# Google is going to shit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 16, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797 "2004-01-16T17:13:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/1 "2004-01-16T17:13:21Z")
One of the few remaining pure and good things on this spam encrusted, porn saturated, wholly owned subsidiary of corporate motherfuckers we call the internet, and it’s steadily going to hell. On virtually every search I do, the first 10 hits are fucking ads. This sucks on so many levels. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/2 "2004-01-16T17:21:21Z")
Your searching technique must suck. I’m not having this problem. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/3 "2004-01-16T17:21:35Z")
Cite? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/4 "2004-01-16T17:28:44Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Your searching technique must suck. 😛 Hmmmm messages must be at least 10 characters? ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/5 "2004-01-16T17:48:08Z")
If you’re looking up information on a digital camera, say, and search for “digital camera model foo300x”, you’re likely to get a million and one sites that purport to sell it, or link to sites that sell it, or … Try modifying your search. Add +review, or -sale, or -ad, or various other terms to fine-tune the results that you get. If you’re just searching for “hot naked hamster-on-hamster action”, though, I can’t help you. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/6 "2004-01-16T17:56:49Z")
> [@lno](#): > > If you’re just searching for “hot naked hamster-on-hamster action”, though, I can’t help you. So THAT’S why the board is so slow sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/7 "2004-01-16T18:12:14Z")
I had about the same rant about a month ago. I did a search for “paramedic employment [state]” and something like 75% of the responses linked to a certain ad website whose URL I have banished from my memory. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/8 "2004-01-16T18:36:20Z")
> [@lno](#): > > If you’re just searching for “hot naked hamster-on-hamster action”, though, I can’t help you. [http://www.heavy-handed.org/hamster/sicko.htm](http://www.heavy-handed.org/hamster/sicko.htm) I can! Second hit, but I had to remove the hyphens. That specific page is work safe. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/9 "2004-01-16T18:43:21Z")
Hmmm… there have been a few isolated incidents when my search-terms have returned several cheesy “portal” sites before anything else, but it was always clear that it was the result of crap-artists’ spoofing and not actually Google’s fault. Just now I tried to purposefully frame a search that would give such results, and came up empty. Google is nowhere _near_ as bad as most search indexes’ “Pay-for-prominence” model. I remember, back in the pre-Google days, the frustration of trying to find pages about Philip K. Dick. _Excite_ was the worst-- not only would a _single_ paid-for keyword result in the rest of your search-terms being _totally ignored_, but the page descriptors would regurgitate your search-terms (in full) back at you, to deliberately attempt to make it appear as though the site was relevant. Hooray! Pages and pages of links to “The HOTTEST Philip K. Dick pics on the internet!” Oookay… When you consider that millions of spammers and crappy paysite spend a _lot_ of time trying to exploit Google’s ranking system to their benefit, I think the wheat-to-chaff ratio is fantastic. If you are consistently getting ads in response to your searches, it probably means that your interests happen to substantially intersect with those of the gullible folks that internet advertisers target the most. Come back and complain when your search for “Fermat’s Last Theorum” gets you a bunch of come-ons for penis-creams and cable descramblers, like it will with some of Google’s “competitors.” ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_scratch\_fever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/73ab20/32.png) [@Cat\_scratch\_fever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_scratch_fever)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/10 "2004-01-16T18:47:44Z")
If you’re referring to the links coded in color on the right or top those are paid ads which help pay for the site to exist. Why is everyone so mad about seeing ads when the Internet is free (well, basically free.) At least you don’t have to drive to the library & do research using a card catalog. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/11 "2004-01-16T19:17:10Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Your searching technique must suck. A more vicious falsehood hath never been uttered among these hallowed forums. My reputation, verily the reputation of every registered soul among us, is forever fouled by an epithet so grave. For shame QED, for shame. ---
**Author:** ![hroeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@hroeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hroeder)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/12 "2004-01-16T19:28:46Z")
:o I agree with the first guy. I know you all like to use OP. But I haven’t seen a picture, and I’m pretty sure he isn’t Ron Howard. Anyway, it is relatively recently that I’ve been hit with the “Pay Per View” sites. I did a search just yesterday for “name” and had someone offering me the best prices on “name”. I’m pretty sure the person wasn’t for sale. But then one never knows. they say everyone has a price. By the way. I never cared much for google. I always thought it was too big of a number. Hotbot used to be interesting. At least Hot. But since AltaVista ate it up, all it is, any more, is high. LP. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/13 "2004-01-16T20:27:43Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > On virtually every search I do, the first 10 hits are fucking ads. This sucks on so many levels. > [@QED](#): > > Your searching technique must suck OK folks - post a search term and it’s a face to face bitch-searching contest ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/14 "2004-01-16T21:20:50Z")
Awww, the search nerds are gonna have a little slapfight at the playground after school. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/15 "2004-01-16T21:50:00Z")
> [@GMRyujin](#): > > Awww, the search nerds are gonna have a little slapfight at the playground after school. Keep it basic boolean style, I don’t wanna see any regex’ing going on - no private databases, 10 word maximum! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/16 "2004-01-16T21:55:41Z")
You might run adaware or spybot on your computer. I agree that google is going downhill, but if the top ten hits are porno sites and it’s an innocuous search you’re doing, it’s more likely that your computer is infected. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/17 "2004-01-16T23:00:55Z")
> [@lucwarm](#): > > You might run adaware or spybot on your computer. I’d suggest both, first one and then the other. [Ad Aware](http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/) can find stuff that [Spybbot](http://www.safer-networking.org/) doesn’t and vice versa. Don’t forget to check for updates every few days! ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/18 "2004-01-16T23:03:52Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd Pages and pages of links to “The HOTTEST Philip K. Dick pics on the internet!” [/QUOTE] Hot Android on Electric Sheep action! ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/19 "2004-01-16T23:08:15Z")
> [@Tars Tarkas](#): > > Hot Android on Electric Sheep action! [Hot Android on Electric Sheep action!](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Hot+Android+on+Electric+Sheep+action) suggests that google is as good as ever 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797/20 "2004-01-17T01:35:50Z")
> [@lucwarm](#): > > You might run adaware or spybot on your computer. Always good advice :), but I don’t know of any spyware that’s capable of futzing with Google’s search results, so I don’t think that’s what’s going on. I think only part of Google’s problem is that gaming its algorithm has become more common (witness the oh-so-hilarious “dumb motherfucker” pranks). Another idea I’ve heard suggested is that Google is in a way a victim of its own success. It has made search so ubiquitous that people write static links to interesting pages much less often these days, robbing it of the information it uses to rank pages. This is purely conjecture, but seems at least plausible. I do think Google needs to advance its algorithm, because it’s now being overhauled (at least in the technology stakes) by competitors like Teoma and Vivisimo, who while they provide much the same core results provide a lot more high-level information such as clustering and classification. All that said, I still love Google for constantly coming up with ace ideas. It’s still the most astoundingly functional website I know of, and I’m sure they’re not sitting on their hands… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-is-going-to-shit/224797.md?page=2)