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Google decimates Twitter search results after Elon Musk imposes limits on reading tweets
(www.rawstory.com)
this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2023
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Yeah, I don't know what else they're gonna do. People are already getting pretty fed up with the search results from their core product, the bitching started years ago and it's starting to get pretty loud, with power users of search becoming determined to find a better solution when they can. Don't think Google doesn't hear such things, or isn't aware of them.
So if search starts returning a bunch of results that are supposed to be Tweets but people keep hitting login paywalls, that just makes Google look bad. There's already widely circulated plugins - which Google knows about because they're getting installed on Chromium browsers - to automatically block Pinterest results, people were getting fed up with "fake" image results that weren't usable. The value proposition of what is still their primary business is under attack and can't stand more erosion of trust.
Maybe it looks like retaliation for Musk not paying his bills, but it probably isn't, it's just more fallout from Musk's actions.
The Google search result issue came to a head because of the reddit debacle. With the protest sending so many core subs private it immediately killed any seo those subs had on google search. Even Google made the announcement acknowledging that the reddit protest had ruined search results with most of one of the largest and most visited websites suddenly not being searchable.
If I had to hazard a guess I'd say the trouble at reddit is the first thing to put fire under Googles feet in a long time and now the tech giant's eye is focused back on their main product for generating ad revenue.
So with Elon putting limits on accessibility for his site there is zero chance of Google being able to properly index and cache twitter content, I'd even bet most of the moderation was done by automated indexing systems that could no longer access content.
Do you have a sauce for that Google announcement about Reddit? I'm interested!
Here you go https://gizmodo.com/reddit-blackout-made-google-worse-1850580546
Login screens never stopped google from returning useless pinterest spam.