Isnt that why they have all those fancy phd’s on staff?
You thought they hired a bunch of phd’s to go check all the search terms?
My guess is that they hired those people because they are responsible for the actual formulation of the algorithm (You know, programmers, engineers, etc…) I certainly wouldn’t guess they were “data collectors” for every industry sector.
What’s wrong with the SE relying on “feedback” to help mold their algorithm? After all, I rely on the SE to provide free traffic to my websites.
So isn’t it in my best interest (if I build quality websites) to keep the serps as top-notch as possible?
So… about competition: If you see my point above you’ll realize that the people you say are “ratting out” other webmasters aren’t doing that at all. They are actually being more competitive than you. They are building better websites and helping to shape the serps of the future to reflect quality sites and not shit sites.
So now the table is turned – It is you people who are whining that people are “ratting you out” that should get busy working and being competitive instead of relying on software and spam techniques to cheat your way to the top.