a google bomb is when many people link to the same webpage with the same phrase, causing that website to rise to an unnaturally high place (ideally #1) in search results
the most famous example of a google bomb was when george bush became the #1 result for "miserable failure" about five years ago
i am interested in google bombs and other search engine optimization (seo) as a way for poets and other creators of culture to achieve an audience without relying on gatekeepers or corporations
what distinguishes google bombs from other seo is that it doesn't even require that a webpage includes the keywords; it is completely based on links from other sites
i mentioned google bombs in my doctrine on INTERNET POETRY, but in order to actually achieve one, many people have to work together. so instead of waiting for someone to spontaneously submit a google bomb, i'd like to organize a community attempt at one
i'm not sure if we have enough people to organize a google bomb or not. google supposedly made it harder to do google bombs after 2007, but i read some articles that make me believe it still works, as pagerank is still highly affected by the anchor text of links. i think together we will be able to achieve some results, and probably achieve #1
poncho peligroso for 2011 poet laureate
i didn't want to just promote myself with this project, so i chose another poet to help out. poncho peligroso was a natural choice to me because he is one of the fullest embodiments of an internet poet. he has discussed his belief in self-publishing, social media, and being a vagabond poet. he has become one of my closer friends in the writing scene, and his charismatic, full-on internet presence seems to fit the grandness of a google bomb
if you check out the google keyword stats for "poet laureate," there are currently about 1,300 global monthly searches for "2010 poet laureate," and the competition is very low. "2011 poet laureate" is not yet listed, but it seems obvious that it will be a regular search later this year
if we start now, building a large network of "2011 poet laureate" links, all pointing to ponchopeligroso.com, i think we can have a good grip on the search results by the time the new u.s. poet laureate is appointed in the summer, maybe much sooner. poncho will get some traffic, and people searching for the 2011 poet laureate will be perplexed
how you can help
how to help is simple: link to ponchopeligroso.com with the phrase "2011 poet laureate" and convince others to do the same, starting now. if you know someone with a high-traffic website, those links are even more valuable. (from what i know, blog comments rarely help because of the "nofollow" tag included in most blog platforms)
+ link "2011 poet laureate" on your blog sidebar
+ link "2011 poet laureate" in anything about poncho peligroso
+ link "2011 poet laureate" as a non-sequitur in your blog posts
+ link "2011 poet laureate" as a non-sequitur on tumblr
+ link "2011 poet laureate" regularly for the next several months
+ ask your roommates to link "2011 poet laureate"
+ ask your friends to link "2011 poet laureate"
+ ask your classmates to link "2011 poet laureate"
+ ask your family to link "2011 poet laureate"
+ show people this blog post: share on facebook + share on twitter
a symbol of hope for internet poetry
i am pretty interested in the immediate effects of this project: driving traffic to poncho's website and baffling people who search for "2011 poet laureate." but i am even more interested in the symbolic worth of the effort
if we can achieve a google bomb together, it may be a source of collective hope and empowerment. future google bombs and other pranks could take aim at higher-traffic opportunities, and could provide readers for our literary magazines, ebooks, and twitter accounts in amusing ways
the symbolic message of this particular google bomb also seems valuable: by organizing our online efforts, we may be able to rank a mostly-unpublished internet poet (poncho) higher than the official poet laureate selected by the library of congress
manifestowe are taking over Poetry ///////// we are taking over The Internet
websites committed to helping with this project
1. internetpoetry.tumblr.com
2. steveroggenbuck.com
3. feeltheinspiration.tumblr.com
4. jessdutschmann.blogspot.com
5. minorml.org
6. snailshellbackpack.wordpress.com
7. semianimis.tumblr.com
8. humansympathy.tumblr.com
9. stephentullydierks.blogspot.com
10. popserial.tumblr.com
11. jlkirsch.blogspot.com
12. aurish.tumblr.com
13. deejberndt.blogspot.com
14. spacecadetforlife.tumblr.com
15. htmlgiant.com (!)
16. mediadarlings.net
17. theverylastpelican.wordpress.com
18. uninterpretative.blogspot.com
19. meatmagick.wordpress.com
20. quicklysemicolon.blogspot.com
21. kumquatparadise.tumblr.com
22. zacharywhalen.blogspot.com
23. jlkirsch.tumblr.com
24. personman.tumblr.com
25. neverbesoberagain.tumblr.com
26. quicklysemicolon.tumblr.com
27. 2011poetlaureate.tumblr.com
28. amapofthecountry.wordpress.com
29. thetangential.tumblr.com
30. beachsloth.blogspot.com
31. lazyfascist.com
32. philolzophy.com
33.
the response has been great so far, but we'll still want more links to help cement the #1 result long-term. leave a comment or email me if you can help and want to be included on the list (steveroggenbuck [at] gmail.com). if possible, please commit to linking multiple times, but a single link still helps
if you have expertise with google bombs or seo, feel free to give feedback and help refine this effort
thank u, dominate society
