Comments on: The Mirror should beware: it looks like it’s selling links to MoneyExtra http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/ Where to find Malcolm Coles, reviews, and tips on how to do things I couldn't do. Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:22:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Malcolm Coles http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4495 Malcolm Coles Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:36:37 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4495 Own up. Which one of you just rang my mum and promised her he could make her number 1 in google? Own up. Which one of you just rang my mum and promised her he could make her number 1 in google?

]]> By: Malcolm Coles http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4471 Malcolm Coles Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:59:32 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4471 OK, it's a personal blog, not an SEO one. I just happen to be interested in SEO (and I don't have a category called SEO, just a tag). I also review stuff, and pontificate about newspapers. That aside, I'm going to leave the last words to Phil and John in the comments they've just added. Phil - have a good holiday. John - I AM a lovely guy. And I'm now going to switch off comments on this post as I don't think anything new is being said. If you want to continue the discussion about something other than my mum's website, try <a href="http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra-links/" rel="nofollow">the follow-up post here</a>. OK, it's a personal blog, not an SEO one. I just happen to be interested in SEO (and I don't have a category called SEO, just a tag). I also review stuff, and pontificate about newspapers.

That aside, I'm going to leave the last words to Phil and John in the comments they've just added. Phil - have a good holiday. John - I AM a lovely guy.

And I'm now going to switch off comments on this post as I don't think anything new is being said. If you want to continue the discussion about something other than my mum's website, try the follow-up post here.

]]> By: Phil Green http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4468 Phil Green Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:32:55 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4468 Oh please, someone with an SEO blog just happens to find his mums boring "rent an office" site interesting? I don't mean any offense to the office site in question, but there is no possible way any site in that niche could be deemed interesting. Its a bit of a stretch to call this a "personal" blog too - its an SEO blog, which magnifies anything you do with links as you can't later on claim you didn't know what you were doing, or it was a mistake etc. Anyway I've made my point, I've got a suitcase to pack and a holiday to go on so I won't be back commenting on this one. See you all in a week ;) Oh please, someone with an SEO blog just happens to find his mums boring "rent an office" site interesting? I don't mean any offense to the office site in question, but there is no possible way any site in that niche could be deemed interesting.

Its a bit of a stretch to call this a "personal" blog too - its an SEO blog, which magnifies anything you do with links as you can't later on claim you didn't know what you were doing, or it was a mistake etc.

Anyway I've made my point, I've got a suitcase to pack and a holiday to go on so I won't be back commenting on this one. See you all in a week ;)

]]> By: John HILLES http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4467 John HILLES Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:55:33 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4467 I dont buy that Matt/Malcom, St Albans Offices is clearly there to pass PR and link juice. You know that and we know that. It is out of context for this site. Whether it was for money, love or cornflakes doesnt matter. What the Mirror did was exactly the same in my eyes (and clearly a few others). So, Iam afraid Im firmly in the your a hypocrite camp. (Although Im sure you a lovely guy) I dont buy that Matt/Malcom,

St Albans Offices is clearly there to pass PR and link juice. You know that and we know that.
It is out of context for this site.
Whether it was for money, love or cornflakes doesnt matter.

What the Mirror did was exactly the same in my eyes (and clearly a few others).

So, Iam afraid Im firmly in the your a hypocrite camp.
(Although Im sure you a lovely guy)

]]> By: Malcolm Coles http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4437 Malcolm Coles Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:22:07 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4437 Can you nofollow a blogroll link in wordpress (not that I'm going to, even if you can)? I've added the XFN tag rel="parent" if that helps anyone. However, I think this argument has pretty much run it's course - it doesn't seem to me that anyone is going to be persuaded by the other side's point of view. Can you nofollow a blogroll link in wordpress (not that I'm going to, even if you can)? I've added the XFN tag rel="parent" if that helps anyone.

However, I think this argument has pretty much run it's course - it doesn't seem to me that anyone is going to be persuaded by the other side's point of view.

]]> By: Richard York http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4433 Richard York Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:05:52 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4433 Dress it up how you wish Malcolm. But tell me, why isn't the link a nofollow? Dress it up how you wish Malcolm. But tell me, why isn't the link a nofollow?

]]> By: Malcolm Coles http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4430 Malcolm Coles Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:38:34 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4430 Phil: I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one before I have to turn on comment pagination! But thanks for commenting - it's an interesting debate. Phil: I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one before I have to turn on comment pagination! But thanks for commenting - it's an interesting debate.

]]> By: Malcolm Coles http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4429 Malcolm Coles Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:35:05 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4429 Peter - one last point. The other thing to take into consideration is that newspapers are extremely mean about linking out in general. It's not a natural pattern of linking (unless you're wikipedia, grrrr) to suck up links and refuse to link out - doing so only when paid seems unethical to me. After all, it's not a zero-sum game - the people who get hurt are the sites who would have ranked given the spread of non-paid links. Peter - one last point. The other thing to take into consideration is that newspapers are extremely mean about linking out in general. It's not a natural pattern of linking (unless you're wikipedia, grrrr) to suck up links and refuse to link out - doing so only when paid seems unethical to me. After all, it's not a zero-sum game - the people who get hurt are the sites who would have ranked given the spread of non-paid links.

]]> By: Phil Green http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4427 Phil Green Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:03:14 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4427 The issue is, that its non-natural links, deliberately placed to game search engines - which is the exact same thing you are flaming The Mirror for. Its not different to paying for links at all. They are doing it for money, you are doing it purely to help a family member. Doesn't make either of them legit links. And I would say there IS something wrong with companies linking to other unrelated sites they own, although I realise you need to bash my Ebay stance since it parallels with what you are doing with your family links. Why should a property company Ebay owns outrank other property companies, purely because a parent company can feed it millions of unwarranted, unrelated, sitewide, anchor text rich links? I would say that they shouldn't. They should either rank, or not rank, on their own merit. The issue is, that its non-natural links, deliberately placed to game search engines - which is the exact same thing you are flaming The Mirror for.

Its not different to paying for links at all. They are doing it for money, you are doing it purely to help a family member. Doesn't make either of them legit links.

And I would say there IS something wrong with companies linking to other unrelated sites they own, although I realise you need to bash my Ebay stance since it parallels with what you are doing with your family links.

Why should a property company Ebay owns outrank other property companies, purely because a parent company can feed it millions of unwarranted, unrelated, sitewide, anchor text rich links? I would say that they shouldn't. They should either rank, or not rank, on their own merit.

]]> By: Malcolm Coles http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/mirror-moneyextra/#comment-4418 Malcolm Coles Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:06:58 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=2706#comment-4418 Slightly at a tangent, but it's interesting to compare the lack of transparency in this case, with the guardian publishing a clarification over the weekend: "An article headlined <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/aug/25/first-time-buyers-housing-market">New homeowners: 'Falling market helped us'</a>, should have made clear, in accordance with the Guardian's editorial code, that the journalist who wrote it is related to one of the homebuyers featured (26 August, page 7)." There was no benefit to the people interviewed from appearing, and whether they were or weren't related to the journalist doesn't make any difference to the story as far as I can see. The Guardian still felt moved to clarify it though. Slightly at a tangent, but it's interesting to compare the lack of transparency in this case, with the guardian publishing a clarification over the weekend: "An article headlined New homeowners: 'Falling market helped us', should have made clear, in accordance with the Guardian's editorial code, that the journalist who wrote it is related to one of the homebuyers featured (26 August, page 7)."

There was no benefit to the people interviewed from appearing, and whether they were or weren't related to the journalist doesn't make any difference to the story as far as I can see. The Guardian still felt moved to clarify it though.

]]>