Please Explain About Robots....

[Mmathis]

I mean the kind that are listed as reading board messages. Exactly WHAT are they and HOW do they work? What's their purpose? Are they a good thing or a bad thing? Who uses them?

 

[RobAmy]

Once you know you can never return

 

[Waterbug]

They're software applications that search the web for information. Google for example has bots that enter sites to look for data that can improve its searches. Called data mining. Company bots can search sites to see if people are talking about a certain product, or search for email addresses, or whatever they're interested in.

Bots listed on a site have told the site that they are a bot and the site's software can negotiate terms. For example, Google could send 1000000 bots into a site all at once and crash the site. It's the same as if 1000000 people all signed into a site at once and overloaded the site. So bots register to find out how to act properly. This register thing isn't like a user name and password, it's just the bot saying "hi, I'm a bot. Is it OK if I read 1 page per minute?".

Then there are bots that don't tell a site they're a bot so the site assumes they are a person. Those bots will appear at "guests".

Then there are bots that act like a member, with a name, password. They can make posts. They read lots of posts to see how to talk to people.

Anyone can create a bot and let it roam the web. They're very easy to make.

 

[morewater]

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

 

[Mmathis]

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

Careful! You might be dating yourself

 

[HARO]

And here I thought R2D2 and C3PO had become ponderers!
John

 

[Mmathis]

They're software applications that search the web for information. Google for example has bots that enter sites to look for data that can improve its searches. Called data mining. Company bots can search sites to see if people are talking about a certain product, or search for email addresses, or whatever they're interested in.

Bots listed on a site have told the site that they are a bot and the site's software can negotiate terms. For example, Google could send 1000000 bots into a site all at once and crash the site. It's the same as if 1000000 people all signed into a site at once and overloaded the site. So bots register to find out how to act properly. This register thing isn't like a user name and password, it's just the bot saying "hi, I'm a bot. Is it OK if I read 1 page per minute?".

Then there are bots that don't tell a site they're a bot so the site assumes they are a person. Those bots will appear at "guests".

Then there are bots that act like a member, with a name, password. They can make posts. They read lots of posts to see how to talk to people.

Anyone can create a bot and let it roam the web. They're very easy to make.

Thanks, WB! So, in general, are they good witches or bad witches? Of course, crashing a site is never a good thing, but in general....?

I was just reading an article about airlines doing away with special fares, etc. The info related this to the internet, and was based on "search" patterns of the public. Also, I've noticed that after I've conducted an extensive "search & shop" for a particular item (most recently, a new tent), these ads for tents and outfitters are showing up on almost every un-related site I visit -- it's creepy! Is this all the result of robots?

 

[Big Lou]

They are everywhere!

 

[HARO]

Big Brother is watching!
John

 

[j.w]

Careful! You might be dating yourself

Oh isn't that something perverted and nasty...............dating yourself. I think boys were told back in my school days they could go blind doing that

 

[HARO]

Oh isn't that something perverted and nasty...............dating yourself. I think boys were told back in my school days they could go blind doing that

No, no j.w.! "Dating "is NOT a synonym for "abusing'.
John

 

[Mmathis]

Oh isn't that something perverted and nasty...............dating yourself. I think boys were told back in my school days they could go blind doing that

Heavens, NO! What I meant was, might be showing your age.

 

[HARO]

Well, as long as that's ALL that's showing.....
John

 

[Big Lou]

What.......

 

[j.w]

Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha..............we're starting to confuse the masses