Hey Mr. Google or is it Ms. Google? What's up with the Comments in Google Alerts?

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Hey Mr. Google or is it Ms. Google? What's up with the Comments in Google Alerts?

When I first started blogging two years ago, Lenn Harley wrote this incredible post on Google is Like your MOM.

It was in response to a post Jeff Turner did on a phone conversation he had with Lenn and some things she said about Google being a woman. The comments are hillarious if you care to read. Now I don't really care what sex Google is but......

What I do care about is.........

What's UP google?

What is Google doing?

Of course we wil NEVER really know what Google is up to but here is my question, Mr., Ms., or Mom Google?

Google Alerts

The last month I have been getting Google Alerts on all of my comments here on Activerain and other places I leave a comment. When this first occured I ask Bob Stewart what was going on, as I was under the assumption that Activerain had no follow tags in the comments. He said that was true they do not have follow tags in the comments and he had noticed a huge change too as he follows the Google Alert for Activerain.

I follow probably way too many Google Alerts but.....

Below is an example of what I am seeing and curious if you are too. In the first one, I made a comment on Larry Brewers blog about Keller Williams having # 1 In Market Share in Franklin, Tn. but the post looks like I did it. See the by Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor right after the date and time. Looks like I wrote it.

The second is a comment I made on Collen and Joe Lanes blog about photos of their area in Kennewick WA. BUT, if you click on the link at the bottom of their post it takes you to their latest post. Which I did not comment on. I did comment on the Club Chaos Eye Candy:Tri Cities & Southeast.

Google Blogs Alert for: real estate in ann arbor

Real Estate Blog - Keller Williams Franklin TN #1 in Market Share ...
01/09/2009 08:04 PM, by Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor- Realtor(R)- Ann Arbor Real Estate (Keller Williams-Ann Arbor). Larry, Nice to be a part of a winning team. Bo. 01/10/2009 09:03 AM, by Bo Hussung/ National Title Agent (Cogent Closing Title ...
Nashville real estate - Franklin... - http://activerain.com/blogs/larrybrewer

Real Estate Blog - Club Chaos Eye Candy: Tri Cities & Southeast ...
By Colleen Lane (& Joe!) •:*¨¨*:• SemperFide...
01/11/2009 10:15 AM, by Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor- Realtor(R)- Ann Arbor Real Estate (Keller Williams-Ann Arbor). These are wonderfule pics, thank you for sharing, Paula. 01/11/2009 10:16 AM, by Paula Reno Cedar Lake Indiana Realtor, ...
Colleen's (and occasionally, Joe's) Blog - http://activerain.com/blogs/alwaysfaithful

Activerain LOGO

This is NOT just happening on Activerain, I have had comments picked up that look like I wrote the post from AgentGenius, BloodHoundBlog, TechCrunch to name a few.

This is only an example because comments are getting picked up and I am getting Google Alerts throughout the day.

My question is this, is Google going deep?Like deeper into the post and adding comments.

My thought is this, We better watch our comments since they are now being indexed.

My concern is this, Will the consumer look at the post see it and think we wrote it? I know consumers that follow Google Alerts as they have mentioned to me, "how do you have time to blog all the time".

Will they wonder why I am writing about so many area's ?

Does it matter?

Should we care?

I follow Google Alerts for reputation management and to see if I am mentioned in posts etc. but now there are so many alerts on comments, is it losing it's effectiveness?

I added a plugin on my Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk blog called comment LUV. I wanted to give link love back to the commentors on that blog back to their last post, but it appears to be happening everywhere.

Missy Caulk & Team can be reached at 734-926-9797 or email: Missy@MissyCaulk.com

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Posted by Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor-Realtor® Ann Arbor Real Estate on 01/15/2009 12:31 PM

Comments (63)

Google Indexing Comments in the ActiveRain Channel

google alerts on comments

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Post is included in group: Dedicated Bloggers
Post is included in group: Diary of a Realtor
Post is included in group: Keller Williams- Michigan
Post is included in group: The Ninety-ninth Percentile
Post is included in group: The Art Of Marketing You

63 Comments on Hey Mr. Google or is it Ms. Google? What's up with the Comments in Google Alerts?

JAN

2009

The same thing has been happening to me as well. It certainly looks like Google is going deeper. The comments on Active Rain are NOT no folllow and never have been for as long as I have been a member. The Links within a comment are "no follow" - BIG DIFFERENCE.

