Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Search Engines

So at last I wrote something; something which i wanted for last one year but unfortunately was not able to, since, I couldn’t make out what should i write. In my first blog I tried to make it as short as possible and most important; generic. The easiest thing to write would be probably, a contemporary topic, something which is routine based and of course my favorite; controversial, so i wrote this blog. I have shared my point and it’s just my own view.
All these years I have used Google as my default search engine and Googling as my default habit or passion. I feel so dependent on these search sites that i can’t even imagine a world without them. I was in grade 10th when I first saw the Google homepage; I was there in one of the most reputed Cyber cafĂ© of Jammu city and there was a Sikh guy; who was the proprietor of that CC. It was this Sikh guy who lightened me with the concept of search engines; a blessing in disguise!
Life was simple and so was the usage of these complicated technologies. It was the time when Google was privately owned Inc and had no sponsor’s advertisement with their search result. I use to search sites on Google for heck of using it. It was later around 2005 when I actually felt the need of a search engines, and it was then when I realized the real power of Internet and the concept Search engine.
For last four years; I am using Google without even realizing that it has become a kind of interface between me and my search results, as soon as I am getting results I am happy, who cares about web history and other minute details. I used it without even bothering whether these results were valid, authenticated or were in the right order, I never thought whether these results were swayed be GOOGLE BOMB or some LINK FARMS; for me it never made an impression whether page rank is based on content of the site or its depends upon the link made to that website and I never attempted whether these results had been doctored or manipulated by some SEO or its really real? Honestly i never cared, I never bother myself to see whether search results were in yellow or they were in white.
The main reason about my ignorance was the lack of alternatives and my age old dependency for Google, there was Ask.com, AltaVista, yahoo search, and of course Live.com but the most appropriate result was with Google so as long I was getting results, there was no point of switching loyalties.
Almost a year ago I was able to fathom the concept of sponsored ads; and I was lurched when I realized how Google generate their revenue. If I open my emails, I get to see some sponsored ads on the right hand side of my screen, which I use to ignore previously and most of the times its Naukri.com or Monster.com. Most of times these ads are relevant; they have relation with the content of my mail. For me, it’s someone reading my mails and posting these ads there. In short Google is a panacea but at the same time it jeopardizes my privacy.

Every story has two aspects; one the better one which every one of us appreciates and then there is a darker side which we sometimes overlook. In case of Google, we have simply overlooked the darker side.

- Don’t be evil.
Reference
· Search engines
· Page ranking
· Web crawler
· Yahoo guidelines
· Google guidelines