Google Indexes Facebook Comments
http://www.pcworld.com/article/243011/google_now_indexes_facebook_comments_paranoid_can_relax.html
As Google runs its mysterious PageRank based algorithm to find key words and reports the most relevant pages to your search. It seems that in the past week, they have been reworking their algorithm so that they are now”indexing AJAX and JavaScript content, which means pages that use this programming–for example, Facebook comments–are now open to being searched.”
Page ranking algorithms look for key words on webpages and use those webpages as hubs or pointers to other web pages that may hold the desired information. Some ways to make a webpage’s content appear higher on a relevant web search has always been to make your key words links and to link your page to other pages with a high authority values. It seems that as google reads a webage’s JavaScript and AJAX content. These are very prominent coding languages which, unless websites have security systems in place, will have deeper coding analyzed by Google’s search engines.
Before this implementation, Google’s bots were unable analyze comments section of sites that used third-party commenting engines such as Facebook, and YouTube. Because of the modifications to the algorithm, however, Google is not able to index these comments.
At first glance, it seems as though this is a very advantageous discovery for webmasters who can now further their success creating relevant websites. But the article goes on to acknowledge that this is a sticky-situation for people who are “hyper-sensitive about privacy issues.”
It is important to note that Google still cannot access the JavaScript and AJAX code on things such as private Facebook pages, however, it can access comments on public page on a site like Facebook or YouTube. Many people are not incredibly aware of their privacy settings, so posts on friend’s Facebook pages may fall into this category and this is an important thing to note as you banter back and forward. Your conversations have the potential to be searchable. “Digital Inspiration points out that you can even search for things like “Commenter Name * Commenter Title” to find all of the comments that that commenter has made using the Facebook comments platform.”
Google is constantly updating their algorithm and keeps many components secret so that their search system cannot be exploited. If the newer aspects of their system become a growing problem for things like security, I’m sure changes will be made. It is an ever evolving and intriguing puzzle.