Strange pretender - a bogus Ministry of Commerce and Industry website alias
Being in the business, I scan the ongoing news about what is happening to Google search services. The latest revision to its search algorithm draws a distinction between sites which are classed as relevant, BUT which offer an enhanced experience for the visitor as opposed to a site which offers virtually nothing but advertising.
Naturally, the forums contain anguished postings about Google's lastest barrier to their aim of making a fast buck.
I've wondered what all the fuss is about. I do get annoyed when it's difficult to pick the content out of the advertising on websites, but the content is usually there. And I offer advertising too, since it helps me pay for the costs of keeping my websites online. I certainly don't get big bucks out of it, but that's because I don't have a business model.
Today, I finally found an extreme example of a relevant content website dedicated wholly to advertising, and it relates entirely to Oman.
For one thing, the domain name, mocioman.com, is very close to that of Oman's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, http://www.mocioman.gov.om. And it appeared second in the list of natural results on a search for mocioman in Google.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry does not offer a website in English at the time I write, so it gets even easier to be misled if you search for it. Supposing I were an American businessman wanting to invesigate trade opportunities following the signing of the Oman-US FTA? I wouldn't get very far if I wanted to look at the official site, and I might easily get to mocioman.com by mistake. What would be my impression of Oman if I thought the advertising site was official?
For another, the list of links in the navigation bar on the left look very relevant and appealing. Oman Jobs, Forts, Jobs in Oman (that's a clue, since it duplicates a previous link), Oman Medical College, Oman Visa, Oman Flight, Oman Hotel, Oman Flag, etc etc
Every single one of those links goes to a page of advertising. There's no original content in that website at all. And the Sheraton Hotel in Oman has presumably paid money for inclusion, since it has its very own link.
You'd be very hard pressed to get in touch with anyone from the site. I finally found a Contact link, but it's only to a page which collects your name and email address. There's no privacy policy, so you could be adding your own email to a spamming list.
I looked up the domain name, mocioman.com, on WHOIS. Unsurprisingly, the registrant has chosen to conceal his/her identity behind a company called Whois Identity Shield based in Vancouver, Canada.
I can tell you that the domain was created on 20th February this year, was updated on 15th May, and expires on 20th February 2007. If the website brings in money, then perhaps the domain name will be extended, or perhaps the site will simply shift to another domain name.
With just a little bit of delving, I arrived at a website called Hitfarm. Just look at the product page, and voila, you will see the template used on mocioman.com. So whoever has that site online is probably subscribing through Hitfarm.
I thought you might like to know.
Addendum on 19th September 2006: For good measure, I've also discovered that the old website for the Public Authority for Social Insurance, which had the domain name www. pasioman. com has also suffered the same fate as www. mocioman. com, simply being a vehicle for adverts. This is the current website for PASI.
Try this website for links on how to report blogs on Blogger and websites that contravene Google's webmaster guidelines.
Naturally, the forums contain anguished postings about Google's lastest barrier to their aim of making a fast buck.
I've wondered what all the fuss is about. I do get annoyed when it's difficult to pick the content out of the advertising on websites, but the content is usually there. And I offer advertising too, since it helps me pay for the costs of keeping my websites online. I certainly don't get big bucks out of it, but that's because I don't have a business model.
Today, I finally found an extreme example of a relevant content website dedicated wholly to advertising, and it relates entirely to Oman.
For one thing, the domain name, mocioman.com, is very close to that of Oman's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, http://www.mocioman.gov.om. And it appeared second in the list of natural results on a search for mocioman in Google.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry does not offer a website in English at the time I write, so it gets even easier to be misled if you search for it. Supposing I were an American businessman wanting to invesigate trade opportunities following the signing of the Oman-US FTA? I wouldn't get very far if I wanted to look at the official site, and I might easily get to mocioman.com by mistake. What would be my impression of Oman if I thought the advertising site was official?
For another, the list of links in the navigation bar on the left look very relevant and appealing. Oman Jobs, Forts, Jobs in Oman (that's a clue, since it duplicates a previous link), Oman Medical College, Oman Visa, Oman Flight, Oman Hotel, Oman Flag, etc etc
Every single one of those links goes to a page of advertising. There's no original content in that website at all. And the Sheraton Hotel in Oman has presumably paid money for inclusion, since it has its very own link.
You'd be very hard pressed to get in touch with anyone from the site. I finally found a Contact link, but it's only to a page which collects your name and email address. There's no privacy policy, so you could be adding your own email to a spamming list.
I looked up the domain name, mocioman.com, on WHOIS. Unsurprisingly, the registrant has chosen to conceal his/her identity behind a company called Whois Identity Shield based in Vancouver, Canada.
I can tell you that the domain was created on 20th February this year, was updated on 15th May, and expires on 20th February 2007. If the website brings in money, then perhaps the domain name will be extended, or perhaps the site will simply shift to another domain name.
With just a little bit of delving, I arrived at a website called Hitfarm. Just look at the product page, and voila, you will see the template used on mocioman.com. So whoever has that site online is probably subscribing through Hitfarm.
I thought you might like to know.
Addendum on 19th September 2006: For good measure, I've also discovered that the old website for the Public Authority for Social Insurance, which had the domain name www. pasioman. com has also suffered the same fate as www. mocioman. com, simply being a vehicle for adverts. This is the current website for PASI.
Try this website for links on how to report blogs on Blogger and websites that contravene Google's webmaster guidelines.
Comments
newsbriefs wrote:
11/15/06 09:34:42
I think I may be homing in on one of the protagonists of the 'make money by advertising about Oman'.
Someone with the epithet of Sreekumar has created several blogs on Blogspot since August 2006, on a variety of topics, but which includes Oman, which consist mainly of advertising - using Google ads.
There is content, but I'm pretty sure it's been poached, as could have been the photos of hotels in Muscat.
If you look for a profile of this individual, you won't find one. Not even an email link. Usually, if you create stuff yourself, you want people to be able to contact you. All this person wants is for as many people as possible to click on the ads.
I've flagged him to Blogger.