I get to do some more traveling this morning, so I'll leave you with an off-the-wall question: since Denyse O'Leary has taken over most of the posting on Uncommon Descent, and since most of her posts link to some other in her network of poorly trafficked, repetitious blogs (and sometimes she links to a post that links to one of the others!), does this mean UD is now officially a link farm?
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A specified link farm, that is.
Perhaps, but I see things like that on scienceblogs.com too. Instead of linking to a story, a blogger will link to another blogger's story, which links to another blogger's story, which finally links to the actual story.
Or worse, a blogger will link to one of their own posts, which links to someone else's post, which links to someone else's post, which links to the original story.
You don't do that, PZ. Phil Plaitt does that. I'm pretty sure he's the only one.
Being the type and amount of excrement typically produced there I would think it's more in line with a NC hog farm.
Well, I link to myself a lot because I dont have a ton of regular readers and I make jokes that new readers might not get, or have already discussed something new readers might have questions about.
But O'Leary's links appear to be totally random, circular links, or 'BUY MY BOOK!' so I would say yes.
As long as we have the autodidactic frontloading authority DaveScot, at least in the comments, the amusement will continue.
It is to blogging what public masturbation is to love-making.
In light of Certain Other Posts here, maybe I shouldn't make the snarky comment, but my atheistic morality just won't let the softball easy hit go by without taking a swing...
If Denyse has taken over, that would make it an Animal Farm, except that there are some things that even a pig won't do.
"and sometimes she links to a post that links to one of the others!"
GASP! I bet no one ever does that to Pharyngula!
"poorly trafficked"
jeez... get over yourself. If it was all a big popularity contest, then you are losing out to Paris Hilton's website. Does that mean that your blog, poorly-trafficked in comparison, is somehow less informative and useful? I think not.
Although all would find PZ's site more useful than Paris Hilton's, it must be said that, informative as it is, it's somewhat less useful at certain specific critical junctures than Tila Tequila's.
Well, it's easy when you simply link to a peer-review article in Nature, Science, Cell or PNAS. For them is harder and they need to recourse to mutual linking. Anyway I would'nt speak of "link farming": it is more a question of "link huntering/gathering".
Or is it "link pastoralism", herding around their little group of followers to all their blogs, occasionally stopping by somewhere else to gather some fresh commenters to subsequently ban?
A complex specified link farm...
But Mya is right. It is link pastoralism.
Link-farming (or hunting gathering), meh. Who cares? It's annoying and ultimately useless on their part. What makes UD a truly awful blog is that they block all comments that are not praising their posts. Just the fact that you have to register to comment is a mark against them (though not an awful one), but once you are registered you must then toe the party line...
I registered, posted some polite comments questioning some of the details of a couple of posts - comments that sat 'awaiting moderation' for a couple of days before they were trashed (with no notice to me explaining why), and then made a final comment asking for an explanation by email (provided with registration) - which was eventually trashed and never responded to.
Notice the difference. Here (and most other mid-sized blogs I read), it is relatively simple to comment, and absent abuse (which is usually clearly defined by the owner(s) of the site) comments are never discarded. I assume that if PZ or others do discard some of the comments on their site for abuse they are at least willing to send an email explaining why if requested.
So- to anyone from UD, go ahead and drop me an email explaining what I said wrong, or engage me in debate. I'm a graduate student, so I don't have a lot of time, but I promise to answer you at least once every academic quarter (probably more often, but I won't guarantee that).
cheers-
Eric Riley
taistealai at yahoo dot com
She's also probably the least competent of all of them. Not that there is so much as 1/2 a brain being shared among the entire group, but she represents, at most, a hundredth's share.
It's sort of a link farm, but not a rule-violating one that Google would crack down on.
The fact, though, is that it's likely to harm UD, and not do Denyse much good. First off, she's a boring derivative drone (has she written anything at all that she didn't read from other IDiots?), so not very enticing to read even if you don't have to click through links. I doubt many will bother to read her links, judging by how little feedback she gets on her non-linked posts. With so many sockpuppets posting, the readership at UD appears quite low in any case.
It is not impossible that she links as much as she does both because there are few enough pro-ID readers, and because links might draw fewer comments from sock puppets.
Then again, PT also would likely be doing better now if it weren't operating too much like a link farm.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7
But was it designed as a link farm, or did it evolve into one?
It's a Link Ladder down into the pits of ignorance.
Aw, go easy on 'er. . . After all, she's the one who gave me my favorite epithet for myself.
Glen at 15:
Seems to me that there's not much more UD could do to harm itself. With all the ridiculous posts and ridiculous authors, plus the embarrassing posts disappearing down the memory hole, everyone knows UD is the bottom of the barrel.
@7
Oh you, sir, are very good.
(o0)
//|\
What happened to Billy Dembski? I guess he is too busy working down at the lab running ID experiments to find time to blog nowadays. Or is he cutting and pasting his previous publications to make yet another regurgitated book?
It certainly is, if one is looking for information on Paris Hilton.
Foreplay?
More like a missing-link farm...
As best I can tell, the tighter the loop, the more it is downweighted by google. So its not a matter of "violating a rule", its just a matter of being seen as less important if the ring of links cluster too tightly.
I'm convinced that the logic of their weighting system is mind blowingly complex, with most of the tricky stuff centered around preventing people from gaming it in this way.
