Comments on: Google broken or Google’s new bid to win the search wars? http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/ Freshegg Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:27:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Ammon Johns http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15086 Ammon Johns Wed, 28 May 2008 13:39:53 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15086 Yes, as spotted by several of you, there's a 302 redirect on the Artflux website that redirects a user back to the referring URL. Weirdest (and dumbest) way of handling an error that I ever saw. So, using Sam Spade to capture the header info, we see the following returned: HTTP/1.1 302 Object moved Cache-Control: private Connection: close Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 13:22:30 GMT Content-Length: 138 Content-Type: text/html Location: main.asp?curr=GBP Server: Microsoft-IIS/6.0 X-Powered-By: ASP.NET Set-Cookie: customer=firstvisit=285&visitorid=676395441&customerid=0&visitorstat=R; expires=Sat, 12-Dec-2037 00:00:00 GMT; path=/ Set-Cookie: ASPSESSIONIDQACRSAAQ=HGJPAFICCMNHENNBDGALNJEN; path=/ Object moved Object MovedThis object may be found <a HREF="main.asp?curr=GBP" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Now, this has actually shown us what they seem to have been trying to do: See how when I hit the page from the UK it attempts to redirect me to main.asp?curr=GBP which is different to what Ben reported from the Google tool URL=http://www.artflux.com Result code: 302 (Found / Moved Temporarily) New location: main.asp?curr=USD Location is not an absolute URL! Assuming new URL is: http://www.artflux.com/main.asp?curr=USD See? My UK IP is being used to determine that I should get the content with ?curr=GBP (Pounds Sterling currency) while the US IP of the tool was being detected as reason to get the content with the ?curr=USD (US Dollars) query string parameter. Why pass that through a parameter anyway when the visitor is being served cookies anyway? Couldn't tell you. Isn't that one of the daftest screw-ups ever seen? Nope, I've sadly seen worse. Much worse. But it takes the prize for this month. Yes, as spotted by several of you, there’s a 302 redirect on the Artflux website that redirects a user back to the referring URL. Weirdest (and dumbest) way of handling an error that I ever saw.

So, using Sam Spade to capture the header info, we see the following returned:

HTTP/1.1 302 Object moved
Cache-Control: private
Connection: close
Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 13:22:30 GMT
Content-Length: 138
Content-Type: text/html
Location: main.asp?curr=GBP
Server: Microsoft-IIS/6.0
X-Powered-By: ASP.NET
Set-Cookie: customer=firstvisit=285&visitorid=676395441&customerid=0&visitorstat=R; expires=Sat, 12-Dec-2037 00:00:00 GMT; path=/
Set-Cookie: ASPSESSIONIDQACRSAAQ=HGJPAFICCMNHENNBDGALNJEN; path=/
Object moved
Object MovedThis object may be found here.

Now, this has actually shown us what they seem to have been trying to do:
See how when I hit the page from the UK it attempts to redirect me to main.asp?curr=GBP which is different to what Ben reported from the Google tool

URL=http://www.artflux.com
Result code: 302 (Found / Moved Temporarily)
New location: main.asp?curr=USD
Location is not an absolute URL!
Assuming new URL is: http://www.artflux.com/main.asp?curr=USD

See?

My UK IP is being used to determine that I should get the content with ?curr=GBP (Pounds Sterling currency) while the US IP of the tool was being detected as reason to get the content with the ?curr=USD (US Dollars) query string parameter.

Why pass that through a parameter anyway when the visitor is being served cookies anyway? Couldn’t tell you.

Isn’t that one of the daftest screw-ups ever seen? Nope, I’ve sadly seen worse. Much worse. But it takes the prize for this month.

]]> By: Isobel http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15078 Isobel Wed, 28 May 2008 10:52:52 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15078 Just click the CACHED link underneath, and it will take you to the site. Just click the CACHED link underneath, and it will take you to the site.

]]> By: dan http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15075 dan Wed, 28 May 2008 09:58:11 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15075 From what I can tell, when you load the site, it is using geoip or something to determine your currency, then redirecting to the referral URI. when you type the address directly, it correctly loads the artflux site, when you click from a link, it is redirecting to the original referrer, instead of the main.asp page. From what I can tell, when you load the site, it is using geoip or something to determine your currency, then redirecting to the referral URI. when you type the address directly, it correctly loads the artflux site, when you click from a link, it is redirecting to the original referrer, instead of the main.asp page.

]]> By: jansie http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15074 jansie Wed, 28 May 2008 09:57:00 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15074 how comes the link to artflux in your article re-directs back to this article? how comes the link to artflux in your article re-directs back to this article?

]]> By: 8 » Blog Archive » Is Google broken or Google’s new bid to win the search wars? http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15073 8 » Blog Archive » Is Google broken or Google’s new bid to win the search wars? Wed, 28 May 2008 09:51:42 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15073 [...] http://blog.freshegg.com/2008/05/28/…e-search-wars/ Download movie game music software site [...] [...] http://blog.freshegg.com/2008/05/28/…e-search-wars/ Download movie game music software site [...]

]]> By: Lee http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15072 Lee Wed, 28 May 2008 09:41:10 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15072 Yes, we saw it was 302; we thought it would be fun to run with the story to highlight the simplest of errors with site configuration can cause problems. Yes, we saw it was 302; we thought it would be fun to run with the story to highlight the simplest of errors with site configuration can cause problems.

]]> By: 3 » Blog Archive » Is Google broken or Google’s new bid to win the search wars? http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15071 3 » Blog Archive » Is Google broken or Google’s new bid to win the search wars? Wed, 28 May 2008 09:30:35 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15071 [...] http://blog.freshegg.com/2008/05/28/…e-search-wars/ [...] [...] http://blog.freshegg.com/2008/05/28/…e-search-wars/ [...]

]]> By: Matt http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15070 Matt Wed, 28 May 2008 09:27:35 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15070 Nothing to do with Google - its a problem with that website. It is redirecting to the referring URL - if you follow the link from this blog post, it redirects back to this blog post. Nothing to do with Google - its a problem with that website.

It is redirecting to the referring URL - if you follow the link from this blog post, it redirects back to this blog post.

]]> By: Ina Centaur http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15069 Ina Centaur Wed, 28 May 2008 09:24:20 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15069 Actually it's ArtFlux's own error... their homepage is set to redirect to any page that refers it. Try clicking on your own link. Artflux.com redirects to your blog ;-) Actually it’s ArtFlux’s own error… their homepage is set to redirect to any page that refers it.

Try clicking on your own link. Artflux.com redirects to your blog ;-)

]]> By: Ben http://blog.freshegg.com/google-broken-or-googles-new-bid-to-win-the-search-wars_318/comment-page-1/#comment-15068 Ben Wed, 28 May 2008 09:23:30 +0000 http://blog.freshegg.com/?p=318#comment-15068 btw opening it in an IE tab worked fine, very odd... when i try to view your page as googlebot its saying Invalid URL or server does not respond, HTTP return code: 302 So you have some weird problems going on, are you cloaking or is this site hacked and using a weird .htaccess? btw opening it in an IE tab worked fine, very odd…

when i try to view your page as googlebot its saying

Invalid URL or server does not respond, HTTP return code: 302

So you have some weird problems going on, are you cloaking or is this site hacked and using a weird .htaccess?

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