SearchBaiting my Colleagues


"You're so vain. You probably think this post is about you."


Last year I participated in blog tagging. This year I came up with a fun new scheme I'll call "Searchbaiting".

Working Definition of Searchbaiting: The act of leaving clues on the Web (searchbait) so that a targeted person will discover and act on the reference. One who searchbaits of course would be a searchbaiter.

There is a very talented group of Minnesota search marketers I want to test. I also wanted to use the term Searchbaiting, which I don't think is a word yet.
As Web professionals I figure there are several ways my friends could find this post about them.
  1. A vanity search
  2. Backlink analysis of web properties I've linked their names to
  3. Referral analysis of custom campaign parameters to these web sites
  4. Word-of-mouth (so don't tell them)
Myself, I have a Google vanity alert set up so that I am notified by email when my name appears in Google's index.

OK let's see how long it takes them to find this post.

Clint, Nicole, Sarah, & Paul - Once you find this post please leave a comment. First one to leave a comment wins!

[4/26/08 @2am] 1st Place - Paul Jahn
[4/29/08 @ 5:30pm] 2nd Place - Clint Danks
[5/14/08 @ 7:08pm] 3rd Place - Sarah Bernier
[5/18/08 @ 11:33am] 4th Place - Nicole St. Martin

5 comments:

  1. 5) RSS Subscription to Ward's Blog.

    The thing is, you're assuming this blog is indexed...

    Updated version of a tree falling in the woods: if Ward posts to a blog that's not indexed, can anyone really find it?

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  2. Congratulations Paul for winning 1st place! You win my undying professional admiration and of course Wardo's new and soon to be coveted SearchBaiting Award.

    Stay tuned for the awards ceremony post after your colleagues have a chance to finish the contest (or even know that they are in it!)

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  3. Dammit....I was late...

    I found it using back link text analysis....and found you had two separate link texts from your blog. Thus, I had to see what they were.....nice test.

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  4. Wardo, I cannot BELIEVE you want to come to my wedding (of which neither Clint nor I are aware!) yet you can't even spell my NAME.

    I'm Sarah with an H, dammit, and I WILL be recognized as such.

    There are Superior Sarahs (we are "H" carriers) and there are Inferior Sarahs (sans "H"; notice I can't even refer to them with the 4-letter spelling). Very, VERY big deal in Sarah-Land and I'm shocked you've referred to me as an Inferior.

    IF you'd used my proper name, I could've won this contest hands-down.

    As it stands, I have to settle for a mere bronze medal. I'm shamed. Good thing I'm not Samurai - I'd be forced to stick a sword in my gullet...

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  5. ok - well I am late as my Google Alert went directly into my spam folder which I seldom check.

    Nice game though Wardo

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