I have noticed that over the past few weeks my comments in other peoples posts. I think sometimes when you click on that post that you commented on it will go to the next active one because it was a members only post. Not sure just my thoughts. You staying warm Missy?

Missy, I am seeing the same and they are going deeper as I have seen my comments on other blogs come up in the google alerts I have set and I have even seen a mention of me in a comment and even in someone's tag coming up in my alerts. All very interesting and a good reminder to be mindful of our comments. ~Anne Marie

Missy - Same here for my name. I definitely am not a fan of the way it gives the alert, because it comes up as a big jumble and you're really not sure who's saying what (unless you know the particular format - like we know ActiveRain). In some ways I don't like it because it clutters things up for me, but I guess its good news that they're tracking everything.

Missy, I've noticed my comments coming up in my alerts lately as well, and you bring up some really good points about consumers misunderstanding who the author is. I guess we should be mindful of the types of posts we're commenting on then, huh?

My alerts set for "David Childress" and "akron ohio homes", always show up the day I comment on someones blog. That's a good thing, right?

Ryan I agree with you as I got one yesterday and I did not make the comment but it looked like I did. Someone had made a smug comment about Obama and it was her comment not mine but it looked Like I made it. Which I would not do on a blog. Funny thing it was a loan blog and had nothing to do with him yet my first thought was gosh all the Obama supporters in Ann Arbor will think I am bad mouthing him in a comment. Get my point?

My question is this, is Google going deep?Like deeper into the post and adding comments.

Hi Missy,

It appears that's what is happening now. Jason Crouch wrote about it recently:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/840061/Google-Views-ActiveRain-as-Even-More-Valuable-Now-My-SEO-Perspective

It's interesting. However, I don't see it as a major problem. My guess is that only a small fraction of consumers will notice.

Bill, interesting as I was told differently as when I was searching my name one night and I had all these blogs like Agent Genius come up where I had commented long ago and nothing for AR, then all of a sudden, BAM.

Bruce, thanks I must have missed his or forgot. I agree probably the majority of consumers don't follow alerts but I sure know a lot of folks that do. They may not follow Missy Caulk but Ann Arbor Real Estate etc....

Well that can be good and bad. Makes you want to think twice before you leave personal comments in places like member only blogs huh?

Missy - I'm getting comments and some tweets on my Google Alerts. I've learned so much about Google just from AR and folks like you. I hope to enhance that knowledge going forward...

Missy- I too have noticed that all of the sudden I am seeing comments I make on blogs show up on Google Alerts. It didnt used to happen. Something changed with Ms Google..

You probably have a more high tech audience than most agents. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over time. It does seem, to me, that the alerts will lose their effectiveness if they're alerting EVERYTHING.

Missy,

I have been getting these alerts for quite some time now. Recently I also noticed Google began to pick posts from Twitter. I am guessing they consider these blogs and websites to be important.

I follow Google Alerts for all sorts of reasons, including reputation management. I doubt that an average client of yours will have the alerts set up for your name unless of course they are an avid blogger or Internet marketer.

I've noticed this also. I have tried to watch my comments anyway, because I figured anything I touch online could eventually end up being public...

On the flip side...I look at this as even more exposure!

Hi Missy.

Does it matter? I sure don't know.

Should we care? I don't have time to care. I have too much else to worry about!:)

Thanks for writing,

Ken

Missy

I am glad I read this; I could not figure out why I was getting the strangest Google Alerts that had little or nothing to do with me.

Sincerely

Tom Braatz

Missy- the comments have certainly been coming up more. I also noticed this from another forum. Now what I don't necessarily like about it is that at some point when you google your name or ask a potential seller to do so, the comments may come up first. I did an experiment on an agent who I know has posted and commented both here an in the other forum (since 2004). The stuff the comes up first is not -in my opinion - the stuff that should come up, especially for sellers or buyers. It's technical stuff about their website, problems etc. Definitely something to watch when you comment (errr, does it mean this comment is going to show up?) ~Rita

I got one of those today. And while we should always be mindful of what we leave here in the Rain, I really have a problem with my comments being shared with the world

Hi Missy - I've been getting these kinds of alerts for awhile now, and some of them make no sense to me at all. When I click on some of them to follow what caused the alert, I can't find a thing. I get alerts on things from other networks and forums, too.

