Forums losing their oomph as well?

[temi]

Google seem to have downgraded some of the most powerful forums (I could be wrong).
In the past post in forum such as DP and vBSEO usually appear very higly ranked on page one for almost anything posted there.

Recently, that does not seem to be the case, is it my imagination?

 

[OldDarkstarAccount]

You are right Temi. Actually you told me about this once and I checked and the situation is real. Forums are loosing their power. And its not just about .com forums , its also about regional ones...

 

[temi]

Thanks for confirming my observation DKs.

 

[Stephanie]

Does anyone know the reasons behind this?
Is it just a typical fashion type thing, has google changed their spec or are all forums suddenly no longer of interest to anyone?

 

[SkinnerW]

Most likely Google marked forums as another version of link farms. Lets face the truth - too many users sign up just to post their links in the signatures and make a few meaningless posts just enough to get live links enabled...

 

[temi]

Skinner, I think your hypothesis is spot on. That is precisely what I think as well. If there are no signature/link benefit from posting in forums, there will be far lest posting especially in the larger forums.
I have been asked for as much as $50 per month for a signature link at DP

 

[Midlandi]

I cant find it but I did make a post here a while back reflecting on this situation.And Temi you have mirrored what I predicted, the fact that posting would be affected should this happen. Though at the time there was strong opposition to the idea, mainly by "forum addicts" (pardon the phrase) that posting would not be affected.

 

[temi]

I remember that post Midlandi, yes, forums are becoming on giant link farm

 

[OldDarkstarAccount]

Its hard to keep up with these kind of things these days. Directories loose their value , forums also. I wonder what`s next ...

 

[Midlandi]

Its a bit like playing Football, and during the game someone keeps changing the rules or moving the goal.

Should we start a protest and boycott Google? After all that is where the problem lies. Why should we play their tune, if we could do it with enough numbers Google could become nothing.

Maybe we should rename webmasters as puppetmasters!

 

[OldDarkstarAccount]

Should we start a protest and boycott Google? After all that is where the problem lies. Why should we play their tune, if we could do it with enough numbers Google could become nothing.
!

Lets say it will work for webmasters. But what do you do with the internet users that once they open the browser they go directly to google ? Its just a joke finally..

Maybe we should rename webmasters as puppetmasters!

Well that is true. These days a coleague of mine gave a similar example , google changes the rules and we try to find other ways of tricking it. ( hehe Temi should know.. ) .

 

[temi]

Don't think Google will notice your boycott

 

[Midlandi]

Just think though if enough web users ignored Google and all its features, ie adsense,search etc...it could work.
I know it would be impossible to get such numbers together, but wow what an effect it would have.

 

[OldDarkstarAccount]

The effect would be indeed interesting , but its impossible to even start such a boycott. So , its like this : google changes the rules , we change the way we play...

 

[temi]

Quite right Midlandi, it will be nice to make Google listen to us. But, come to think of it, if you run Google search, will you not do the same thing they did to us in the interested of their user (who totalled millions as opposed to webmaster who are probably thousands)

 

[SkinnerW]

One of my sites that was #1-2 for targeted keywords for the last 3 month all of a sudden was dropped to page 6 and getting lower and lower every day... Not banned, not de-listed, just loosing position slow but sure. That sucks because I did play by the "G" rules.

About the question "What's next?" I can tell you right now... Look at all these ads about "articles on the blog networks". What can be more obvious than this new more advanced type of link farms?

Useless generic auto blogs are started on dropped domains, produce duplicate content with the speed of light and nothing else.

This wave will be over soon enough but in the end who will be suffering? The ones who has a real blog with real original content...