mediajunk

Update - 31 March 2005: Another new Google patent has been granted, of much more signifance than the one detailed below, and with insights into Google's algorithm.

A new patent by Google has just been granted in the US.

The patent's title is: Ranking search results by reranking the results based on local inter-connectivity, and – as you'd expect from the Mountain View boffins – it's damn complicated.

The purpose of the patent, according to Google, is (partly) "to prevent any single author of web content from having too much of an impact on the ranking value".

The "ranking value" means the score that Google gives to a particular page on the web. Pages with higher ranks show up higher than pages with lower ranks.

Google's patent makes it tougher for any individual or business to claim they can influence Google’s search results.

I can interpret this move in two contrasting ways. The part of me that admires Google’s brand and tradition of integrity tells me this patent will protect the individual webmasters from the big-time operators, making sure everyone has an equal chance of getting listed.

The cynic in me, however, looks at the timing of this patent and sees that, just as Google has introduced its new Adsense service, the ability to influence non-paid-for results has diminished.

But then, Google applied for this patent two years ago, so for now I'll give the world's favourite search engine the benefit of my doubt.

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Another nice plug for mediajunk today: the MSN news "blogspotting" column linked to my post on the blogosphere's glass ceiling.