Internet bots are software applications that perform tasks quickly and efficiently. They are commonly used in search engine indexing, collecting links and checking for errors. However, they can also be used for spamming and monitoring profanity. Bots can be used to purchase large numbers of tickets on concert and auction sites.
Internet bots are known by many names: bots, spiders, web bots, robots and crawlers. What they all have in common is that they are software applications or scripts. Where they differ is in the tasks they perform. Their purpose or benefit is simple: get jobs done quickly, especially repetitive ones.
Bots are most commonly used in indexing on a search engine. When used for this purpose, they are programmed to visit sites on the Internet for use in search engine results pages. That is, the results a user gets when they search on their favorite search engine will be there, in part, because a bot went out and identified that site. They are run periodically to make sure that the web page still exists and is still relevant to a certain topic. These are known as web bots, web spiders or web crawlers.
Web bots will also collect links from the website they visit and add them to the list of sites to visit. This is why many people believe it is important for sites to link to each other. In some cases, the more hyperlinks a URL has, the better that site will rank in search engines. Additionally, these applications can be used to check links on a website to ensure that they direct clicks to the correct location and look for errors in the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code.
Bots can also be used for less attractive purposes. They can be used, for example, to visit websites to collect data such as email addresses. These email addresses can then be used to send mass spam emails, messages sent without consent.
Other functions of these scripts include interactive interfaces used in instant messaging (IM) services. Advanced bots, also called chatter bots, may be able to communicate requested information to a user such as time, date or weather. Some are used to censor and monitor the use of profanity.
People who have wondered how a concert can be sold out in record time might be interested to know that robots are likely to have been employed. These allow the buyer to purchase a large number of seats in a very short period of time. Similar scripts are also used on auction sites and some online gaming sites.
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