Gabor Szabo writes: > I tried to collect my thoughts and your comments on getting more > people to use MetaCPAN instead of search.cpan.org. > > It is not going to be easy and thus it got a bit long: > http://szabgab.com/moving-from-sco-to-metacpan.html
Thanks for writing that. > I'd be glad to read your opinion on this! I think part of the problem is that Google's algorithms need to change — not just for MetaCpan, but for various content. The situation is basically this: • A site has existed for many years, over which time many people have linked to it, including putting links in automated systems and directories. • A rival site appears, and many people start linking to it in places where previously they would've otherwise linked to the old site. Some of this will be changing links from the old site to the new one, but much of it will be simply when creating new links. • Because of the history, the old site still has many, many more links to it than the new one does. And automated systems linking to it mean that new links are being generated to it. That should be something Google's algorithms can detect, and use to favour the new site over the old one. It can spot the introduction of the new site and realize that it has similar content to the old one. If it spotted links being changed from the old one to the new one (but not t'other way round, or at least in far greater numbers in one direction) that should be a sign that people overall deem the new one to be superior. Spotting that new links are going to the new site instead of the old one is harder, but not impossible to detect. Until now this I'm guessing this hasn't been a big problem for Google, because ‘website has been popular for a decade then a better rival comes along’ requires at least a decade to elapse. But as time goes on, Google is going to have to do something like the above detection to avoid becoming an archive of websites that used to be useful. Of course that doesn't mean that Google will fix this in a timely manner for MetaCpan. So an alternative course of action would be: • Get a job at Google (they seem to always be recruiting). • Join the search algorithm team. • Enhance the algorithm to address the above. Any takers? Smylers -- The UK gov's proposed gagging law will suppress protest and campaigning by charities and political groups. Read more: http://civilsocietycommission.info/ Please sign this petition: http://38d.gs/1cJ9ViA Oxfam • BHA • Quakers * Countryside Alliance • League Against Cruel Sports • CND
