Someone needs to put a bloody horse head in this guy's bed

agerhart · November 21, 2011, 05:42:33 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/07/business/07flowers.html

hungrygoose · November 21, 2011, 05:55:08 PM

why is that even news??? 90% of sites ranking for 90% keyword with traffic will have "paid" links... Ah well more propaganda will make it harder for newbies to rank

Drastic · November 21, 2011, 07:20:47 PM

article pulled or sub only?

hungrygoose · November 21, 2011, 07:27:33 PM

still there for me.. no sub required.

Drastic · November 21, 2011, 08:22:34 PM

working now, tks.

ergophobe · November 22, 2011, 12:33:50 AM

Has it come to that? You'd seriously consider intimidating a journalist for reporting on link-buying? If that's the standard for what deserves intimidation, what would a company like Enron do to keep journalists off the story?

[I know you're just shooting off... but just trying to inject a bit of perspective]

agerhart · November 22, 2011, 12:57:16 AM

See here: http://th3core.com/talk/members-only/nobody-likes-a-rat/

Rumbas · November 22, 2011, 08:39:29 AM

What a douche bag.

How ironic would it be if the NYT was outed as using phone tabbing and private investigators like Times of the World? Imagine somebody found out and the NYT was forced to shut down. Out of a job clown.

I, Brian · November 22, 2011, 12:22:43 PM

Funny how one of the flower companies got a link at the top of the article while being bitched at.

Rumbas · November 22, 2011, 12:40:10 PM

VERY good point Brian

Wonder why only one of them got a link?

Was it paid? ;-) Bad press better than no press.

hungrygoose · November 22, 2011, 07:01:17 PM

Did you all see this - http://gawker.com/5853502

Basically a company who buys links in articles on popular sites

Now that article had 74k views, showing PR6 on my side, and a nice branded link to the baddies website... Makes ya wonder doesn't it!

ergophobe · November 23, 2011, 05:45:57 PM

Quote from: agerhart on November 22, 2011, 12:57:16 AM
See here: http://th3core.com/talk/members-only/nobody-likes-a-rat/

I understand that thread. Joost is part of the SEO circle jerk and, as people said there, what goes around comes around. He's playing a dangerous game (and he's most certainly playing a game).

But here we're talking about a journalist. That's his JOB in some respect, whether he makes enemies or not. Did you get upset at the journalist who reported on all the US Senators and Representatives engaging in what amounts to insider trading? Like link buying, it is not illegal, but I'm sure glad Peter Schweizer (author of "Throw Them All Out) is exposing the bastards.

Sure, link buying is hardly equivalent to government corruption, but my point is that if a guy gets a bloody horse head in bed for a reporting on link buying, wouldn't it be normal to expect that Peter Schweizer could expect a bullet in the head for the type of reporting he does?

I guess I just can't accept, in a free society, intimidating journalists, even in jest. Sorry to be such an ass about it, but I feel really strongly about that.

buckworks · November 23, 2011, 05:48:50 PM

Thank you for saying that, Ergophobe.

hungrygoose · November 23, 2011, 07:00:58 PM

Quote from: ergophobe on November 23, 2011, 05:45:57 PM
I guess I just can't accept, in a free society, intimidating journalists, even in jest. Sorry to be such an a## about it, but I feel really strongly about that.

Ok fair enough, but this jurno just exposed 1 keyword like its only those 3 flower shops who are doing it when in fact every site ranking will have some sort of paid links.

This guy just seems like his is trying to show the world how smart he is. "Hey look at these 3 sites for this 1 keyword who have links against the guidelines of a tax evading monopoly". Fair enough if he was trying to out what all SEOs but none admit to, if he tried to stand up for the independent flower shop being told not to buy links when the top 3 sites have but he's not.

4Eyes · November 23, 2011, 07:22:15 PM

QuoteI guess I just can't accept, in a free society, intimidating journalists, even in jest

Whereas, I take the view that most journalists are unscrupulous scum and deserve the maximum intimidation and opprobrium unless they clearly prove themselves to be above it.

Sure, there are some good journalists, and much like lawyers, they are a necessary evil... but, as we found out recently, the 'award winning' News of the World' journalists were mostly devious little sh*ts using illegal tactics to spy on anyone they thought would make a good story.

As a profession, they have been caught out lying, cheating, threatening, intimidating, illegally accessing private information etc etc .... and there appears to be little doubt that the recent hacking scandal will spread beyond the News of The World, and beyond UK shores over the next 12 months or so.

Even before the recent N.O.W. scandal, journalism regular comes near the top of 'least trusted professions' in surveys.

IMO, there is a MASSIVE different between protecting the freedom of the press, and giving journalists free-rein to behave as they frequently do without criticism.

When it comes to our industry, they rarely research the subject in enough depth - and in this specific case, it is hard to say whether the link to the flower site was just plain incompetent or done deliberately - either way, it sucks.

Horses head? too harsh on the horse, a severe thrashing or pelting with crap should do the job.

@Ergophobe - you didn't REALLY think that the original post was REALLY suggesting that a horse should be slaughtered and its head put in the journalists bed? You didn't REALLY think that the journalist would be reading this and feel intimidated? No, of course you didn't, you knew full well that it was just a bit of humorous free-speech, and disapproving comment on the journalist in question - surely we still have the right to do that

..... or is that right restricted to those with a press card and a job working for one of the tabloids?

(nothing personal - just my own lack of journalistic morals coming to the fore

)