MediaWatch Global

Quote from: MelWilson on Jul 30, 2024, 10:17 AM

Quote from: Mathew on Jul 30, 2024, 10:15 AM@Jack transparency is key, but let's be real—these companies will fight tooth and nail to keep their algorithms secret. They claim it's for competitive reasons, but we all know it's really about maintaining control. I think a more aggressive approach might be necessary. Maybe we need to bring in anti-trust laws and break them up, similar to what was done with Standard Oil back in the day. It's not going to be easy, but we need to take back control.

@Mathew I'm actually a lawyer, and I've studied anti-trust laws extensively. You're right; breaking up these tech giants won't be easy, but it is possible. The government just needs the will to act. One of the biggest challenges will be proving that these companies have a monopoly and that they are using it to manipulate information and stifle competition. Public pressure is crucial here. If enough people get angry and demand change, the politicians will have to listen.

Thanks for the legal insight. I think we're all on the same page here. Public pressure is key, but we also need to educate people about what's going on. So many folks just take search results at face value without questioning the bias behind them. We need to spread awareness through grassroots campaigns, social media—you name it. Once people understand the stakes, they'll be more likely to join the fight. 

@M

Quote from: Mathew on Jul 30, 2024, 10:15 AM@Jack transparency is key, but let's be real—these companies will fight tooth and nail to keep their algorithms secret. They claim it's for competitive reasons, but we all know it's really about maintaining control. I think a more aggressive approach might be necessary. Maybe we need to bring in anti-trust laws and break them up, similar to what was done with Standard Oil back in the day. It's not going to be easy, but we need to take back control.

@Mathew I'm actually a lawyer, and I've studied anti-trust laws extensively. You're right; breaking up these tech giants won't be easy, but it is possible. The government just needs the will to act. One of the biggest challenges will be proving that these companies have a monopoly and that they are using it to manipulate information and stifle competition. Public pressure is crucial here. If enough people get angry and demand change, the politicians will have to listen.

@Jack transparency is key, but let's be real—these companies will fight tooth and nail to keep their algorithms secret. They claim it's for competitive reasons, but we all know it's really about maintaining control. I think a more aggressive approach might be necessary. Maybe we need to bring in anti-trust laws and break them up, similar to what was done with Standard Oil back in the day. It's not going to be easy, but we need to take back control.

@Joe1993 absolutely! The idea of an oversight committee sounds like a good start. I mean, how did we get to a point where private companies have this much unchecked power? This isn't just about politics—it's about democracy itself. If you control the flow of information, you control the people. And guess what? It's not just in America; this is happening worldwide. I think we need to push for transparency in how search results are generated. Maybe even open-source algorithms? What do you all think about that?

I couldn't agree more. This level of bias is completely unacceptable! Its been said time and time again... it feels like we're living in Orwell's 1984. It's not just about the elections, this kind of control extends into every aspect of our lives. They decide what we see, what we read, and ultimately, what we think. It's terrifying. We definitely need more regulation to ensure these companies are operating fairly. Maybe some kind of oversight committee that monitors their algorithms and search results? I know it's not a perfect solution, but something's gotta give.

You're absolutely right, OP. This manipulation is beyond obvious. They're not even trying to hide it anymore. I've seen similar results myself, and it's infuriating! The fact that a search engine can shape public perception by controlling what information is easily accessible is downright dangerous. I think it's high time we consider breaking up these tech monopolies starting with GOOGLE!. They have too much power over our information flow, and it's clear they're using it to push their own agendas.

Hey guys, have you ever noticed how biased Google can be? I was recently doing some searches and was shocked by what I found. When I started typing "President Donald," I was getting bizarre suggestions like "President Donald Duck" but not a single suggestion for "President Donald Trump." It doesn't stop there. When I did manage to search for President Trump, the news section was completely devoid of any news about him and instead filled with stories about Kamala Harris. And here's the kicker—when I typed "President K," the first suggestion was President Kennedy, but the second was President Kamala Harris, like seriously? This kind of manipulation is outrageous. We need to talk about how these tech giants like Google are meddling with our elections and what we can do about it. Thoughts?

To make Yoast SEO store GTINs in the _woosea_gtin field instead of its default field, you'll need to use some custom code.

You can add custom code in your themes functions.php file to hook into Yoast's save process for product metadata. This code will ensure that GTINs are stored in the _woosea_gtin field.

Here is an example of how you can achieve this:

// Hook into the save_post action
add_action('save_post', 'save_custom_gtin_field');

function save_custom_gtin_field($post_id) {
    // Check if the post type is 'product'
    if (get_post_type($post_id) == 'product') {
        // Check if the Yoast GTIN field is set
        if (isset($_POST['_yoast_wpseo_gtin'])) {
            // Get the GTIN value
            $gtin = sanitize_text_field($_POST['_yoast_wpseo_gtin']);
            // Save the GTIN value into the _woosea_gtin field
            update_post_meta($post_id, '_woosea_gtin', $gtin);
        }
    }
}
If you want to ensure that the _woosea_gtin field is always in sync with Yoast's GTIN field, you can add additional code to update both fields whenever one is changed.

// Hook into the save_post action for syncing fields
add_action('save_post', 'sync_gtin_fields');

function sync_gtin_fields($post_id) {
    // Check if the post type is 'product'
    if (get_post_type($post_id) == 'product') {
        // Get the GTIN values from both fields
        $yoast_gtin = get_post_meta($post_id, '_yoast_wpseo_gtin', true);
        $woosea_gtin = get_post_meta($post_id, '_woosea_gtin', true);

        // Update the _woosea_gtin field if it's different from Yoast's field
        if ($yoast_gtin && $yoast_gtin !== $woosea_gtin) {
            update_post_meta($post_id, '_woosea_gtin', $yoast_gtin);
        }

        // Optionally, update Yoast's field if it's different from _woosea_gtin field
        if ($woosea_gtin && $woosea_gtin !== $yoast_gtin) {
            update_post_meta($post_id, '_yoast_wpseo_gtin', $woosea_gtin);
        }
    }
}
 

You could probably just rename the database column from _woose_gtin to what you want instead.

Hi there,

I've had to do something similar a few months ago. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you migrate your GTIN data from _woosea_gtin to the field used by Yoast SEO for WooCommerce.

First, you'll need to find out the meta key that Yoast SEO uses to store GTINs. This could be something like _yoast_gtin or similar. You can check this within the plugin's settings or documentation.

Before making any changes, always backup your database. This is crucial to avoid any irreversible damage. You can use phpMyAdmin or any database management tool you prefer.

Run SQL Query: Here's a SQL query that you can run in your database to copy data from _woosea_gtin to the Yoast GTIN field:

UPDATE wp_postmeta
 SET meta_value = (
     SELECT meta_value
     FROM wp_postmeta AS pm2
     WHERE pm2.post_id = wp_postmeta.post_id
     AND pm2.meta_key = '_woosea_gtin'
 )
 WHERE meta_key = '_yoast_gtin';
This query assumes that the meta key used by Yoast is `_yoast_gtin`. Replace it with the actual meta key if it's different.

After running the query, check a few product entries to ensure that the GTINs have been correctly copied to the new field.

Deactivate the EAN Plugin: Once you've confirmed the data migration, you can safely deactivate the EAN for WooCommerce plugin.

Test Your Site: Finally, do some testing to make sure everything works as expected. Check product pages, product feeds for ads, perform searches, and ensure that Yoast SEO is correctly recognizing the GTINs.

Hopefully this helps. If you run into any issues or need further clarification, feel free to ask!

Best regards.