The long tail of the Internet
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I’ve just put the phone down from a bizarre conversation. Some ranting woman just tore a strip off me for a blog post I wrote in July 2006. It was hard to understand what she was saying because she was in full rant and not really explaining her self too well, but it seems that she takes exception to my negative opinion of her PR agency’s news releases. She demanded I take the post down.
How fascinating! It’s interesting that it took her almost 2.5 years to notice this post! Doesn’t she monitor the Internet as part of her service to clients? Shouldn’t she? It’s interesting how angry she was so long after the fact. Was she angry at the criticism? Was she angry at herself for not noticing the post for such a long, long time. How did it come to her attention after many years? Did her client spot it first? So many questions!
I’ve made the post private for now while I consider her demand to delete it. But frankly, she was so distraught and upset, I’m inclined to take the post down perminently. It’s been so long since I wrote it, I can barely remember drafting the post in the first place. It’s not really that important to me.
But wow, the long tail effect sure is fascinating.
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Curiosity got the better of me and I dug into the Google cache. I think you’ve come up against the Google effect and, if I’m right, discretion is going to be the better part of valour.
At first, I thought the problem might be, from my limited experience with them, that you don’t have to be mad to be a XXXX PR, but it helps. Then, it struck me that she probably didn’t find the blog post herself: the client did. The post scores very well – surprisingly well – on the Google SERPS for the client and “XXXXXX”. Her demeanour, as you’ve described it, fits someone who’s either about to be fired or has been fired.
With an editor’s hat on, I’d leave the blog post up. I’m not a PR, obviously, but I guess if you’ve got clients in the same space, then I’d be inclined to take it down permanently or redact the client’s name and wait for the Google cache to clear. Your site was last indexed on the 18th, so I guess by the middle of next week, that page will clear itself from Google’s SERPS if not the cache.
I’ve XXXX’d out a couple of Chris words, sorry about that. Said woman rang again last night after I published the long tail post and demanded I take it down too. Because it doesn’t mention her name, her company, her client or industry I don’t see how it can impact her, so I’m leaving it as is. Chris’s comment gave a bit of the game away. So as I’ve been threatened with a law suit and I really, really don’t care enough to make a point or invest any time, I’ve slightly altered the comment above. I apologise Chris, because I really respect you and your blog. I’ve never altered a comment before. I hope never to do it again.
No problem. I was going to say in the original comment, take the comment down if it’s a problem but I forgot. The four-Xs seem to work, however.
Goes to show the SEO power of blogs though, doesn’t it
Doesn’t it though!
[...] A 2.5 year old grievance: Blogger gets flame-grilled some something she posted over 2 years ago! [...]