Rap Genius Comes Under Fire For SEO Practices
Hip-hop reference tool Rap Genius has come under fire over the past week as reports of their using shady SEO practices to drive traffic to the site has come to light. A host of media outlets reported on the issue, with Google giving a nod to being aware of what the site that recently rolled out "Rap Stats" is up to. Today, Google flexed and punished the New York-based Rap Genius by removing the site from the top of any of its search results pages and a search for the website only returns third-party sites talking about RG.
According to the L.A. Times, "Google took down Rap Genius after it was revealed that the lyrics website, which received $15 million in funding from Andreesson Horowitz last year, was offering bloggers exposure through its social media accounts in exchange for links to its website on their music blogs." Apparently, the site was trading unique views for access to its social media numbers-a fact that was revealed by Tech entrepreneur John Marbach who posted his findings here.
We'll see what effect this has on Rap Genius, which should bounce back quickly with that nice nest egg. More interestingly, it brings up an issue we could be facing moving forward in the Internet age of blogs and websites. Google made a statement, both in what practices are acceptable and how much clout they truly yield in the overall cyber universe. A check of other search engines shows that Google is alone in the ousting, but it is notable nevertheless. We'll keep an eye on this story as it develops, but it looks like RG is going to miss out on a lot of Beliebers looking up Journals lyrics in their new Christmas snuggies. Oh, well.
[via LA Times]
Microsoft top brass wants Gates out
Don't bite the hand that feeds you, goes the old mantra. Of course, that and really any common sense gets tossed out the window once money is involved. The guys at the top are greedy, what's the difference between $1.1 million and $1.5? Really, though. So, in the latest instance of a company turning on the person that made them, a few of the board members over at Microsoft decided they've had it with this Bill Gates guy, calling for his ouster from his post as Chairman of the board.
Apparently, these three grumpy old men think that dropping Gates will allow the company to move forward more succinctly, that Gates is holding them back. Let's back up. This is the guy that created the concept of the window all of you are reading this post on right now. Gates is the Mick Jagger to Steve Jobs' John Lennon. You don't fire Gods and they also don't usually step down.Not to mention Gates is one of the most beloved businessmen in recent memory, a guy who donates $2 billion a year and still endorses higher taxes on the rich. Rockefeller he is not. He is a genuinely good guy doing genuinely good work, so what are you waiting for-get him out of there!
So, with that, Microsoft, which has real problems (see: Microsoft Surface) that having someone experienced like Gates will help solve, is instead trying to push out one of the most important business and tech minds of a generation. Too bad there isn't a good example of a huge tech company pushing out their founder only to fall apart and ask for him back. . . oh wait.