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DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

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Re: DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

#71

Post by Rainymood »

netcan wrote: post #61
bsbechtel wrote: post #55

Most of the comments here are complaining that, while people like the idea of DDG, the search results are poor. Two comments regarding that: 1) the only way DDG is going to improve search results is by you using it regularly. Using it regularly drives not only revenue, allowing them to hire additional developers, but it also drives feedback to help DDG improve search results. 2) I suspect that the difference in searc…

I think an unavoidable conclusion is that while people may like privacy or some other benefit/function, they are rarely willing to take a hit on the main benefit/function (search results) to get it. It think this is an important thing to learn here as it applies in many cases. Maybe everyone complains about bad behaviour of their insurance company, but that does not mean they'll take a higher premium. Some people car…

>Maybe everyone complains about bad behaviour of their insurance company, but that does not mean they'll take a higher premium

Exactly.

>There's something here about "consumer" psychology and choices that is hard to capture in the concrete terms economists like to formalize using.

That some/most economists like to use. There is a huge field in economics (and econophysics and stuff) that focused on actual irrational behaviour (like trend-following, trying to time the market, predicting the 'mood' of the market). I find this a very interesting field of study. My god the rational agent model is so bloody stupid but it makes calculations feasible, that's literally the only reason we use it nowadays ...

There is one thing you can't buy. You can't buy love*

* with exceptions of course

Re: DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

#72

Post by Illniyar »

If I remember correctly, DDG doesn't crawl the web on their own, so considering the many comments here saying they stopped using DDG because of bad result, is there any way for them to improve on this?

Are all improvements made to the actual search results caused by improved from Yahoo or Bing ?

Re: DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

#73

Post by personjerry »

bsbechtel wrote: post #55

Most of the comments here are complaining that, while people like the idea of DDG, the search results are poor. Two comments regarding that: 1) the only way DDG is going to improve search results is by you using it regularly. Using it regularly drives not only revenue, allowing them to hire additional developers, but it also drives feedback to help DDG improve search results. 2) I suspect that the difference in searc…

Would it be possible for DDG to base their some result, distantly, off of some scrape of Google, thereby likely increasing relevance?

Re: DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

#74

Post by trymas »

bsbechtel wrote: post #55

Most of the comments here are complaining that, while people like the idea of DDG, the search results are poor. Two comments regarding that: 1) the only way DDG is going to improve search results is by you using it regularly. Using it regularly drives not only revenue, allowing them to hire additional developers, but it also drives feedback to help DDG improve search results. 2) I suspect that the difference in searc…

Well biggest problem for me with DDG that it does not track me or basic tracking does not cut it.

Maybe I do not like some policies about users of big players, though some intelligence about the user makes service much better (extent of tracking is another question/rant).

I am not from USA, and 30-50% of my searches are not in english and not some international terms. So when I search for something in my country and spelling of that something is the same with not what I am looking for completely on the other side of the globe, DDG becomes completely useless.

Now, I know, DDG can specify where I am (or I can tell it), but the thing is that it still does not work, as I expect.

Also DDG does not work as well (as Google) with some words/terms (e.g. python - snake/programming language). When I am browsing google will know that by `python` I mean programming language, and when my sister browses it means snake.

Maybe you are right, that later it would do better, but for now DDG just does not cut it, and I have been trying to use it for probably 4 years. I try it once in a while and see it getting better, though no near as good as I want and alternatives offer.

Re: DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

#75

Post by treerock »

bsbechtel wrote: post #55

Most of the comments here are complaining that, while people like the idea of DDG, the search results are poor. Two comments regarding that: 1) the only way DDG is going to improve search results is by you using it regularly. Using it regularly drives not only revenue, allowing them to hire additional developers, but it also drives feedback to help DDG improve search results. 2) I suspect that the difference in searc…

I think there might be a deeper problem. One reason to use DuckDuckGo is to avoid the tracking and data collection that google does. But if that data collection allows Google to provide better search results, e.g. localised results tailored for the user, there is no way for DDG to compete (on search results at least).

Re: DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

#76

Post by personlurking »

Rainymood wrote: post #71
netcan wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think an unavoidable conclusion is that while people may like privacy or some other benefit/function, they are rarely willing to take a hit on the main benefit/function (search results) to get it. It think this is an important thing to learn here as it applies in many cases. Maybe everyone complains about bad behaviour of their insurance company, but that does not mean they'll take a higher premium. Some people car…

>Maybe everyone complains about bad behaviour of their insurance company, but that does not mean they'll take a higher premium Exactly. >There's something here about "consumer" psychology and choices that is hard to capture in the concrete terms economists like to formalize using. That some/most economists like to use. There is a huge field in economics (and econophysics and stuff) that focused on actual irrational b…

Former Uruguay president Mujica has some thoughts on your last statement regarding things you can't buy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JXMpQf2XyE)

Re: DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

#78

Post by DanBC »

treerock wrote: post #75
bsbechtel wrote: post #55

Most of the comments here are complaining that, while people like the idea of DDG, the search results are poor. Two comments regarding that: 1) the only way DDG is going to improve search results is by you using it regularly. Using it regularly drives not only revenue, allowing them to hire additional developers, but it also drives feedback to help DDG improve search results. 2) I suspect that the difference in searc…

I think there might be a deeper problem. One reason to use DuckDuckGo is to avoid the tracking and data collection that google does. But if that data collection allows Google to provide better search results, e.g. localised results tailored for the user, there is no way for DDG to compete (on search results at least).

People can't add their location in the search terms?

Re: DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

#79

Post by AznHisoka »

infbtag wrote: post #45
adrtessier wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious: who will they turn to if (when) Yahoo shuts the service down? Bing?

Their only options are Google, Bing, Yandex, Exalead, Gigablast, and Mojeek, and most probably in that order as the last two need to grow considerably first. Unless there's any others that have their own index?

How is Google an option? They offer no API whatsoever

Re: DuckDuckGo grew more than 70% this year

#80

Post by trymas »

DanBC wrote: post #78
treerock wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there might be a deeper problem. One reason to use DuckDuckGo is to avoid the tracking and data collection that google does. But if that data collection allows Google to provide better search results, e.g. localised results tailored for the user, there is no way for DDG to compete (on search results at least).

People can't add their location in the search terms?

Well lazy users (including myself) do not want to always add some text for their country/language/city. Basically, everyone not from US would need to add their location.
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