web visitors?

[Ron Gatrelle]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Neil Jones" <Neil at NWJONES.DEMON.CO.UK>
To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2001 11:48 AM
Subject: Re: web visitors?


>
Neil quots me in:
    ... Let me use our TILS site as an example.
>
Then he adds
Indeed. It is a very good example.
Let's look at the meta tags from the index page.
>
 <meta name="keywords" content="butterfly, butterflies, moths, lepidoptera,
naba, naba.org, taxonomic report, international lepidoptera survey,
gatrelle, lepsoc">
> <meta name="name" content="butterfly, butterflies, moths, lepidoptera,
naba, naba.org, taxonomic report, international lepidoptera survey,
gatrelle, lepsoc">
> <meta http-equiv="Keywords" content="butterfly, butterflies, moths,
lepidoptera, naba, naba.org, taxonomic report, international lepidoptera
survey, gatrelle, lepsoc">
<title>The International Lepidoptera Survey</title>

 There is something just a little odd here. I wonder what the words "naba"
and
"naba.org" are doing in there?
Considering that Ron is one of the staunchest critics of the North American
Butterfly Association, I wonder why his web site is describing itself
to the search engines as being THEIR web site?

> --
> Neil Jones-

____________________

My comment.  (Told ya, we can tell the leps season is over in the north as
indicated that since there are no leps to report we will now enter
lepisodes of retort.)  Neil, how does one find such stuff?   Really, I know
nothing of computers, programming etc.  I don't even know how to find our
own site's meta tages.  In fact I don't really know exactly what they do.
I do know my webmaster tried to explain them to me and asked for a list of
words that search engins would pick up on that could lead someone to our
site.  So I gave him a list of "key words".  My disappointment in the above
is that it is not a lot longer.  I sent him a lot more "words" than _that_!
...Pavulaan, Lepidopterist Society,  gobs of species names, I think I even
had Opler in there in the original list. OH! I had "sex" and "free" in
there too -  I hear that gets lots of hits.  The webmaster obviously
trimmed down the list or you only found part of them.

My understanding is that when a search engine finds one of these words that
matches a search it just _adds_ that URL site to the multiple choice list
the searcher has to _choose_ from.  Thus a "naba" search will will bring up
many many many URL's.  National Adult Baseball Association - or Chat with
Trixey - or The End of the World.  (These last two are fiction of course,
but they reflect the reality of all the totally unrelated stuff one gets
when they go via a search engine.)

Here is a search I just did for "naba.org".  MSN: naba #1, National
Association of Buying Agents #2, 10 total sites.  Lycos: USGS site #1 (why
not crack on them Neil?  They must be trying to say they are naba by your
logic.), #2 sdbirds, #3 wild wood, #4 naba, #6 a pest control company
(better check it out Neil it might be you know who).   GoTo(overture): only
naba listed.  Altavista:  #1 naba, #2 Birds, #3 TILS (yes!!!), #4 USGS
(again).   Northern Light: 25 all naba.  Excite: just two, #1 naba and #2
Texas Parks.  Yahoo: 169 sites of many different types including several
naba or naba links - none associated to TILS (I've got to get the webmaster
to fix this!).

Neil, you act like this is some big deal.    I don't know hardly anything
about this stuff, but I do know it is a common and _totally acceptable
practice_ for web sites to have all kinds of "key words" running in the
background in order to let people know _their_ site is there.   I don't
care what words anyone uses, and I don't really think anyone else does
either.

This post of yours really has nothing to do with the "topic" you posed.  I
take it as just another one of your occasional mean spirited attacks on
people you don't like under the guise of some noble purpose.  Let me give
you some real dirt on me.  I am a preacher and yet I committed adultry 25
years ago. If you want to really slam me use that.  Unfortunately, it is no
secret as I even rarely  mention it in my own sermons to make appropriate
points.  It was one of the most difficult times and tragedies in our
families  life.  Just like the death of Tom Kral's father was the worst
thing in his life (but you use it as a joke).  Or the personal emotional
trauma at a time in Paul Cherubini's life that some how you know about (and
use to make us think he is of unabomber mentality).  You have lots of good
facts and points in 90% of your posts. You don't need to stoop to
personally digging against people who hold different views then you.

For the record, the _only_ thing I have a meaningful gripe about with NABA
is the between the lines anti-collectors attitude.   That's it.  Any other
differences are just my personal preferences.  I know people in NABA who
seem to have more of a problem with it then I !   A check of the TILS links
page on our web site will show that  a NABA link is there (I chose the
links). Since you're such a Sherlock Holmes why didn't you mention that?
It is just above the Monarch Watch link.  I have no intention of trying to
play god and make up other peoples minds for them.  If someone else wants
to visit the NABA site or belong or what ever I am _helping_  them do so by
providing a link to NABA.

One good thing.  I am sure with your knowledge of computers, if this "key
words" smoke screen is all you could find we must be a pretty up and up
deal.

Ron G.

PS  Search engins don't "think".  The people who look at the sites they
bring up do the thinking -- and they are not so ignorant that they would
think a USGS or Birds or TILS  site is NABA - although if they come to TILS
they can link to NABA.  On the other hand, a site that _states_ one is the
x number visitor when in fact it is counting hits not visits IS misleading
at the least and lying at the most.  Also, note that I have still not
mentioned any names on that. Especially, the one specific site that
everyone would know their name.  I have not done so for several reasons.
Mainly because I am thinking the best and the individual may not know what
the counter is actually doing.


 
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