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Jewish Music Videos Ensnared in YouTube Purge

by Sandy Eller – VINNews.com

Yaakov Shwekey’s Lo Yaavod video was removed and over 40,000 views were erased.

Over one billion YouTube ‘views’ have been removed in recent days as the popular video sharing website cracked down on any music videos whose hit counts were deemed to be falsely inflated in an effort to boost their popularity among viewers. A number of popular Jewish music videos were ensnared in this mass purge.

According to English news source Mail Online, the move, which cost music giants Sony and Universal a combined 1,850,000,000 views, had originally been thought to be a technical glitch by many, until official word came from YouTube.

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8 Comments

  • Someone who works with online businesses

    Hey,

    let’s pause for a moment and be honest. This is a whole industry, called SEO/SEM/SEF basically a fake, liar industry, trying to trick stupid Google Bots and counters to attach some ratings. Look at the life span of Google, and you will see which companies did really well with this kind of ‘marketing’: you got it, Google!
    No one else benefits, and no one else have the money to compete.
    So now, they crack down on the cheaters?! Hello??!! They are all cheaters, try Google itself, search for the same thing with fifteen minutes difference in a Private Browser window and tell me if the links are the same (they won’t be).
    I find that Google’s search engine practices became public utilities and therefore they need Federal Regulation.
    I think anyone who really needs to deal with online marketing is going to be tainted, and it’s not their fault. This is an industry, this is how it works.
    If you want to be in business, you play by the rules it gives.

  • mendele

    Important to note:

    From all of the big Jewish Music videos online over last 2-3 years. So far only 3 videos were removed because of fake views. All of the big big ones are still there. I think there is a very valid case to be made that the shwekey one in particular might be someone with an axe to grind. It’s easy to sabotage now, from youtubes own policy. If I dont like a certain video all I have to do is buy fake views and their video will come down.

  • confused - its weird

    why on earth? who cares if yakkov shwekey is popular and got sw lot of views? im rly confused by this! what r they tryin to say?

  • Fed Up with SEO scammers

    The Shwekey fiasco was not someone with an ax to grind. It was someone dishonest who Mendy hired but who cheated him.

  • Anonymous

    Rabbi Swift in Pittsburgh had 25+ views on youtube for his shiur, but all of them were removed. So was the video. Very upsetting.