Back on Google?

Lots of advice and explanations and even a visit from Google themselves checking out what may have gone on a week or two ago.

If you search for "second city cop" on Google now, we appear in the top spot once again. We have no idea what happened. One day, we were on their results pages, the next day we had disappeared. We checked the various settings and altered a few as people advised and we'll see what appears and doesn't over the next few days.

Here's the thing - we never changed those settings in the first place. We've spent six years doing this, built up a decent following and created a fan base. This isn't some "flash in the pan" endeavor - our numbers have steadily risen every year and we've relied on word of mouth and other websites to grow, not gimmicks or plants or "google-bombing." We, with the help of each of our readers and commentators, built this place. Why would anyone, cop, citizen, media member or Google employee think we'd change a thing? That would be stupid to mess with what's worked for us here for six years. Maybe a glitch of some sort, but a deliberate action on our part? That would be beyond stupid.

We've taken a few other precautions as well. But thanks to everyone who e-mailed links, suggestions, hints, clues, and wrote to the media and Google themselves. We'll see how this shakes out.