web visitors - now words debate

[Ron Gatrelle]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Neil Jones" <Neil at NWJONES.DEMON.CO.UK>
Subject: Re: web visitors?


> On 18 Oct, in article
>      <5.1.0.14.2.20011018134234.00a68e80 at mail.utexas.edu>
>      drdn at mail.utexas.edu "Chris J. Durden" wrote:
>
> > Neil,
> >     Ah, yes. How about looking at NABA meta tags. They are probably
playing
> > the same game too.
>
> No here are NABA's meta tags.
>
> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1">
> <title>Butterflies - North American Butterfly Association</title>
> <meta name="keywords" content="butterflies, sightings, conservation,
releases, binoculars">
> <meta name="description" content="North American Butterfly Association
home page">
>
> Perfectly in order. No dodgy "keyword spamming" there.
>

I guess this topic (debate of words) is unavoidable.   NABA does not _do_
butterfly releases.   I see the only reason they have this "key word" as to
1)  warn and dissuade the general populace of the evils of butterfly
releases and 2) to intercept anyone (inc. innocent couples) planning on
releasing  butterflies at their wedding.  They end up at NABA where they
will be told off - that if they engage in this type of thing they are
practically becoming environmental terrorists.  People who _want_ to
release butterflies are _not_ looking for NABA!   The key word is not
anti-release (a negative), it is release (a neutral or positive). (Let's
remember that on the pragmatic subject of release I personally lean against
them.  So this part of this post is not because I am some pro release
person.)

Next, Does NABA sell binoculars?   Why should someone looking to buy
binoculars have to end up at a butterfly web site?

I could easily be wrong on this next one, but my recollection is that
neither NABA nor Neil's site have a link to TILS?  If so, why is that?   Is
it because we are a very pro collecting org (we are also very pro watching
and gardening etc.)   We provide links to all kinds of places -- even some
dealers I would personally not even use. As I said in my last post, neither
I nor any of the powers that be at TILS are interested in playing god and
trying to make up people's minds for them.  We are not butterfly fascists =
our way or the highway.  (NO - I am not saying NABA or Neil is a fascist.
Anyone familiar with my posts should know by now that I _often_ respond on
issues like this in editorial fashion.  My purpose in the use of that word
is to smack us all in the face with the ugly reality of what we can easily
become when agendas (even good ones) take center stage in our lives.  This
is leps related as we don't need butterfly fascists - which some already
think we have.
_________________

Markku wrote:

On this *technical* issue I have to lean to the Neil's side.

At least, I would be pretty annoyed, as a user, if I was searching for
some information and based on some lying keyword, I would waste my
time on a page that doesn't interest me.

Sadly, keyword spamming has become so common, that search engines may
actually ignore them totally. My pages don't use keywords at all.
_______________

Ron again:  Actually, I have no problem with taking the naba or naba.org
key word off our main page if it is that big an issue with most folk. It is
just a utilitarian thing and doesn't actually bring us any hits anyway (I
know this as our stats pages lets us know all the search string words that
folks have used to get to our site. I have only seen naba there once -- two
days ago when I did it myself.) Technically, in this specific case "naba"
as a key word is not lying because the "intent" is to only connect with
folks looking for butterfly info -- and as I stated in my last post, if one
gets to our site and is looking specifically for naba they can still get
there via our link to it.  A "Pamala" put in on an auto sales site would be
a "lying" key word in my opinion.  (Probably why our webmaster left "sex"
and "free" off the mega list I originally sent to him a year ago.
Obviously he is smarter than I.)

Lepsoc is also listed there for the same reason.  Neither key word has
anything to do with pro or con regarding either of those sites or
organizations -- it is simply to provide the person surfing the web looking
for butterfly web sites to see that we are there too.  By the way the Lep
Soc does have a link to our page.

I agree with Markku on the overall issue of keyword spamming.  My web
master told me when we first put up the list and many or most major search
engines don't even use them at all any more - as Markku stated.


Weekend Cheers
Ron



 
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