Cheers :)

This is assuming that I'm using Firefox, right? I'm using IE. Should I run Firefox just for testing this out?

Ok, I've installed Firefox and the user agent switcher module.

How do I set this up for adding Spider and media?

I goto Tools/User Agent Switcher/Options/Options... Select 'User Agents', then I assume 'Add'... What are the values I am supposed to add?

Also, I'll have to assume that because I'm not seeing what I'm supposed to be seeing, doesn't necessarily mean that it's not there?

It sounds like you misunderstood me.

Here's how my program works:


There's a variable called HTTP_USER_AGENT which contains important information concerning the visitor (often browser info), and search engines have their own HTTP_USER_AGENT variable, for instance google has googlebot/2.1

The program compares every value (those you set in phpMyAdmin) to the HTTP_USER_AGENT variable. If any of those values is found within that very variable, vBCloaker will return a cloaked page.

Now, what I've done, since I use Firefox, was to change my HTTP_USER_AGENT variable to "summit", and since "summit" was in the values, it returned a cloaked page. That's how I tested it. And it works fine.

"summit" was part of SummitMedia's spider simulator HTTP_USER_AGENT a while ago, however maybe it was changed, since it does not seem to work. What I suggested was to add values "spider" and "media" to your list and to try again with the SummitMedia spider simulator (and report back to me with the results), not to download Firefox.

I also visited one of those links in your above post, with my HTTP_USER_AGENT changer, and the page was cloaked. Now like I said, the Cloaker works, it just doesn't find the string 'summit' in their user agent variable, that's why I suggest adding 'spider' and 'media' to your values, as they could be possibly be part of the user agent variable.

lol I just typed for like 10 mins to explain something... damn :(

anyways, tools -> extensions

select the program, click options, user agent switcher

then, Add

Description: test
User agent: googlebot/2.1

Click ok, then Tools -> User Agent Switcher -> test

ok, now I have just one question... I've added the googlebot user agent. What is the link that I can test for the Google spider? (like the one for summit)

I added spider and media to the list, but it didn't work.

I trust what you're saying, "it works"... I'd just like to humour myself and see it in action.

There are many ways to catch cloakers (and they are caught quite often). Three examples:

1. Supposedly Google and other search companies sometimes send bots without the known Google user agent string. Your cloaked content would be hidden, your real site would appear, and obviously they will know something is going on.

2. A competitor uses the Google user agent string in his browser to see if competiting sites are cloaking content. If he finds one, he will report to Google and effectively get you removed from the search index. Nice for the competitor, bad for you.

3. A normal visitor uses the cache feature of Google or MSN. You know what he will see? Your cloaked content! Quite obvious then, isn't it?

I hope people start to realize that this is not the way to push up page rankings or increase search hits. It is content, and only content, that matters to the search engines and to the people who do the searches.

I know your'e directing this to all users of this as a whole, but let me defend my position... I'm not in competition with anybody. Anything that I have 'cloaked' can be found within my website. I don't have any company names in my search, so I'm not stealing any of their business.

Cerb,

I'd like to see a snapshot of what you're seeing, if you don't mind. I'm sorry, but I'm not totally convinced that this is working. I see a small list of keywords, but those keywords are the ones I have listed under the forums. I'd like to compare what you're seeing to what I actually have listed.

Are you still supporting this?

I'll be at school today but I'll take screenies of a cloaked page on your website, show you how to do it yourself with screenshots, etc.

Got only 5 mins for now, so I don't have time. See you tonight