All very puzzling, but interesting as well!
Ann

I just signed up for the alerts too.and I am getting those....thanks for asking that question..I was wondering the same thing

Missy--Maybe you have to visit again and ask what is up...I have had the same thing happening and thought it a bit strange. I don't comment on any controversial posts and always keep them positive. That old adage "if you cant say anything nice don't say anything at all" comes to mind in light of this.

Missy - you bring up some interesting points. I, too received alerts lately - not quite sure what to make of it - is it hurting us or not? Did Google made an announcement refering to this topic? I guess only time will tell. Folks just have to pay attention what they say.

I have noticed this as well. I seems to be linked to the way we have our "name" in our profiles with our market area keywords.

hi Missy, I thought it was just me for awhile, recently I started getting Google alerts from stuff I put online 4 years ago!!! A bit too much information!

Hi Missy, I just got a gogle alert with my name on it. It was Jeff Belongers Activerain post. I just left a comment but I had not seen it or commented before. It also had tags and my name. weird, see below:

misleading advertising (1), misleading information (5), misleading loan officers (1), misleading sales people (1), mitchell hall (5), mls (1), mma (2), mma accounts (1), mma program (1), mmi (4), money merge accounts (3)

I'm seeing alot of alerts like Mitchell's above...I can only assume that my name is in someone's tags and it's showing up because of that. Also, tweets are showing up too....not necessarily a good thing, since so many are in response to someone else and don't make a bit of sense taken out of context. Who wants to come up in google for "@xxxx LMAO!"? YIKES!

Timely info, Missy.

I think it's a big deal because the alert is to keep us current on where our names show up! If you post a comment on a public post about fraud and someone Googles you, your name just became associated with fraud. I would think some consumers, if not plenty, will move on due to the negative association given that there are so many choices of real estate professionals on the web.

Pick a topic and the result is the same, right?

Missy, I have certainly noticed this and thought it was something that had changed in Ativerain. My blog posts do not come up at ALL--neither if anyone acknowledges me in a post.

My comments DO dome up and I don't see it with the same people....If they're changing things in Google I wonder how to stay up there myself.

YES! I have been getting Google Alerts about comments for about a month as well. It did make me think twice about what I wrote that's for sure! I get them for other Realtors from my area on AR. Usually they have nothing to do with Lake Norman. Now that I said my key word let's see if I get an alert. I'll mention Ann Arbor too:)

I have to admit I just don't have time to pay attention to everything, as much as I would like to. I get Google Alerts, but am not as diligent about analyzing them to the degree you are. Who knows what is going on?? I can say that I don't say anything here that I wouldn't say anywhere.

Missy, I don't understand it at all. I'm not getting any Connie Harvey alerts for my blogs, comments or anything. Instead I'm getting pieces of my name that are showing up in the stupidest places. Maybe I need to redo my alerts. not that I need more of them.

Equally curious is the 1,000's of links I've lost from Active Rain. I'm down over 7,000 from the high point. Makes me sad. :(

Hi Missy...Well, I had a post hijacked a couple of nights ago and it got pretty wild. Unfortunately it was a public post. I have since changed it to Members only and deleted most of the comments.

If was because of the alerts I've been getting, just like you, that made me really concerned. Hopefully those comments are not floating around with my name (or anyone else's) attached.

Kate

Hijacking public posts is not cool!

Hi Missy~ YES! It does seem like Google Aleets have been getting quite a bit stranger to say the least, and your point about being linked in such a way to make it appear like we wrote it at first glance is even stranger...?? I've sort-of given up on getting really good statictics from Alerts as they seem so random..? Let us know if you come up with any new info:)

Hey Ya'll if I hear anything I will let you know, that is why I made it public, thought maybe someone at Google followed Google Alerts. LOL

If I hear I will let you know but that was the reason for this post to see if anyone else had noticed and had an explanation.

Missy...... I have noticed this a lot also and asked Bob when I ran into him in NYC... but you make a great point. I have also received Google alerts on other members posts that I didn't leave a comment on or that my name was mentioned in their blog. As you mentioned, could it have been from a previous comment? Interesting, yet weird... and that bugged me out a little.

On another note... not sure if you saw my other comment, but it was a pleasure meeting your daughter. I could see a lot of you in her....well, from her face, appearance, and voice. A mini Missy.... ;o)

jeff belonger

Missy, I've gotten the same alerts for AR and AG. Since it started happening, I've been more careful with comments.

They're out of context and look strange. Wonder if we should go back through our comments and check the posts they're on, and delete them?

