Search Headlines – Wikipedia, Ask and SEO News

UK Grade Students Better Wikipedia

I’m not allowed to rant about Wikipedia anymore (It causes Susan to sigh loudly and threaten a blogger replacement), so I’ll try to stick to just the facts here even if it causes me an unbelievable amount of pain.

The BBC reports that postgraduate students at a UK university are working to improve Wikipedia as part of one of their courses. The students must edit existing fact-less Wikipedia articles, as well as research and write their own, making them the first batch of articles on Wikipedia to actually make sense.

This is somewhat of a neat idea, though it bewilders me that people will actually get postgrad credit for this (When I was their age…). First, it gets educated individuals researching topics to improve the quality of Wikipedia, and second, it emphasizes that Wikipedia is intended to be used as a reference tool, not something that should automatically be taken for fact. Hear that?

Jim Lanzone: Paid Inclusion is Hypocritical

Jim Lanzone left a comment in Stepforth’s SEO Blog criticizing Yahoo’s revamping of its paid inclusion program, calling it "hypocritical" to charge users for something a search engine is supposed to do anyway – index their site. He went on to say that paid inclusion blurs the line between paid and editorial content, but was careful not to accuse Yahoo of giving preferential treatment to those who take advantage of the programs.

I won’t get into all the details of Yahoo’s paid inclusion program since Bruce Clay Senior SEO Analyst Jayme Westervelt gave an in-depth write up in a recent SEO Newsletter article entitled Understanding Yahoo’s Paid Inclusion Programs. That fact that Jim isn’t a fan of paid inclusion wasn’t what was noteworthy for me anyway. What struck me about Jim’s comment was not that he doesn’t like paid inclusion, but that such a prominent figure made such a critical statement in the comments section of an SEO blog. I wonder how many people actually saw it.

Search Like A Google Expert

SmallBusineesHub outlined 12 Quick Tips To Search Google Like An Expert. These are fun for me because I always learn something new. For instance, I am sure Susan has told me a million times that I can use Google for quick calculations, but I never remember and I always have to ask her for help with my math-related questions. And then she yells at me. [It’s not yelling. It’s just a gentle correction in a firm tone. For the fourteenth time. –Susan]

One tip that’s not mentioned that I recently learned from watching a Matt Cutts SEO Tips video is that searching for lisa-barone is the same as searching for "lisa barone". Neat, right? Feel free to share that one search tip you know that you’re positive no one else does. Maybe we can all learn a little something.

Fun Finds

Rand Fishkin "rants" on some search topics. And by rant, we mean he politely expresses his opinion. See, Rand’s so cute that even when he rants it’s polite.

ViperChill has a fun interview with SEO Scoop’s Donna Fontenot. I’m a sucker for search interviews. Did you hear that, Li? Sucker for search interviews, especially ones that feature intelligent women.

Lisa Barone is a writer, content marketer & VP of strategy at Overit Media. She's also a very active Twitterer, much to the dismay of the rest of the world.

See Lisa's author page for links to connect on social media.