[Search-l] Auras for Angels

[Jimmy Wales]

One of the things I think Google has done really well is a CLEAR  
separation of editorial and advertising *in the display*.

What I like about your idea (and I am not sure I like it overall) is  
that it goes a step further... in the google system, paid listings
go first... but are clearly marked as paid.  In your approach, paid  
listings do NOT necessarily come first... they come wherever the
community+algorithms think they should do, but are simply tagged as  
being supporters.

I am not sure I like this idea overall and completely.  But it is  
interesting.

On May 23, 2007, at 2:40 PM, Fred Bauder wrote:

> A great search engine is going to turn up commercial sites and  
> products which relate to the search. Since we are going to display  
> them anyway, why not charge a little?
>
> How about highlighting business and products which support us and  
> make a little blurb about "Support our sponsors". But without  
> changing their ranking. This could include investors in Wikia like  
> Amazon. But would include a mom and pop cheese shop too. Assuming  
> the search was for cheese in Miami and the shop has a website that  
> shows up in a legitimate search, like "Miami" "blue cheese".
>
> I think the money would pour in. We could even have levels of  
> support highlighted in different ways.
>
> But, you know, no support at all and that unhighlighted link is  
> still there to click on. So if ebay never gives us a penny a search  
> for online auction is still going to return ebay. But not  
> highlighted. I guess we could program a kind of "aura" which  
> surrounds links to sponsors. After all, they would be angels, of a  
> sort. A golden aura would be of the first rank...
>
> Fred
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