Some of you have noticed that a few of my colleagues and I have been very quiet lately in the Google Webmaster Help Group. I can assure you we haven't been hunting wabbits ... and though we've continued to spot and escalate many situations in the background, that's not all we've been doing, either.
Aside from sharing information via interviews and chatting with webmasters in person around the globe (Australia, China, Germany, the U.K., the U.S.), we've been learning how to bring this Google Group to the next level. This has involved online communications workshops, training in spotting issues, and even (eeek!) a review of important legal issues.
The one thing we haven't had to gain, though, is an appreciation for webmaster concerns and an eagerness to address them. Over the next weeks, you'll start to slowly but surely see posts from Googlers who are new to the Group. What's notable is that these aren't customer service folks we've newly hired for this role; these are experienced Google Search Quality team members who came up to me and Vanessa Fox asking to spend part of their work time participating here.
You'll be able to spot and verify these folks' status as a Googler by the "G" badge you see next to their name on posts. And while they clearly know their stuff, it may take them a short bit to get their "Group legs," so welcome 'em and be nice, okay? :)
> Some of you have noticed that a few of my colleagues and I have been > very quiet lately in the Google Webmaster Help Group. I can assure you > we haven't been hunting wabbits ... and though we've continued to spot > and escalate many situations in the background, that's not all we've > been doing, either.
> Aside from sharing information via interviews and chatting with > webmasters in person around the globe (Australia, China, Germany, the > U.K., the U.S.), we've been learning how to bring this Google Group to > the next level. This has involved online communications workshops, > training in spotting issues, and even (eeek!) a review of important > legal issues.
> The one thing we haven't had to gain, though, is an appreciation for > webmaster concerns and an eagerness to address them. Over the next > weeks, you'll start to slowly but surely see posts from Googlers who > are new to the Group. What's notable is that these aren't customer > service folks we've newly hired for this role; these are experienced > Google Search Quality team members who came up to me and Vanessa Fox > asking to spend part of their work time participating here.
> You'll be able to spot and verify these folks' status as a Googler by > the "G" badge you see next to their name on posts. And while they > clearly know their stuff, it may take them a short bit to get their > "Group legs," so welcome 'em and be nice, okay? :)
> > Some of you have noticed that a few of my colleagues and I have been > > very quiet lately in the Google Webmaster Help Group. I can assure you > > we haven't been hunting wabbits ... and though we've continued to spot > > and escalate many situations in the background, that's not all we've > > been doing, either.
> > Aside from sharing information via interviews and chatting with > > webmasters in person around the globe (Australia, China, Germany, the > > U.K., the U.S.), we've been learning how to bring this Google Group to > > the next level. This has involved online communications workshops, > > training in spotting issues, and even (eeek!) a review of important > > legal issues.
> > The one thing we haven't had to gain, though, is an appreciation for > > webmaster concerns and an eagerness to address them. Over the next > > weeks, you'll start to slowly but surely see posts from Googlers who > > are new to the Group. What's notable is that these aren't customer > > service folks we've newly hired for this role; these are experienced > > Google Search Quality team members who came up to me and Vanessa Fox > > asking to spend part of their work time participating here.
> > You'll be able to spot and verify these folks' status as a Googler by > > the "G" badge you see next to their name on posts. And while they > > clearly know their stuff, it may take them a short bit to get their > > "Group legs," so welcome 'em and be nice, okay? :)
I may have to start tracking googler's contributions again, now that it's going to have a positive slope on the curve :)
Anyway, looking forward to it, this should be the place for official googler and webmaster communication, the other forums are fine, but I hate having to refer to a 3rd party profiting off of your contributions when I know there is a perfectly good group right here with an official blue "G" by the name. If you polled the regulars, I'd imagine the official status of this group is the main reason people keep coming back, otherwise it's just another forum, where people could debate the "Q" factor for hundreds of responses (then again those forums have a pagenated list which makes it easier to have many responses)
> Some of you have noticed that a few of my colleagues and I have been > very quiet lately in the Google Webmaster Help Group. I can assure you > we haven't been hunting wabbits ... and though we've continued to spot > and escalate many situations in the background, that's not all we've > been doing, either.
> Aside from sharing information via interviews and chatting with > webmasters in person around the globe (Australia, China, Germany, the > U.K., the U.S.), we've been learning how to bring this Google Group to > the next level. This has involved online communications workshops, > training in spotting issues, and even (eeek!) a review of important > legal issues.
> The one thing we haven't had to gain, though, is an appreciation for > webmaster concerns and an eagerness to address them. Over the next > weeks, you'll start to slowly but surely see posts from Googlers who > are new to the Group. What's notable is that these aren't customer > service folks we've newly hired for this role; these are experienced > Google Search Quality team members who came up to me and Vanessa Fox > asking to spend part of their work time participating here.
> You'll be able to spot and verify these folks' status as a Googler by > the "G" badge you see next to their name on posts. And while they > clearly know their stuff, it may take them a short bit to get their > "Group legs," so welcome 'em and be nice, okay? :)
So which is it, you are sticking us with new Googlers to break them in or they've been bad Googlers and you are throwing them into the Lions' den? :-()
Oh, they are "experienced Google Search Quality team members" so Lions' den it must be. ;-)
> Some of you have noticed that a few of my colleagues and I have been > very quiet lately in the Google Webmaster Help Group. I can assure you > we haven't been hunting wabbits ... and though we've continued to spot > and escalate many situations in the background, that's not all we've > been doing, either.
> Aside from sharing information via interviews and chatting with > webmasters in person around the globe (Australia, China, Germany, the > U.K., the U.S.), we've been learning how to bring this Google Group to > the next level. This has involved online communications workshops, > training in spotting issues, and even (eeek!) a review of important > legal issues.
> The one thing we haven't had to gain, though, is an appreciation for > webmaster concerns and an eagerness to address them. Over the next > weeks, you'll start to slowly but surely see posts from Googlers who > are new to the Group. What's notable is that these aren't customer > service folks we've newly hired for this role; these are experienced > Google Search Quality team members who came up to me and Vanessa Fox > asking to spend part of their work time participating here.
> You'll be able to spot and verify these folks' status as a Googler by > the "G" badge you see next to their name on posts. And while they > clearly know their stuff, it may take them a short bit to get their > "Group legs," so welcome 'em and be nice, okay? :)
The new Googlers are excited to be here and posting. We may take some time to "ramp up" as we figure out how reading all these threads and answering some questions will fit into a nine-to-six work day--but that's because we're still working on Search Quality in the meantime, not because we don't like you. :-P
Yea! I'm hoping to see a little more light here and a little less guessing. It would be nice to know when bug fixes rather than intentional algorithm changes perturb results, but that would be way too much to expect.
> The new Googlers are excited to be here and posting. We may take some > time to "ramp up" as we figure out how reading all these threads and > answering some questions will fit into a nine-to-six work day--but > that's because we're still working on Search Quality in the meantime, > not because we don't like you. :-P
This sounds like a fantastic move - win-win for everyone. It's so important that the group retains legitimacy, and this move will hopefully hit the spot.
