Steve Wagenheim’s Home Business Blog Everything You’ll Need To Run A Successful Home Business
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    URGENT – Sidewiki Can KILL Your Business

    The war has started and it’s going to be an ugly one. I can see the lawsuits a mile away. I am writing this, knowing full well that it may not even get published at any article directories for fear of repercussions from Google, to warn you that your site, your business, is at SERIOUS risk. I am talking about the new Sidewiki toolbar which has already been responsible for vicious attacks on several sites.

    If you’re not familiar with Sidewiki, it is essentially a simple application. The web surfer downloads the Sidewiki toolbar. After they do, any site they visit, the toolbar will appear on the left hand side of the site itself in the same window. On this toolbar, visitors to your site can post their comments. Then, anybody who goes to visit your site can see those comments posted.

    On the surface, this would seem innocuous enough. But in the wrong hands, this could become a deadly tool, as I have already witnessed. There is nothing from stopping a competitor from viewing your site and leaving a comment such as, “This person is a scam artist. Do not buy anything from them.” Then, any visitor who has the toolbar installed will see that comment. This can potentially destroy a person’s business if a mass attack is coordinated.

    The problem I have with this whole application is that it is essentially giving Google the right to display adds and opinions DIRECTLY on your site WITHOUT your approval. It’s one thing if somebody goes to a forum or discussion group and makes a comment about your site. It’s another one for somebody to come to YOUR site and see such comments.

    This should NOT be tolerated. I am thereby asking every Internet marketer and home business owner to write to Google and tell them that you are against Sidewiki. Contact some of the major online companies, such as Amazon and explain to them what kind of damage this toolbar can do to THEIR business. With enough muscle behind us, we can put a stop to Sidewiki.

    Please do not take this lightly. This is as serious as it gets. It is no different from somebody coming to your restaurant and spraying graffiti all over your walls telling people not to eat there.

    In my signature, you will find a link where you can contact Google about Sidewiki.

    To YOUR Success,

    Steven Wagenheim
    Don’t want to see your business destroyed? Go to http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/request.py?contact_type=feedback and tell Google what you think of Sidewiki and that you want it taken down.

    11 Comments

11 Responses to “URGENT – Sidewiki Can KILL Your Business”

  1. Sally September 28th, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    OMG! That IS scary stuff! What were they thinking? Thank you very much for the heads up. I will not only do as you suggest, but I will post this article on a private but very active forum (Wealthy Affiliate).

  2. Chris September 28th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    HI Steve,

    This definitely could be a problem, but it sounds like this tool could also be helpful to add your own comments to your site. Sort of like blog comments would be done. I haven’t seen the app, but I’m wondering if ‘a site owner’ who has it installed can also edit comments on his own site?? Probably not.

    Will have to look into this, sounds like it could be a good tool if used properly. The more open the market becomes the better I think.

    Take care,
    Chris

  3. Joe Eitel September 28th, 2009 at 3:52 pm

    Yeah, I read about this earlier today Steven, and it definitely freaks me out a little! I’m sure that there will be a huge backlash amongst webmasters who care about the content that appears on their site (i.e. ME!). We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks…

    Joe Eitel

  4. Jo de Jong September 28th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

    Good, bad, or indifferent, I don’t want anyone posting UNMONITORED anything to my site. Thanks for the alert.

  5. Aliakbar September 28th, 2009 at 6:48 pm

    Google is always strange things!
    A few days ago I wrote an article about this tool, I introduce the advantages and disadvantages to the users in Persian language.
    http://akihon.com/134/google-sidewiki

  6. Allen Farlow September 28th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    This is appalling. If it is MY website, that I paid for, designed, uploaded, etc. it belongs to me, not Google or anyone else. They must have my permission to do anything on MY virtual real estate, not just come and go whenever they please or allow others the ability to do so.

    Hope Google likes their attorneys time being taken up with lawsuits because the lawsuits are coming.

    Let’s all go over to Microsoft.com and leave remarks about their products and see how long it takes for Gates and crew to call their attorneys to look into this Sidewiki crap.

  7. Elisabeth Kuhn September 29th, 2009 at 12:06 am

    I just read about that on the Warrior Forum. What a Trojan Horse that thing is! At first sight, it may look innocuous, but the potential for damage is huge! Which has clearly already been demonstrated.

    At the very least, anyone should be able to edit the side wikis that appear on their sites…

    Thanks for the article. Can we post it as a “guest post” on our blogs?

  8. arthur September 29th, 2009 at 5:59 am

    Yeah, very spooky this, I certainly wouldn’t want anything posted on my site either without my permission

    Thanks Steve

  9. admin September 29th, 2009 at 9:18 am

    Sure, feel free to reprint this article Elisabeth. The more people who know, the better.

  10. admin September 29th, 2009 at 9:19 am

    I hear you Allen. I am 100% in agreement.

    I can’t wait to see how Google handles the nightmare that they’re in for.

  11. Paul M September 29th, 2009 at 7:37 pm

    I’m with you on this one Steven.

    The potential for abuse is massive and all the features to protect this from being abused are in one way or another flawed.

    The social voting system and algo on sidewiki could be gamed oh so easy.

    The admin comment only fill one of a few spots that will be visible to all our visitors – Visitors which we have exerted effort or/and monetary investment to gain. Yet Google still feels they have a right to hijack our traffic.

    The sidewiki report abuse button I don’t like for two reasons:

    1. What happens when Googles definition of abuse doesn’t match ours? Google seems to have a narrow definition of abuse leaving us all open to potentially damaging unfounded comments. Comments wouldn’t even need to be out right abusive. Merely putting doubts in a visitors mind could be enough to cause damage to ones business or reputation.

    2. Unlike when we allow comments on our own sites and choose to be moderators. Google sidewiki could end up forcing us to become involuntary sidewiki moderators just to protect ourselves.

    Sidewiki gives a really easy way for spammers, competitors, and anyone else who wants to have a pop, to tarnish any website for any reason. There are plenty of other reason to hate this thing, the above are just a few.

    If anyone else is concerned about this, tell Google what you think at: http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/request.py?contact_type=feedback

    -Paul

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