DREADFULLY offensive...
You don't even show up searching for liberal fascism lolcat ;-;
That's terrible.
SIR!
I am continuing the good fight in support of Jonah's book to ensure all the right people see it for what it is!
I believe that if we can engineer a complete hostile takeover of liberal blogs with this meme, Google cannot ignore it any longer!
Dear Mr. Swift, I will do my part to reverse this ridiculous censorship. You'd think Google would have a clue after it had the fucking gall to provide the Chinese government with the IP addresses of its citizens and here it is catering to snivelling neoconservatives just because they are threatened by criticism.
I've tried and tried to find a contact page and there appears to be no way to email or write to Google, unless you're a shareholder.
I used this page of Google's to see if Jon's Goldberg entry shows up at all. It does. However, that doesn't mean it's in the top ten.
Next, I visited this page and entered Jon's Goldberg entry and a scathing comment about the snivellers who'd lobbied Google to remove it.
I found this page on Google censorship.
I once asked Google to remove a page of mine from the cache and they did after five days. I'm not sure if the process is automated or not but if it is, this should be stopped. But since there's no way to contact anyone...
If anyone can find a way to contact Google, please share!
Finally, I found a way to actually write to Google.
You'll probably want to select "Other" since the other categories don't seem to fit.
This site lists all the ways to contact Google.
Thank you very much Lesley for your hard work and thanks to everyone for all of your support.
looks like the post is back at #11 now....
Jon, I will also register my concern with Google, and I'm sure they will be responsive, as I own 6 whole shares.
However, I fear that their behavior is not anti-liberal fascism, but anti-LOLcats. They tremble at the power of felines. Indeed, the cat whining at my feet is probably their worst nightmare, and when teamed with her two brothers, who are saving their energy by being unconscious 23 hours a day, a catastrophic outcome is only too real.
"d," as of now I don't see the post in the top 20 in the search for "liberal fascism." In fact, a search for "liberal fascism LOLcats" doesn't put the post in question in the top 30, although it does bring up both this post, and Jon Swift's main page. It just brings up lots of people talking about Mr Swift's original post. I have trouble believing that any neutral algorithm finds other pages more relevant for a search of "liberal fascism LOLcats." Google is definitely modifying the ranks by hand.
Sir Swift,
May I congratulate you on your fine recovery.
First Facebook. Now Google.
Will the powers that be ever learn?
I don't really understand what's going on but I know google is a mean mistreater and want to offer my sympathy/congratulations whichever is appropriate for the moment.
Since I didn't have time to actually read your post, much less all of those dreadful links which you so assiduously put into your posts to prove some point or another, I am forced to conclude that somehow Google is attempting to manipulate the unmanipulatable. Silly bunch of queens!
Foolish, silly bunch of queens.
I do have this bit of advice to your legions who would write nasty diatribes to Google. No email works as well as a blog posting available to gazillions. I suggest we al go to a blog post about Google manipulating links to favor the idiotic right wing and then link to this post.
As odd as it may seem, the forces of Google actually do "Google" themselves. They are very sensitive to how they are "perceived".
Cheers.
The same thing happened with Sadly No's classic and much-linked-to post about Jeff Goldstein: "Wingnut All-Star: Jeff Goldstein". It used to come up 3rd when you searched for just his name and now it's virtually impossible to find via Google. It's pretty obvious that Goldstein, who constantly frets publicly about his son googling his name in the future, spent all of his voluminous free time badgering Google until they made the post much, much harder to find.
BECAUSE OF THE TRUTHINESS.
Google Giveth and Google Taketh Away.
Jon, I was happy to see you're up to number 4 now. What a relief. I was afraid you might have to enlist David Horowitz in your cause. He is such a brave soldier in the war against liberal censorship!
BTW, is there a way to adopt one of your LOLcats? Or have they already been promised to good, god-fearing, conservative homes?
m proud to say that I have not read the book, your original post, this post or any of the comments preceding mine. Clearly, since Google owns the internets, and since said internets, being the private property of Google, can be disposed of in any way that Google pleases, Google has every right to suppress your "free" speech on said internets.
You do believe in property rights, don't you Mr. Conservative?
This is weird. Now your post comes up third on a search for "liberal fascism." But "liberal fascism LOLcats," which yesterday brought up >30 hits, today brings up only 4, and does not bring up your post.
skippy said...
the snark is so subtle that even i have lost track...does jonah know you're making fun of him? it seems like he doesn't...
1/14/2008 12:08 PM
Mr Swift is poking fun at Jonah?
I thought the LOLcat post was to allow our other conservative brethren, the ones who have difficulty breathing thru their nostrils, to understand the essential concept of the book, that liberals are fascists, up is down, and cats use language.
As of Tuesday afternoon (Funny, I hear music in my head.) the post is at #3, behind the Amazon.com link and the Urban Dictionary googlebomb.
Congrats, googling "liberal fascism LOLcats" now brings your post up at #1, and as larrye said, and "liberal fascism" brings it up as #3. The citizens have spoken.
Behold: The power that is..Jon Swift! How facionable.
Just happened to Google "Liberal Facism," and thought I'd come by to say that you're back at #3.
I see others have noted this already, but I decided to join in the chorus of approval.
Dear Jon Swift. I liked your post about about Googlebomb. Funny and global thing :) So I took the liberty of posting part of your post at forum for writers here http://www.writersclub.net/medley/google_bomb-t121.0.html
You are free to share your ideas in this or any other thread on the forum.
Tag Heuer Formula 1 Watch can be worn anytime, anywhere including under water. It is indeed true that formula 1 watch is safe to use when swimming or diving because it is water resistant. The hand and the index markers are also made luminescent just like the dial for a clearer vision especially at night.
Thanks for sharing that. It was fun reading it. :-)
That is great to hear, thank you for reading!
That was a VERY interesting one! Seriously interesting.
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