IndustryGoogle ranks The Colbert Nation #1 for “giant brass balls”

Google ranks The Colbert Nation #1 for "giant brass balls"

Stephen Colbert’s viewers, who have already been banned by Wikipedia, have now mastered the art of googlebombing. If you conduct a search on Google for giant brass balls, The Colbert Nation ranks #1. If you search for the greatest living American, ColbertNation.com ranks #1. And if you search for truthiness, Wikiality, the Truthiness Encyclopedia ranks #5.

How did this happen?

It all started at Search Engine Strategies last week, when Jonah Stein of The Alchemy of Search attended a taping of The Colbert Report hosted by Stephen Colbert. “During the Q&A period before the show, Stephen said he would like to rank first on Google for Giant Brass Ball, Stein said on Monday of this week. He added, “A quick check on Google shows he doesn’t even rank for Truthiness, a word he invented. So, Colbert Nation, we are not -ahem- suggesting a Google Bombing campaign… but isn’t it time to start linking to the Greatest Living American?”

That prompted my post, Is Stephen Colbert the Greatest Living American? A day later, Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz posted an item entitled, Help Make Stephen Colbert the “Greatest Living American”. His post was dugg by the Digg community, who gave it 217 diggs as of this afternoon.

On Wednesday, April 18, Frank Watson of the Search Engine Watch Blog, Andy Beal of Marketing Pilgrim, Todd Malicoat of Stuntdubl, and other bloggers started covering the story.

The “smart googlebombing campaign” then generated a counter-revolution by Brandon Wirtz of XYHD.tv, who claimed that he was “the Greatest Living American.” The Wirtz effort won the backing of Jake Ludington’s Digital Lifestyle.

Meanwhile, over at the No Fact Zone.Net, DB reported, “THE BLOGOSPHERE ERUPTS! – Googlebombing campaign for “Greatest Living American” (and “Giant Brass Balls”).

On Thursday, April 19, CNET News.com’s Caroline McCarthy reported in her news blog, “Stephen Colbert finally drops a Google bomb.”

By this afternoon, The Colbert Nation had won (two out of three). So, let’s hope that this little blogstorm has run its course. The folks over at Comedy Central should follow former Senator George Aiken’s advice during the Vietnam War. “Declare victory and bring the boys home.”

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