[vorpalhex]

"FREE VACATIONS! (you have to sit through a timeshare presentation and there are catches"

We widely regard the above as unethical.

Adding content to a search engine literally says "you can come read this content!". That is the purpose of search engines. Even Google penalizes paywall behavior and will downrank them - which forces the paywall people to get more clever.

Sorry but don't abuse search engines and users to sell your content. Buy ads like a big boy.

[geysersam]

They're doing something bad - so it's okay to steal their stuff. Did I get that right?

[vorpalhex]

They are being gamed by their own game. Nobody took their content - they submitted it to search engines and are upset the search engine provides a cached copy.

If they don't like it they can not submit to search engines.

[geysersam]

> nobody took their content

According to the law, someone did.

Just because something's available on request from a server does not mean it's up for grabs.

[vorpalhex]

> Just because something's available on request from a server does not mean it's up for grabs.

When you give the content out for free to the indexer, you have given a copy to the world. Google search is not your advertising machine - you can pay for that priviledge if you would care for it.

[abbusfoflouotne]

I wouldn't say it is necessarily immature to use a paywall as opposed to ads. I for one sometimes prefer paying for a site just so i dont have to see ads.

Though I do agree, the bait and switch aspect of finessing seo and such leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Glad google penalizes such behavior