Comments and Search Engines – My Response
Posted: Sun 5 December, 2004 Filed under: D4D™, Geeky Leave a comment »Dear xxx,
First of all, my apologies for the way you found my site. I would like to make it clear that I've in no way "placed" my website on the NTLWorld search engine, particularly in connection with [that brand of toy store].
Many search engines regularly "crawl" the web, building up content and references that can then be used to produce search results when requested by people. In this case, it looks like Google (which is used by NTL as their search-tool provider) picked up the reference I made to [that brand of toy store]'s atrocious website, and when you searched for [that brand of toy store], d4d came up as part of the results.
NTL's search has a "safe search" filter that is *supposed* to block sites like mine, should it be selected. However, following on from your comment, I checked into the NTL Search and it's Safesearch filter, and I found that even when set on the "High" (where all explicit words and images are supposed to be blocked) it still brings up the d4d text - including the swearwords that are within the context. This is something that is utterly unacceptable, and I fully understand your anger at the way this has happened. Unfortunately, short of altering my entire writing style (a word that some would dispute when linked with d4d *grin*), there is very little I can do when it comes to NTL's filters not working.
I would suggest that you also write to NTL explaining the situation - please feel free to forward this email to them as well, if you feel it will help the case/explanation - and suggest that they look into how this has happened.
D4D is a personal site, and lists my own thoughts, expressions, and ideas. I've never paid for advertising anywhere, and most definitely wouldn't try the utterly shonky tactic of building up my own readership by trying to be linked to a company like [that brand of toy store]. Unfortunately, semantics like this are ignored by the search crawlers, and this can result in problems like this.
I will also be writing to NTL tomorrow morning (Monday) to ask that they sort out their filters, and hopefully this will help to stop it happening again. I had thought about editing the specific post in response to your comment, but on further consideration I realise that this would be a pointless task - with the text the way it is in the search results, at least a supervising parent will be able to avoid that link, rather than clicking on it with no warning when other posts contain equally explicit words. In addition, I am working on a "non-sweary" filter that, when selected, would replace the explicit words with either stars, or less offensive replacements - however, that can't stop the first look at the page before the "non-sweary" option was selected.
Again, my sincerest apologies for the offence caused, and the way you found d4d.
If I can be of any further assistance, or provide any more information regarding NTL's Search filters etc., please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Sincerely [etc.]