It looks like Google Forums but with StackOverflow-style votes. I guess they didn't really use aardVark for it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardvark_(search_engine). I wonder why they didn't try to make a bigger Q&A service, maybe integrated with G+.
Google Baraza
51–60 of 72 posts
Re: Google Baraza
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why should Africans use this instead of existing Q/A sites like Quora?
A lot of website use appeals when it has a local flavor. Quora and it's Silicon Valley answerers probably doesn't know how to answer the questions that many Non-US citizens might have. This has a lot to do with user base, and I don't see Quora marketing itself outside of America.
> I don't see Quora marketing itself outside of America.
Quora gets more traffic from India than the US. At least 30% of its user base is Indian[1]. Quora does very well overseas.
[1]:http://thenextweb.com/in/2013/02/26/india-passes-the-us-to-b...
Re: Google Baraza
#53I don't know which I feel sadder: that I'm logged in a service which I did not agree for, or that I've lost will to try out anything from Google.
the NSA deal and (more importantly) Google Reader shutdown really did it to me. As soon as I find an alternative to gmail I'm leaving Google service wholly.
Re: Google Baraza
#54> Baraza is not supported on your browser
Displayed in Chrome-based Opera that sends Chrome's User-Agent string and deliberately doesn't even mention "Opera" in the header.
It's so annoying that Google keeps discriminating against other browsers even when there can't even be a vaguest technical reason to do so.
Why would even simple Q&A site need to require only handful of latest browsers? Why is Google still using User-Agent sniffing? (they have top-notch web developers who all know how stupid that is...)
Re: Google Baraza
#55I don't know which I feel sadder: that I'm logged in a service which I did not agree for, or that I've lost will to try out anything from Google. the NSA deal and (more importantly) Google Reader shutdown really did it to me. As soon as I find an alternative to gmail I'm leaving Google service wholly.
I hope you figure out a way to ensure that service doesn't also shutdown. Just because you pay for it, doesn't make it invincible.
I think you're mad at SaaS, not Google. I don't see the shutting down a CORE offering anytime soon.
Re: Google Baraza
#56At least for one simple question, I found that classic google search gives straight forward answers that Baraza.
The question I asked was: What is Tamil? (Tamil is a dravidian language spoken in the south of India).
Google search gives the right answer right on the top of the stack: http://tinyurl.com/pzyk3lx
Baraza does not: http://goo.gl/JJJMf6
Re: Google Baraza
#57I don't know which I feel sadder: that I'm logged in a service which I did not agree for, or that I've lost will to try out anything from Google. the NSA deal and (more importantly) Google Reader shutdown really did it to me. As soon as I find an alternative to gmail I'm leaving Google service wholly.
I hope you figure out a way to ensure that service doesn't also shutdown. Just because you pay for it, doesn't make it invincible. I think you're mad at SaaS, not Google. I don't see the shutting down a CORE offering anytime soon.
I know I'm mad for irrational reasons. I think you are right that I'm mad at SaaS as well.
Yes, services shut down. That's just the way it is, or at least how I figure.
The thing about Google Reader was that it was one of the reasons that got me interested in Google other than the search engine; then I discovered gmail, and etc. I've felt that Google was one of the 'good guys', and lately, I just don't feel the same way. I guess I'm quoting the Google Reader shutdown as what symbolizes the change.
Having said that, I doubt I will try many things from Google, not because of the fear of them shutting down, but because it won't do much for me.
Re: Google Baraza
#58Will Baraza questions and answers be ranked higher than Quora and Stack Overflow in Google search? When Google starts adding more services with content created by users, will it be harder to rely on Google search?
This is a good question. At one point is google "impartial" search engine or when does it become a funnel to their own services? You can see it started to happen with the ITA flight software acquisition a few years back ( http://www.google.com/press/ita/ ) - now google flights now beat out every booking engine for any flight query.
I doubt that Google will ruin the integrity of their search results because they want to push Baraza.
They do have widgets such as Google Flights pop up when it is clear the user if looking for airline tickets but that's not an indication that Google funnels all their own services for the heck of it. First of all, the widgets such as Flights and People Bios are not in the actual search results, but appear as separate sections. I believe the actual search results are sacred and are exempt from being tampered with, even for Google's motives.
Second, flights are a very specific and objective thing which makes their Flights widget extremely useful. If I'm searching for "flights from lax to ord", I'm going to get all flight times available without even leaving Google. The same cannot be said for most services such as Baraza, where the quality of answers/questions is very incomplete and subjective.
Re: Google Baraza
#59lol. first one on the question lost when i clicked
Re: Google Baraza
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, I'm not sure and your questions are valid. But wouldn't you be happier if they used https and the questions wouldn't have to be asked in the first place? This practice of having a website respond to both http and https simply has to die. Google is not the only offender here, but I expected more from them, because they are very security sensitive. Google, next time you accuse Chinese of hacking you, reconsider you…
I agree, it would be good to see Google setting the trend here by going HTTPS everywhere. Personally I think the next website I create will be all-HTTPS. The main reasons I encounter for not going HTTPS everywhere are: 1) Possible negative effect on search engine ranking during transition period. 2) 3rd party content from analytics tools and advert networks not supporting HTTPS. 3) Slower initial page load over mobil…
Nr. 3 is very problematic for satellite connections, which have extremely high latency, making HTTPS websites unusable. I guess that is why Google went with plain HTTP in Africa.