[WikiEN-l] Using Talk pages to influence Google results (Most read US newpaper blasts Wikipedia)

[jkelly at fas.harvard.edu]

  I wasn't aware that Google results were influenced by material on Talk pages.
If this is true, it explains instances in which I have seen anons post some
ideological screed in the article, have it removed, and then re-post it
repeatedly into the article's Talk page.  Is this actually that effective a
tactic for using Wikipedia as a soapbox?

                                  Jason



Quoting slimvirgin at gmail.com:

> On 11/30/05, Fred Bauder <fredbaud at ctelco.net> wrote:
> > This case Slim Virgin mentions is in arbitration now and a blatant
> > example of gaming Google by associating the name of the person with a
> > lot of accusations he has only a marginal connection with ...
> > At a minimum we need to not allow Google to index our talk pages. We
> > talk about a lot of things. They may be about information but they
> > are not encyclopedic.
>
> Fred, the case I was referring to isn't the one that's in arbitration,
> though I know the one you mean, and it's quite similar. I'm starting
> to wonder whether this is happening a lot: that troublemakers see our
> talk pages as a sort of Trojan horse. They pretend to be having an
> innocent conversation designed to sort out the good from the bad
> material, whereas in fact the discussion is only a vehicle being used
> to spread the bad stuff, which they know won't survive in our
> articles.
>
> Sarah
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