In September 2009, Google introduced their newest web gizmo, the Sidewiki. In simple terms, it allows anyone (registered with a Gmail account) to leave comments on your site … and YOU have NO control! Ignoring the copyright issues (of which there are MANY) this means that

• ANYONE who is registered to do so can LEAVE COMMENTS on ANY page of your web site.

• ANYONE with the Google Toolbar installed can READ THOSE COMMENTS

• YOU HAVE NO RECOURSE (at this time) to have those comments removed!

This is an important and potentially damaging issue for ALL web site owners. In response to this grave threat, I wrote a Google Sidewiki Special Report, outlining the situation as it currently stands and offering my suggestions on what a web site owner should do in preparation… I posted about this issue on one of my Yahoo groups last night, and this morning, one of the members has replied with the following:

Looks like it is covered by the usual Terms of Service for Google so you could ask for stuff to be removed if it infringes copyright (then wait 6 months for Google to get round to it).

This is certainly a valid point… but in my mind, it misses the primary danger that the current Google Sidewiki situation presents…

Right now, I view copyright infringement as one of more minor the problems that may arise

In fact, I didn't even bother to discuss the copyright issues in the report…

The issue that I found most compelling is whether the web site owner would even know that nasty comments have been left on the site, are visible to Sidewiki users, AND ARE BEING INDEXED AND SHOWN IN THE GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS.

… unless you have taken the actions I have outlined in the report. ;-(

In any event, if you have a web site, I hope that you will download and read my FREE  Google Sidewiki Special Report.

The Google Sidewiki and its current application present a potentially catastrophic situation that ALL web site owners need to understand!

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