How do you know when people REALLY like you?
When you’re defended by schleb gossip bible Popbitch.
Many kilowatts of power where wasted this week when a Times article asserted that a Google search produced as much carbon as boiling a kettle. The story went all over the world and the blogosphere positively buzzed – before the carbon expert quoted in the Times piece asserted that he’d been misquoted and never said such a thing – so there. Then Google went and set the record straight by publishing the real carbon footprint of a search.
Then I see this in today’s Popbitch email:
The carbon footprint of two google searches is the same as boiling a kettle? Not true say Google. It’s more like 0.02g. Not 7g.
So there. Is this a comment on the Times newspaper’s quality of research – despite there being no mention of the hack or the newspaper. Or does Popbitch just like Google and won’t have anything said about it? We think the latter given yet another search engine themed comment in the very same email:
The only internet two search terms more popular than sex? “Google” and “Yahoo”. Yes people go to Google and then type in “Yahoo”. And vice versa.
Why the search theme Popbitch? Is this some nifty bit of email based SEO trickery I’ve yet to learn of?
My web design friend told me that you can bring the internet to its knees by googling the word “Google” (case sensitive of course). Is this tru. I daren’t try …
Rule Number 1 of Search Engine Optimisation: Never listen to web designers – including that story about how their friend has been using black hat techniques for years and has never been caught.
@Dan,
You mean never listen to “web hackers”.
Designers, for the most part, do try to make the best of the situation by creating easily indexed, relevant, presentations. Not that there aren’t some idiot designers out there who never take search engines into consideration. Or the consequences for trying to rig the system.
We do have a point when we say “don’t flood your page with crap”. Especially since that’s more stuff a search engine, or a visitor, needs to sift through to get to actual content. Often, site owners are uninterested in these recommendations and get what they want anyway. Of course, then it’s the designers fault the site isn’t high in search the rankings.
A well designed and well programmed site may even reduce a company’s carbon footprint as fewer UPU cycles would be need to process data and send it to the user. Even fewer if the site uses data caching so you don’t re-compute each and every time you get a new visitor.
That means using fewer servers to serve the same content and less energy.
Thanks @eksith – over the years, I’ve found that you can boil down lots of search issues to electricity bills. Processing, quickest results returned, scanning, indexing – it’s all about saving cash. Just don’t mention boiling kettles when talking about Google searches – it ain’t true.
This sort of thing never ceases to amaze me. Just what is the point?
What’s the point of what Chris? Wondering whether a publisher has a relationship with an external commercial entity – or is the query about my original blog post? Do share.