Hack 41 Don't Try This at Home
 
Google tools that violate
Google's Terms of Service.
Despite all that the Google API does, there
are folks (myself included) who wish it would do more. Then there are
those who started building programmatic access to Google long before
an the API became available. This survey covers a few of them.
We present them here for two reasons: to give you an idea what
software you don't want to use if you have a concern
about being banned from Google, and to inspire you. This software
wasn't written because someone was sitting around
trying to violate Google's TOS; it was written
because someone simply wanted to get something done.
They're creative and pragmatic and well worth a
look.
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Google's Terms of Service (TOS) prohibit
automated
querying of the database except in conjunction with the Google API.
Automatic searching for whatever
reason is a big no-no. Google can react to this very strongly; in
fact, they have temporarily banned whole IP address blocks based on
the actions of a few, so be careful what you use to query Google.
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41.1 Don't Try These at Home
Here is a list of tools to avoid, unless you don't
mind getting yourself banned:
- Gnews2RSS (http://www.voidstar.com/gnews2rss.php?q=news&num=15)
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Turns a Google News search into a form suitable for syndication.
- WebPosition Gold (http://www.webposition.com/)
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Performs a range of tasks for web wranglers, including designing more
search engine-friendly pages, supporting automated URL submissions,
and analyzing search engine traffic to a site. Unfortunately, their
automated rank-checking feature violates Google's
Terms of Service. This program does so many things, however, that you
could consider using it for some position-checking tasks alone.
- AgentWebRanking (http://www.agentwebranking.com/)
-
Checks your web page's ranking with dozens of major
search engines all over the world. That search engine list also
includes Google, though the program violates
Google's Terms of Service by going around the Google
API.
41.2 Other Programs to Be Concerned About
When reviewing search engine tools, keep an eye out for those that:
Offer an automated check of
rankings in Google without requiring a
developer's key
Offer an automated search and retrieval of special collections not
covered by the Google API, such as Google News and Google Catalogs
Frame, metasearch, or otherwise use Google's content
without apparent agreement or partnership with Google
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