Harnessing the Power of Ecomodder.

[orange4boy]

I have noticed that Ecomodder is well liked by Google. I first noticed this after my now infamous and embarrassing ugly leaf thread. If I had known how far that would spread, I would have titled it differently. I wish the leaf well and I hope it succeeds. So I have been thinking about how to avoid this in the future.

As many of you know there are many misleading news stories, myths and bad "studies" out there that need debunking. I think we should use our thread titles and tags to help fix some of these.

An example of an poor thread title:

Study by EFG finds XYZ unsafe.

This title will actually just add fuel to the fire, repeating the bad news.

Better title:

Debunked: EFG Study that finds XYZ unsafe.

You get the idea.

Then the tags could be tweaked to get the thread higher up on the Google meter.

Just an idea that has been bouncing around in my head as an antidote to the dittoheads that pretend to be journalists.

[RobertSmalls]

Yeah, titles starting with "debunked:", "tested:", "project:" are helpful. I also like to end thread titles with a '?' or a '.' as appropriate.

And yep, Google likes EM, a lot. That must mean other sites link to our threads often.

[MadisonMPG]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Yeah, titles starting with "debunked:", "tested:", "project:" are helpful. I also like to end thread titles with a '?' or a '.' as appropriate.

And yep, Google likes EM, a lot. That must mean other sites link to our threads often.

I link here to here a lot. This is one of the few sites that the information on it is usually correct.

[dremd]

Originally Posted by MadisonMPG

I link here to here a lot. This is one of the few sites that the information on it is usually correct.

Agreed.
Also Why I make it a point to point out incorrect post.

[Arragonis]

For some reason when I saw the title I had visions of us all having to wire up our bikes to the grid.

BBC/OU Open2.net - Bang Goes The Theory - Human Power Station Special

[Frank Lee]

I think it's more like some sort of collective EM gestalt formed for the purposes of world domination.

[SVOboy]

The love from google, I'd like to think, has most to do with the quality of our information. As far as I'm concerned, we're still doing pretty well in this field

[Old Mechanic]

The key is a civilized debate, with self imposed rules of conduct that avoid any necessity for moderators to act to control the discussion.

I find the tolerance of moderators on this forum to be exceptional. I have followed threads that are allowed to continue to a point where I would have pulled the plug myself, but in general contributors here are willing to discuss things with an excellent level of self imposed civility.

Most new knowledge is gained by reading things that are on the fringe of your own beliefs and experiences.

Intolerance breeds ignorance. Allowing the reader to draw his own conclusions and withholding agenda driven criticisms is the heart of a successful forum debate.

regards
Mech

[thatguitarguy]

Originally Posted by orange4boy

I have noticed that Ecomodder is well liked by Google. I first noticed this after my now infamous and embarrassing ugly leaf thread. If I had known how far that would spread, I would have titled it differently. I wish the leaf well and I hope it succeeds. So I have been thinking about how to avoid this in the future.

As many of you know there are many misleading news stories, myths and bad "studies" out there that need debunking. I think we should use our thread titles and tags to help fix some of these.

An example of an poor thread title:

Study by EFG finds XYZ unsafe.

This title will actually just add fuel to the fire, repeating the bad news.

Better title:

Debunked: EFG Study that finds XYZ unsafe.

You get the idea.

Then the tags could be tweaked to get the thread higher up on the Google meter.

Just an idea that has been bouncing around in my head as an antidote to the dittoheads that pretend to be journalists.

Well, my XYZ is a disaster waiting to happen, and it probably won't wait too long. I've googled your EFG study and can't find any reason to believe that it wasn't just commissioned by XYZs competition.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by orange4boy

As many of you know there are many misleading news stories, myths and bad "studies" out there that need debunking. I think we should use our thread titles and tags to help fix some of these.

I don't like treading on members' toes, but I regularly edit thread titles and add information, usually in brackets at the end.

Whenever I start a new thread, I'm very conscious of how it will appear in a Google search result, so I pay attention to my thread titles. Descriptive is better for sure.

It's not just Google - it's clarity in general. If I'm scanning the list of threads in a forum, I don't want to have to guess what a thread is about. The titles should tell us.