The Globetrotting Detective

The Globetrotting Detective | investigate | discover | learn | share | intercultural awareness | intercultural exchange | cultural diversity | adventure

[TBEX | Travel Blog Exchange @TBEXevents]

A lot of RTs this morning about the ongoing damage the latest Google update and the implementation of their AI (aka theft of creators content) /HT to @natejhake. But remember this is not the first time big tech, or big media has tried to kill of independent creators. It is just the latest.

We have to fight, but we can still win. Do not give up, do not lose heart. Get mad, get focused and fight.

Do what you do best. Tell stories with your words, images and video that helps, informs and inspires your fellow humans.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@elonmusk Lol! What is more ridiculous? When Americans talk about security violations or privacy violations? 🥲 LMAO

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@osaka_87 @thatkatieberry Well, that’s what I’m thinking about. Why write more for AI!? 😭

[Katherine Argent @effthealgorithm]

They steal our content.

They wipe out our traffic.

They penalize us for having affiliate links or ads to make up for that loss of income.

They tell us to ditch thin content, then later admit that GSC was underreporting clicks.

They tell us expertise and experience are important signals, then bury first-hand content under crap written by freelance generalists using AI.

They tell people hit by HCU that recovery is possible in a couple weeks…months…maybe next update?

They impose site-wide penalties on small sites which tend to be solo sites, but page-based penalties on big publishers who’ve got the staff to fix things.

They elevate big brands that have scraped content from smaller ones without adding anything new, then punish small sites with original content for optimizing so they’re found in search.

And literally overnight they rip established sites with good DA and excellent traffic out of the top 3 on a wide vertical and sink that site’s traffic and income.

Avoiding Creator burnout? You caused it, Google.

How stupid do you think we are that you’re still trying to pretend you’re helpful to creators in any way? You’re the single biggest threat to original, heartfelt and helpful content out there.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@vstimac @Katie16282772 Well not everyone has the brain capacity to read detailed travel guides.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@JohnMu @GenSkinJob @Katie16282772 @glenngabe I’m also wondering if Google is promoting unhelpful and sloppy content on purpose? Degenerating the society is literally part of the liberal ideology in the US. Getting people used to crappy content fits their agenda so well.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@Katie16282772 @JohnMu @GenSkinJob @glenngabe I think you had better focus on video content.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@JoeEHarby @JohnMu @GenSkinJob @Katie16282772 @glenngabe Well, isn’t it so American? What Google is doing is excatly how the American economy works. So, why everyone is so surprised? Well, at least in the West, they don’t take our lives.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@JohnMu @GenSkinJob @Katie16282772 @glenngabe Take the KW, most beautiful places in Saudi Arabia. Why is Google ranking Condé Nast Traveller #1? Then Regency Holidays & Traveloka? They are written by people who have never been to Saudi Arabia.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@JohnMu @GenSkinJob @Katie16282772 @glenngabe An example: according to Keysearch, this crap https://t.co/oQSDL8qHGi ranks #1 for Dubai itinerary. It should not even be on the first page. So what kind of faulty ranking system puts this on the first page of Google? Travel bloggers have way more useful content for the same KW.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@JohnMu @GenSkinJob @Katie16282772 @glenngabe I can’t take this seriously. Everyone knows it’s about money and not being helpful. 😅 You know that Reddit and Quora results suck. I know Google got a lot of money from them.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@dannysullivan What are you people doing in Google? The search results are horrible! I have detailed guides based on my experience and you rank sloppy writings written by people who have never been to the given destinations. Is it part of your mission of degrading the society?

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

I was traveling in Oman for a month. Check out my Muscat travel guide.
https://t.co/NZcspVpWb8

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

This is how I crossed the Wagah Border from India to Pakistan and this is also how you can do it!
https://t.co/SzKK87wuwj

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@lilyraynyc @sistrix So what to do now as a travel blogger? No SEO? No affiliate links? And no ads? And then how should I earn money? 🙄

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@aworldtravelguy @searchliaison @dannysullivan @JohnMu That is horrible!

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@ecommlea @JonMiksis @googlesearchc @JohnMu @dannysullivan @CMAgovUK @FTC That is a very naive assumption. American cooperations get away with much worse things. They get away with supporting genocides and war crimes. Killing our traffic is what for them? Nothing.

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@JonMiksis Very well written. I agree with everything you say.

[Jon Miksis @JonMiksis]

Well folks- the heartless, faceless search team at Google has spoken…

The March 2024 Core Update has officially been completed. And the result? An online ecosystem that is significantly more hollow, less diverse, and less helpful than ever before.

Small, independent voices have been nearly erased from the search results, while big corporations are now ubiquitous. Information is now being controlled by a small number of players who are providing thin, general, impersonal and mainstream content. This is all happening in an election year, too. What could possibly go wrong?

Here’s some context: since last fall, Google has been systematically penalizing small independent sites who monetize with ads and affiliate marketing. For years, this business model has been mutually beneficial for websites and consumers, allowing bloggers and niche sites to provide high-quality content to readers for FREE in return for some in-content ads/affiliate links on their sites.

However, Google and a handful of institutional investors have now chosen to go down the war path against any and all small websites who stand in the way of them achieving maximum profits. To achieve this, they are using a “manual classifier” to penalize all parts of these websites, making it impossible to compete against the big players who are financially tied to Google, including e-commerce giants that use Google Ads & user-generated content platforms like Reddit, which lack the EEAT (expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness) that Google claims to value.

PR spokespeople for Google have gone to great lengths to avoid conversation about this issue. They have done nothing to help out small creators to rebound their traffic and understand why they have been hit so hard while big publishers have taken over all the search results. This is pretty evil in my opinion, and it doesn’t just harm small creators, it harms everyone.

Without a free, fair, and open internet, people will be left in the dark. In the travel industry that I’m in, it means that internet users will now see lower quality advice.

Big sites like Forbes, Travel + Leisure, and Conde Nast do not have a financial incentive to provide high-quality tips and hacks that saves people time, money, and hassle while traveling. Their content is generally lean/thin and doesn’t provide much nuance. And without small sites like mine to compete with, you can bet that their content will get a lot worse.

If diversity and innovation truly matter to Google, then it’s time to stop sidelining the small, the independent, and the innovative. You have an ethical and legal obligation to make the internet an even playing field once again. Do the right thing, or face the karmic consequences. @googlesearchc

[The Globetrotting Detective @gtdetective]

@ChuckCallesto How come they don’t arrest robbers and muggers? 🤪