Update: The Google search results and cached page for Gender are now correct. I'll be keeping an eye on this search, as this problem was previously resolved and then reoccurred (as I mentioned at the start of this thread).
- Pax
On 8/13/16 7:39 AM, Pax Ahimsa Gethen wrote:
Any news from Google? As I mentioned in an earlier thread reply, Google's cache for the Gender page was up to date, showing an August 1 revision; it was just the text snippet that was outdated. However, since yesterday, the cache as well as the snippet is now returning the vandalized May 26 revision of the page. Multiple editors (including myself) have contacted Google to attempt to remove the incorrect information; this issue is still being actively discussed at the Village Pump: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Village_pump_(technical)#Google_retu...
- Pax
On 8/8/16 10:24 AM, Dan Garry wrote:
Hello!
Wes has reached out to Google so that we can talk to them about the general issue of out-of-date search results and snippets.
In the mean time, Risker is correct. Google crawls our sites at its own pace, so we don't control anything directly. Reaching out to them is the easiest and quickest way to get these kinds of issues fixed; in my personal experience doing this, they're pretty fast at fixing these kinds of issues.
Thanks, Dan
On 7 August 2016 at 17:34, Risker risker.wp@gmail.com wrote:
Actually, the best way to get this addressed is to email Google. Best to use the search result that you have concerns about, then go to the bottom of the page, click "Send Feedback" and complete the form.
This is not, at its root, a Wikipedia problem. Google has bots scanning our articles on a near-constant basis, as well, but they don't scan everything in real time. I have seen very good results using this process, often within the hour.
Risker
On 7 August 2016 at 20:24, Pine W wiki.pine@gmail.com wrote:
Hi Pax,
I believe that WMF Discovery is the team that is best suited to address matters like this, so I am forwarding your email to the Discovery mailing list.
Pine
On Aug 7, 2016 16:46, "Pax Ahimsa Gethen" list-wikimedia@funcrunch.org wrote:
In a recent thread about improving search, I posted a comment about a possible hazard of relying on Google to search Wikipedia.[1] I
explained
that Google had been displaying a text snippet from an outdated,
disruptive
revision of the Gender page.[2] Well, that error has now resurfaced,
and
at
an editor's suggestion I posted to the Village Pump about it.[3] The initial response at VP was essentially "not our problem; go away" which
was
not exactly encouraging.
I'm sorry but if a major search engine is erroneously telling people
that
Wikipedia is stating " There are only 2 genders. Male and Female", that
is
a cause of concern for me, and I want to know if or how this problem
can
be
fixed. As I explained on the talk page and in the Village Pump,
Google's
cache of the actual page is up to date; it's just the snippet that is
wrong.
- Pax
[1] https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-l/2016-July/ 084890.html
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gender&oldid=722247975
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Village_pump_(techni cal)#Google_returning_outdated_text_snippet_for_Gender_page