CNN.com published an article today that addressed the now-infamous Michelle Obama photo in which she has been Photoshopped to resemble an ape. According to the article, some experts believe that Google may have tweaked its algorithm after discovering that the offensive image climbed in search engine results.
“When [analgorithm] doesn’t do what they want it to do, they go back and start tweaking things,” said Danny Sullivan, a search-engine guru who runs Search Engine Land. “Long term, you look at how they got there. When you search for Michelle Obama, do you really think that kind of image is one of the most popular things about her on the Internet? I don’t think so.”
Google already has an automated tool that prevents Internet users from “Google Bombing” - or pulling together to force a specific result (ie: the epic “miserable failure” = George Bush episode of 2003 and the 2007 effort by Stephen Colbert fan to return Stephen Colbert’s bio when searchers Google “greatest living American.”).In the CNN article, it is noted that analysts don’t believe negative images stay on the Internet for long. Here’s an excerpt from the CNN article that helps to explain why:
Rhea Drysdale, who handles online image issues for Internet marketing company Outspoken Media, said that the offensive picture of Michelle Obama will fade quickly for a simple reason — there are so many other images of her on the Internet.
“That’s not something that’s going to stick with her for long,” she said.
As examples, she cited two people who got negative press in 2009: rapper Kanye West and convicted Wall Street swindler Bernie Madoff.
A Google search for Madoff’s name delivers page after page of news stories about the multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme the former investment banker pleaded guilty to earlier this year.
West grabbed headlines, and much criticism online, by barging onstage to interrupt an acceptance speech by country singer Taylor Swift at the MTV Music Video Awards in September.
But search Google for “Kanye West” and the first news account of the incident comes after about half a dozen other items, including West’s official Web page, personal blog and Wikipedia entry.
“It’s just a matter of news coverage,” she said. “Kanye has a blog. Kanye has a MySpace page. He has a record label that writes all these other things about him. If you have any of those other properties that are yours out there, they can fill the search results.”
What does this mean for Web writers and marketers? It means we need to stay on top of changes to search engines that may help us to better manage our clients’ online reputations. Within reason, it could be helpful to develop truthful positive press campaigns for our clients if they receive negative online attention. In any event, we should be aware of how search engines manage public opinion-related items.