The NY Times has a fascinating article about an internet entrepreneur who sell eyeglasses on the web. Vitaly Borker found — almost by accident — that on the web negative publicity works better than good publicity. The more he abuses his customers, threatening them and calling them names, the more they complain to consumer websites, which then pushes up his page rank on Google and gives him better placement in search results.
The problem is that the Google page rank algorithm, which is based in part on how many links you have from respected websites, can’t tell the difference between a positive mention and a scathingly negative mention. So the more he gets mentioned in respected consumer websites, the more traffic and sales he gets!
I have a similar problem with my Google ads on this site. I often get emails from people complaining that my most negative posts are often accompanied by ads for the very person about whom I am being negative. But how can Google tell, especially if I am being sarcastic or ironic?
What I find ironic about this article is that they seem to be targeting only Mr. Borker. Yes, Borker is acting like a sociopath. He doesn’t care at all how many people he frightens and abuses in his quest for profits. But he does try to be careful to tread within the law. To him it is a game, and a profitable one at that.
But what about all the corporations that do the same thing? Corporations that make money off of war and death, by driving up the cost of medicines that cost people their lives, or by manipulating the economy? Corporations that by their money-saving negligence cause massive oil spills or other environmental disasters?
Pretty much by design, large corporations act like sociopaths every day. Corporations are required to make as much money as possible, in any way possible (within the law). The NY Times attacks Borker, but ignores the 800 billion ton gorilla. If anything, Borker is being honest about what he does, probably because he doesn’t have a PR department like big corporations such as BP do.
UPDATE: Google has modified its page rank algorithm to identify businesses that provide bad service and lower their position in search results. Hopefully this will stop rewarding sociopaths like Borker.
UPDATE: Borker has been arrested and charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, making interstate threats, and cyberstalking. The judge denied Borker’s request for bail saying he was either “verging on psychotic” or had “an explosive personality”.