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Google’s top search result is Google

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Re: Google’s top search result is Google

#111

Post by hnlmorg »

chimen wrote: post #23

Many of them save me extra clicks which is convenient. Google translate, maps and search has no competitors that even come close in terms of quality. I will get mad when those products have better alternatives but it's not the case. Build better alternatives and I'm on board. In the end, Google is a business - I would promote my own shit on the first vertical as well. One thing that pisses me off is the AMP ordeal bu…

> Google translate, maps and search has no competitors that even come close in terms of quality.

There certainly did used to be competition to Google Translate but Google crushed them by promoting their own services (which came later)[1].

I often see the argument made that these monopolies just happen to have the best software but often those arguments miss how those monopolies had already killed the competition and were now suffocating the market so new competition struggles to rise. This was a common tactic by Microsoft in the 90s too, so it's by no means unique to Google.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babel_Fish_(website)

Re: Google’s top search result is Google

#112

Post by boarnoah »

dybber wrote: post #52
chimen wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am constantly trying new things. I just ditched duckduck go for the third time. I'm using firefox since 2 months. I am aware of alternatives. I WANT to ditch Google too but I get value from it atm that I cannot find elsewhere.

How would you bootstrap such a company? The solution as I see it is to forcefully break-up Google, such that these services can have their run as independent companies (Maps, flight search, product price comparison, etc.). This has been done before with big companies (e.g. break of Bell Systems into 7 companies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakup_of_the_Bell_System )

Most of those independent companies wouldn't have a good revenue stream no? I really doubt Google Maps is sustainable simply by selling API access.

It and especially the more niche google products seem to be provided as a value add to their other services (i.e search in this case).

Re: Google’s top search result is Google

#113

Post by jforman »

wolco wrote: post #76
jforman wrote: post #35

When I worked at Bing almost 20 years ago, the #1 search term was "Google". So maybe this is reasonable :) (#2 was "Gogle")

Bing was launched in 2009. Where were you working in the year 2000?

I was at Microsoft, in MSN Search (which was later re-branded Bing). This was 2003.

Re: Google’s top search result is Google

#114

Post by mrkramer »

rydre wrote: post #106
mrkramer wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never understood why websites are not personal property and why US gov. decided that anybody can crawl and scrape them at will and free of charge. That would be similar to someone crawling your house and making it fully visible and searchable to the global public . I guess Google Maps already did that. My understanding is that .com (commerce) prevailed and people who have websites want to be fully public, visible a…

> *I don't entirely understand your search engine idea Does google allow for iframeing or customizing it's search results? No. A new search engine that has a API/plugin for 3rd party websites so that websites can integrate a global search engine into the website like google integrates websites' content into its instant answers. There is room for innovation here when 3rd party websites get creative in displaying globa…

Ah ok I got it. I like your idea it is similar to my.

Currently what you can do as a website owner is to use Google Adsense (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_AdSense) and then you are kind of sharing revenue with Google but only when someone visits and clicks Google Ad on your website.

Re: Google’s top search result is Google

#115

Post by JadeNB »

chimen wrote: post #23

Many of them save me extra clicks which is convenient. Google translate, maps and search has no competitors that even come close in terms of quality. I will get mad when those products have better alternatives but it's not the case. Build better alternatives and I'm on board. In the end, Google is a business - I would promote my own shit on the first vertical as well. One thing that pisses me off is the AMP ordeal bu…

> Many of them save me extra clicks which is convenient. Google translate, maps and search has no competitors that even come close in terms of quality. … Build better alternatives and I'm on board.

This is why they don't have better competitors. To compete with Google, you have to, out of the gate, and with them as mediators, match or exceed on every aspect of their experience a company that, from the perspective of just about any competitor out there, has just about unlimited resources.

If you do start to make it and gain some traction—again, necessarily often through Google's own services—it is well within Google's power to focus on you specifically, say, by snooping on your data on an Android phone, and make sure to drive you out of the market.

Re: Google’s top search result is Google

#116

Post by boogies »

fractionalhare wrote: post #27

> A trending search in our data for “myocardial infarction” shows how Google has piled up its products at the top. It returned: - Google’s dictionary definition. - A “people also ask” box that expanded to answer related questions without leaving the search results page. - A “knowledge panel,” which is an abridged encyclopedia entry with various links. - And a “related conditions” carousel leading to various new Googl…

IMHO a ““related conditions” carousel leading to various new Google searches for other diseases” is an ad for a Google Search with more ads.

But on “a way we could get quick curated answers like this without deemphasizing search results”, one way to start would be to offer some instant answers as tabs next to the ones for images, news, videos etc., like the “Meanings” and “Definitions¨ tabs here https://duckduckgo.com/?q=boogie, some down among the organic results like the videos here https://duckduckgo.com/?q=how+to+exit+vim, and on wide screens, some as side bars like the SO one at that last link.

Re: Google’s top search result is Google

#118

Post by birksherty »

chimen wrote: post #23

Many of them save me extra clicks which is convenient. Google translate, maps and search has no competitors that even come close in terms of quality. I will get mad when those products have better alternatives but it's not the case. Build better alternatives and I'm on board. In the end, Google is a business - I would promote my own shit on the first vertical as well. One thing that pisses me off is the AMP ordeal bu…

I agree. The reason I still use google is most of the times I don't have to open another website to get my answers. I don't have to load the slow javascript heavy sites and saves me time. Google is not just links to websites but also serves information directly. Obviously if I need better understanding and deep knowledge I open the links, but I don't need that often.

Re: Google’s top search result is Google

#120

Post by boogies »

pydry wrote: post #109
boogies wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Google translate, maps and search has no competitors that even come close in terms of quality. This is patently false, and probably a reflection of the Google bubble you live in. DeepL is pretty objectively superior to Google, as evaluated by journalists who natively speak the languages it translates in the articles linked on their website. You can find plenty of in depth reviews online, and every one I've read has…

I've found plenty of situations where OSM has better data than Google Maps.

Absolutely, eg. the woods near my house have trails mapped out in OSM that don't exist on Google Maps.
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