> Google Search is currently expanding the test of a "forums" filter that lets you browse through results from sites with human discussion, like Reddit
Yeah, about that whole "human discussion" thing...
Fair point that a lot of Reddit is already astroturfed, but this is definitely the final nail in the coffin. Now SEO is coming for the forums, too. Wonderful.
I think the idea is that if Google makes it easier to find human-authored content on Reddit, astroturfers and other spammers will have even more reason to post there.
I think Reddit is accurately described as a site "with human discussion". It's another matter whether such discussion is organic and actually shows up in search results.
It was called discussions search, and showed up in the suggestion bar with images and whatnot. I was beyond mad when they removed it. Everything's a circle.
Hah. In fairness, PR firms, digital marketers, "reputation management" experts, and SEO gurus are "human" too.
These days at least 90% of product-related discussions on Reddit are astroturfed, though, and that's for sure.
The main problem, among many others, is that it's far too easy to game the upvote/downvote system with bots, and most pros have bot networks of their own, or know how to hire them. The second problem is that Reddit "karma" is site-wide, which means that most "high karma" accounts that are sold on secondary markets are very useful for digital marketing purposes generally. The third problem... well... I could go on all day. Reddit's system is horrendous if you're looking for human discussion and unbiased advice.
Yeah, about that whole "human discussion" thing...