The funniest part about her circular linking is that it's damn near incomprehensible. She has a badly written paragraph or two in the top part of her post, and then a several sentences linking to random (and seemingly unrelated) posts. Finally a "Buy my book" link at the bottom.
Yowza.
Since the cats away the mice will play.
1.any Ramones fans?
2.English Motorcycle Riders (BSA, TRIUMPH,ARIEL,AJS and so on)?
3.Flintlock and or Precussion shooters?
4.I do not shoot critters only "empty" Beer cans.
I'm a big fan of Denyse's site. For one reason, I just find it completely fascinating that somebody who calls themselves a journalist can write so badly. Most of her posts not only ramble and have no structure, but usually just petter out at the end with no point. She is the mistress of the non sequitor! Granted, it's her blog, and she can write what she likes, but if she was to write like this for a magazine she would be shown the door.
Then of course we have the endless links, usually to her previous blogs, which then reference more previous blogs. It's a bizarre form of recursive blogging that I've not seen elsewhere.
And finally we have her odd writing style - a sort of down-home folksy meets street cred lingo, that although is linguistically interesting, usually comes across as forced, contrived and overly-cutsy. Somebody needs to tell her that writing plaining and simply may actually make her more comprehensible. But it makes for good blogging theatre!
PZ,
UD may not be a link farm yet, but it has developed odors peculiar to one.
Side note: Does the woman ever say anything actually interesting? I remember some conversation a while back that someone on here had spies in her class in Canada, did they ever report back to their handlers?
"It is to blogging what public masturbation is to love-making."
"But was it designed as a link farm, or did it evolve into one?"
"A complex specified link farm ... But Mya is right. It is link pastoralism."
"[no],It's a Link Ladder down into the pits of ignorance."
Then there's the 'comment section' of a blog. This one oft' times smacks of amateur nite at Comedy Central ... :-)
By the definition of a link farm, that's an affirmative, Doc Meyers.
It's like an infinite loop at the end of a Michael Bolton LP.
Lee Bowman wrote: "Then there's the 'comment section' of a blog. This one oft' times smacks of amateur nite at Comedy Central ... :-)"
Well, at least on this blog, they don't practice censorship and enjoy a good laugh. Talking of amateurish things, wants with the link on the name - the ad for some 'upcoming movie'? Is this is a spoof or something serious? It reminds me of a 1950s "B" movie...
"Thrill to the specter of a designed Universe, and be host to the spectacle of the Cosmos coming alive. A three dimensional voyage to the edges of the Galaxies awaits you!"
Tell me it's a joke, please...
Me thinks there is a similarity between a link farm and a sausage factory.
Maybe there's a reason for Bill's being moved to comment every few days now as opposed to every day. The ID side of the intertubes has gotten rather constipated with old ideas over the past few years. It's been chilled by a southerly wind if you will. Perhaps he has sequestered himself away and is even now churning away in the bowels of the Discovery Institute developing new and better theories which at some later date he will release with silent but deadly results on us unsuspecting evolutionists. The shock of these new theories will undoubtedly roll across the intertubes like morning thunder. If anyone foolishly opposes his new theories their defeat will be as easy as cutting cheese. Dembski's crushing of his foes will be like a giant stepping on a toad.
Oh maybe he just has the shits and doesn't feel like blogging. Who knows.
I dare Sal to quote mine this...
A "This is Spinal Tap" style of sex farm would be mucho preferred. With big bottoms. And maybe a stonehenge or two.
At this rate John "how'u like'em apples" Davison will have serious competition.
"talk about mudflaps..."
I try not to bother myself with continued reading UD.
It saves me no end of new keyboards, desktops and other accessories. I've read their positions, the "Wedge Document" and compared them to my knowledge of science. They come up lacking. Nothing more needs be said. But, I do appreciate the effort that PZ Myers and others put into keeping an eye on them. I don't have to, and if I did I don't have a blog to publish my findings on, so it would be an effort for my own benefit. Not really worth doing as I have already made up my mind on the issue.
Lee Bowman wrote, and John responded,
"Then there's the 'comment section' of a blog. This one oft' times smacks of amateur nite at Comedy Central ... :-)"
"Well, at least on this blog, they don't practice censorship and enjoy a good laugh."
I agree, and that's one thing I like about it. Also, many of the articles (and links) are informative. Reproaches to opposing viewpoints are to be expected, although I bristle at the tone of some of them. That said, I'm a liberal, science minded guy, but a free thinker. I see design in nature, especially morphological design below the belt line. I know, yada yada ...
Regarding having an amateur night at Comedy Central, it might not be a bad idea. No worse conceptually than Dancing With the Stars or America's Funniest Home Vids, and judging from the quality of some of the quips rendered here, it just might go over big.
Picture this: You're in the audience at Comedy Central. Your hand goes up, a spot light and mike drops down, and you give your quip or rejoinder. The audience howls (or groans). As in the aforementioned shows, you'd vote for your fav comic via the Internet.
In the meantime, sharpen those pencils. Looks like Jay Leno could use a little help.
I have a link for you: At the Creation Museum...
http://buffalobeast.com/117/let_there_be_retards.htm
Well, it's easy when you simply link to a peer-review article in Nature, Science, Cell or PNAS. For them is harder and they need to recourse to mutual linking. Anyway I would'nt speak of "link farming": it is more a question of "link huntering/gathering".
A complex specified link farm...
But Mya is right. It is link pastoralism.