How Did You Search The Web Before Google, MSN and Yahoo?
March 19th, 2008 by
Mark
Simple question? But can you honestly remember life before Google?
If like me you have been using the internet for well over 10 years, I can honestly say that I cannot remember how I used to search for sites before Google took over the world. I can remember my friends telling me about sites, I can remember looking at sites, but how I actually found them remains a mystery – perhaps I am getting old!
One thing this does show is the fact that we depend on the likes of Google to use the internet, and MSN / Yahoo to a lesser extent. Search engines have become vital to our internet use with many of us searching the net well of 100 times a day in search of a whole array of different sites, products and services. Every business in the world seems to have an online exposure, every expert is telling you the best way to do things and more and more blogs are being added each and every day.
So why are the search engines not regulated?
While the likes of Google would argue that they have to abide by local laws wherever they operate, the fact is that regulation on the internet is a very grey area, with nobody quite sure who has the right to regulate and what good it will actually do. It may be a little different if a company takes another one over, and they need the regulatory clearance, but how do the powerhouses like the US control Google from the natural increase in their power and market share?
If any other company in the world controlled around 75% of their market they would be under serious pressure from the regulators to increase competition and reduce their dominance. However, Google deliver around 75% of all online ads and at the moment nothing is being done to control them.
Conclusion
The search engines are controlling more and more of our lives, we hear just lately that our browsing habits are being sold to advertisers, our clicks are being monitored and adverts are being targeted towards each and every one of us.
But what did you do before the search engines took over? How did you find those excellent sites?
It would be interesting to hear your experiences below…..
| 2.5 |
Search Engine Marketing
Will A Merger Of Yahoo! And MSN Leave The Door Open For Wikipedia?
Get £50 to advertise for at Yahoo!
Has Yahoo! Escaped To Freedom?
How to get $105 (or more) in Google Adsense PPC for only $5!!! Again, and again, and again…
Google NetPAC to Represent Google in DC
March 21st, 2008 at 3:00 pm
the best search engine i ever found was and still is today is COPERNIC…..
I’m usin it for years and i think that is the best…..
thanks
March 21st, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Thats why referral applications and sites such as Digg and Stumbleapon are helping us take back the internet. Oh and by the way everyone… FIRST!
March 21st, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Is it the search engine found at copernic.com? Because it looks like they are using the search results from mamma.com
/Andreas
March 21st, 2008 at 6:04 pm
even 10 years ago there were search engines which were popular at that time: Lycos, northern light, … all dead now.
March 21st, 2008 at 7:35 pm
disappointed, i thought you will throw some light on the fact that how was the life before google. You are not that old, try to push youirself a little bit more, you will recall all good old memories, i bet.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:00 am
Back in the days before Google, I used Dogpile at http://www.dogpile.com
It would search all the major search engines and thus I would only need to search in one place when I was looking for something. It still exists and is still using the same idea.
Matt’s last blog post..Defusion - Some Follow Up