So, if you’re like me and have updated to Wordpress 2.3, you may have also noted that on the Wordpress dashboard, the “inbound links” list is now being populated by Google’s Blogsearch and not Technorati.

There’s been some talk about how relevant Technorati has been (including a particularly shrill post by yours truly), and perhaps because it *hasn’t* been, getting Google to index inbound links, therefore, is a Good Thing.

But is it?

Is Google’s Blogsearch *good* at finding those inbound Blog links? 

Now, a quick look by myself shows that for Deep Jive Interests, the answer is resounding “HELL NO.”  The last time Google shows any inbound link is October 30th, but in fact I have inbound links all the way until yesterday.  In fact, Technorati is able to find blogs that have linked to me within the minute those posts (that have those links) are published.  Google looks like its about a week behind.
Now the caveat here is that I am still waiting for my blog to get re-indexed by Google after I was hacked.  So, maybe *that*’s the reason why Google doesn’t look so good, right?

Well, I had a few cursory looks at a few of my other favourite blogs, and the same sort of pattern emerges.  Technorati is able to find the “reactions” within minutes of those inbound links actually being published.

Google?  It has trouble.

Now, I don’t know the actual “why’s” for this happening; perhaps its because everyone and their sister who has a blog registers it formally *with* Technorati so they can follow their own Authority ranking and so on.  And furthermore, because by Default, Wordpress pings Pingo-matic, which by default usually pings Technorati.

On the other hand, I’ve read that Google also monitors Pingo-matic, and should therefore also update whenever Pingo-matic updates.  If that’s the case, then, I don’t know — perhaps actually registering your site (and pinging) with Technorati makes it easier to work these kinds of relationships out and in a much quicker fashion.

In any case, I suggest you try and figure this out for yourself.

1. Go to Google’s BlogSearch at http://blogsearch.google.com/

2. For the search term, enter “link:URL_OF_YOUR_BLOG” –> and of course replace the URL of your blog as necessary.

3. Note the results which are sorted by default according to date.  Marvel at how dated some of these results are.

4. Then, go to Technorati at http://www.technorati.com (naturally)

5. Enter your own blog URL again, and note the number of reactions.  Marvel at how fresh these results are.

If you find that I’m totally off my rocker, let me know.  However, in the few blogs that I’ve checked I’ve come up with similar results.  Maybe I *will* install this plugin now. ;)

I saw small minded, because only small minded people would care about their Technorati ranking, and only the small minded would care if Technorati were indexing older, and clearly <dripping with sarcasm> irrelevant </still dripping with sarcasm> posts that took time to write, think about and otherwise put together.

I’ll admit that I am small minded, and and am thus am more than a little outraged that Technorati has decided to drop — until further notice, or it is otherwise economically feasible — posts that are more than 6 months old.

Yes, there are the arguments that Technorati is irrelevant, so “who cares”; there is also the assertion that Technorati is trying to move away from archiving and indexing blogs in favour of other “new media”, because that’s what is “cool”, “hip”, and “relevant”.

Well, bollocks to both of those things.

I think its tremendously disrespectful that Technorati has elected to ignore a ton of great postings for the sake of expediency, and worse yet, not really even tell anyone about it, perhaps thinking that no one would notice — even if its ‘temporary’. It is doing a great job of hastening its own irrelevance, and I can see with the recent Wordpress 2.3.x update that it is becoming even more irrelevant still.

For those who haven’t yet upgraded (and you should, although watch out for the business about categories and tagging), you will find out when you do that on your Wordpress Dashboard the incoming links are no longer powered by Technorati, but by Google Blogsearch.

Now, when I found out about this change, I was going to install this plugin to revert things back (and I still may — I am small minded after all) — but with how Technorati has shrunk its index … well, bollocks indeed, Technorati, bollocks indeed.

I’m going to yak about Yahoo! SmartAds in a moment, but I’d just like to take a second and rant about yet another plain vanilla press release.  Right now, at the top of Techmeme, is the Yahoo Press Release for SmartAds.  Once you take a look at it, maybe you’ll do what I did, and have your eyes glaze over while you almost fall out of your chair in a somnolent stupor.

BOOOOOORING.

Disengaged.

Out of the conversation.

Dammit, why can’t we see more press releases or news rooms that are smartly integrated with social media?

Hell, isn’t Yahoo! trying to take a more social media bent, what with its Web2.0 acquisitions?  I know, I know — PR is different, and yes, maybe I am hallucinating about Yahoo!’s future.

But jeebus, why can’t we for once see a major product launch (or service launch) with

a) Just the facts: You could pare down the Press release into about 5 or 6 bullet points.  And the most important point in the Press Release is actually buried somewhere in the middle.  Did you read it?  It said “SmartAds generally resulted in click through rates of two to three times higher than static, non-customized display ads using the same targeting and placement.”  But I’ll bet most DIDN’T because its buried in paragraph SIX.

b) Links to ongoing blog “reactions”: Technorati — are you listening?

c) Examples: Why not show exactly what SmartAds does?  Either link out to sites that are doing it, or actually show demos and case studies.  The first — fine, they’re still testing it.  But jeebus, man, instead of telling us, just show us.  Or get Scoble to do a video on it! (PodTech, are you listening?)  In fact, I’m kind of surprised Scoble *hasn’t* done a video on it.

Yes, I know, I know. Press Releases have their time and place.  You need to get everyone on board and have the important principles to sign off.  Its a corporate statement.  And so on.

But for the love of pete, this was a great opportunity!  Yahoo! could have really gotten with the Peanut Butter to create something that people would go back to — as social media news rooms act like a hub *for* conversations.  I love Techmeme like everyone else, but why let Techmeme have all the fun?  Yahoo! started the conversation — why not let host it for real?

Ok … ok … I’ll get of my soapbox now. ;)