(I'm not logged in. Elaine Reese

Not only have my google alerts shown comments I've made on various blogs, they've also been scattered in non related topics. For example, an obit where the first name might be mine and a pallbearer might have my last name. I wondered if the google spiders had "scattered" too far to make sense. By the way, my tweets are "secure" and I haven't seen them show up anywhere yet.

On the bright side, I've managed to take over 1 of the top SEO spots in my city. Lemonade, anyone?! :-)

Like most people, I had noticed it. I think Jason Crouch mentioned about it in one of his posts too. That was the first blog I noticed mentioned about this.

I have nothing much intelligent to say. Not sure if I want to spend energy trying to figure out what's going on. But all I can say is that anything that I dont want people to know, I wont say it online, member's only posts, etc. I just wont do it. Anything that will come back to haunt me is best left unsaid, and uncommented. IMHO.

Just goes to show, as soon as we think we have something figured out... Google will change the rules on us! UGH!!

Katrina Madewell

Tampa FL

It has been driving me NUTS!!

Missy, I've been getting comments from FB and other places as well! I have always been careful about what I say but this has made me doubly so. Even casual social comments are being picked up, so we all need to realize that. Great post, I thought maybe it was me, like Marti said!

Hi, I've been getting my AR and twitter comments as well via google alerts. I try to be careful with things I write in blogs and comments anyway, but it's a good reminder to think twice before I hit that "submit" or "enter" button.

JAN

2009

Missy, I'm getting the alerts as well and wondered why this was happening. While we do all love having our names all over google, this does put a new spin on things, it seems. I haven't noticed it on Twitter yet, as Lisa has...kind of nerve wracking not knowing what will "show up" with consumers. If you figure it out, let us know :)

I've noticed the same thing Missy & thought the comments weren't indexed as well....I guess we were wrong!

Missy - I have been getting alerts but need to spend more time analyzing. Another reminded to exercise care when bogging or commenting.

Missy

I too follow WAY too many google alerts
Sometimes I follow alerts for my name and then can't find my name in the link ... ?
I too have noticed this for about a month and have MADE SURE ( I think) that my comments if first-thru-third on a blog post, are good, clean, positive ones.
I wish I knew the answers to your questions. I really hope it doesn't dilute the terms and phrases we have worked so hard to "obtain" thru search engines.

I've noticed the same thing. And it's not every comment, just one or two a day. But the thing is unless somebody else has set up a Google blog alert on your name (and why would they?), they're not likely to find these. It's not as though they are on the first two or three pages of Google.

Missy - I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that's been getting lots of google alerts. I guess being recognized by google more often has to bee a good thing.

JAN

2009

I was surprised too at the google alert on my comments. I have always watched what I said.

It's interesting to watch the patterns, but it's never been on my priority litst, with everything else going on and keeping up with. I do want to take a closer look, though! It's interesting how it's evolving.

Missy - I'm glad you brought this up. There have been some oddities with the Google alerts, especially the comments. Sometimes I cannot figure out WHY the alert came in since I can find NO reference at all to my name. Another Google mystery?

Jeff

Missy- I have noticed this for a while. It even happened at times in 2007. Cyndee Haydon wrote that post called Google Frieky Juice. Do you remember that post? It happened back then too but not at the same frequency it is now.

JAN

2009

This is interesting reading.....I have not signed up for Google alerts and have been wanting to find out more about it.

Missy - I have Google Alerts also, and I was confused by what I was seeing. It does look like I had written some of the posts, when I had only commented on them...Strange. :)

Guess we have to be careful with what we say anywere. I agree with Vlad, not likely our clients will come across our comments on other sites like Agent Genius or Bloodhound, but at some point that could all change.

JAN

2009

Missy - I have been getting more alerts lately on comments that I have written than for blogs that I have posted. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Glad to see that others are seeing the same thing.

It is a little bizarre you're right..........way too many alerts now.......every comment you make......so does it make sense to get 30-50 alerts a day - and what purpose does that serve? hmmm don't know.....

MAR

2009

great post and I have noticed it to, but more interesting is the amount of tweets google is picking up, while I always mind my Ps and Qs on Active Rain, Twitter is more free flowing and now potential clients might see my tweets from who knows when, 12 AM Sat night and several cocktails later! makes me think of changing my twitter name to an alias!

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Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor-Realtor® Ann Arbor Real Estate

Ann Arbor, MI

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Keller Williams-Ann Arbor

Address: Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan, Whitmore Lake, Ypsilanti, Manchester, Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104

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