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1st Click Works
Ask Janet! What is a "sidewiki?" And Do I Need One If I Have a Sidewalk?
“Sidewikis” are from Google and were introduced by the company little more than a month ago.
A sidewiki is an add-on to the newest version of the Google Toolbar that allows someone to make comments about a website that they visit. Past comments can be seen by any visitor that has the Google Toolbar with sidewiki add-on enabled.
So, what are the pluses and minuses of having a Google sidewiki?
On the plus side, having a Google sidewiki is like having a forum built into every page of your site. That alone should encourage more interaction from visitors. And, interaction is usually good. Of course, you can also use the Google sidewiki to place your own comments for visitors on your site. And, that might be the most valuable aspect of the sidewiki.
However the experts in the world of search engine marketing are not sure about Google sidewikis. Some have actually called them “evil.”
Those who are concerned about this new add-on generally cite two problems:
- Having a sidewiki puts the visitor comments on a Google web property, not part of the website itself. That means that there is less control for the site owner, and Google is acting as a “hub” of information about any site that has a wiki. This is a big departure from what we normally expect from Google, which generally operates to bring visitors TO a website, not to draw them away to a search engine-owned web property.
- Having a space for comments may simply encourage negative comments. It’s kind of like the newspaper’s letters to the editor. Most of the time, people write because they disagree or have some beef that they want to air. Few write praise or compliments. A sidewiki could have the same result. And, with a sidewiki, the only thing the site owner can do to address the comment is to add his/her own comment. There is no way to delete a negative comment.
You can’t even delete a comment is irrelevant to your site. That is yet another concern. Someone who wishes to publicize their site might use your site’s sidewiki to do so. Even a competitor could do this.
For my clients, I am not going to rush out to claim their Google sidewikis. And, that is the good news. Unless the site’s owner “claims” their Google sidewiki, none will appear in the toolbar. This is an innovation that I plan to watch for now. I’ll let you know if I think it becomes important.
Posted by Janet Macdaniel on 4th November, 2009 | Comments | Trackbacks
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