Google introduces new meta tag to properly cite writers

googlenewsblog.blogspot.com

30 points·ecaron··6 comments

Why aren't these LINK tags with appropriate REL extensions?

What is to stop me using an original tag when it is syndicate or the syndicate tag when it is original!

There's nothing to stop you. I imagine Google's algorithm(s) will determine the probable original source as the one with the most citations (along with timestamps and other secret google-fu) and penalize sites that fake citations by giving their citations less weight in the future.

Interesting. I wonder if Google is trying to push this because no one uses the semantic blockquote, cite and q tags properly?

Edit: Seems to me if the above tags were used properly Google should be able to determine original source just by sorting chronologically.

Is this an attempt to cut down on blogspam? They'll need quite a few people to indicate the original author, but maybe they can catch the non-compliant sites that way?

Still, they'd need to do something to get people on board with this...

I guess it must be used for building a reputation system. Google pretty much knows who published what first (or has at least a reasonable idea of that). If the re-publishers lie with their metatags, or at least lie consistently, they get punished with a deranking.

Edit: oops adbge was there first, sorry.

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