Can you spider only portions of a web page?

From: Eric C. Pollitt <eric@globalhemp.com> Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2003 12:37:35 -0500 To: <suggestions@google.com> Cc: <www-html-editor@w3.org> Message-ID: <BB233C8E.20D8E%eric@globalhemp.com> · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.2.0+W3C-0.50 : Tuesday, 27 March 2012 18:17:45 GMT

Hello. I'm interesting in knowing if there is a "Content" tag that would
highlight the unique content of a web page. That is to say, can you spider
only portions of a web page?

For example, the Global Hemp website, <http://www.globalhemp.com/>, is a
three column website with lots of repetitive information in the left and
right columns. Only the middle column contains unique content.

I think that when Google spiders my website, Google should only search for
the main columns content, not the highly repetitive left and right column
content.

Therefore, I suggest a "content" tag such as the following:

<HTML>
    <BODY>
        <TABLE>
            <TR>
                <TD>left column repetitive "junk"</TD>
                <TD><CONTENT>Spider me only, I'm the content!</CONTENT></TD>
                <TD>right column repetitive "junk"</TD>
            </TR>
        </TABLE>
    </BODY>
</HTML>

My actual website has a note that starts and stops content:

<!-- document_starts_here -->...<!-- document_ends_here -->

However, to my understanding there is no official way to do this. I think
that it would be an EXCELLENT idea to have this implemented, if not by W3,
then by Google!!!

Thanks,

Eric C. Pollitt, Founder
Global Hemp - Portal to the hemp community
401 E. Illinois Ave.
Peoria, IL 61603
Tel: (309) 685-3591
URL: http://www.globalhemp.com/

Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone
beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.
-- Ronald Reagan