Today’s World Wide Web Wednesday link is…
Unless you’ve been asleep for the past twenty years , you’ve probably heard of Google. Saying it’s one of my ‘go-to’ websites isn’t revealing some great secret, it’s saying I’m just like millions of other people in the world. But have you ever took a moment to think about Google? Let’s take a moment to do just that with a few points…
1) Google is only seventeen years old. That’s right the website that you trust to guide and direct you to the information you need isn’t old enough to vote yet. In that short time, it is completely ingrained itself in our society. Only twelve-year-old Facebook comes close to this.
2) Google wasn’t first. In the early days of the internet, Yahoo was my ‘go-to’ until I discovered Altavista followed by Dogpile (still around, but a shell of its former self in case your curious. I remember being introduced to Google by my boss. I held on to Dogpile for a little bit before switching. Why did I switch. Google was simpler… and better.
3) To most consumers, Google offer its services for free. That’s right, most people use Google to search the Web and don’t pay a dime for it. Another one of their ubiquitous products, Gmail, is also free. That’s a price I’m willing to pay.
4) Google is worth almost half a trillion dollars. That’s a lot of zeroes, folks. Now many companies can make something out of nothing (WorldCom and Enron), but many times it collapses right back to nothing (WorldCom and Enron). Google is in no danger of going that way. Why? Because…
5) You are the product. That’s right, dear reader. Your surfing for cat videos is a marketable commodity. Every click you make, every page you take, Google’s watching you. Watching you and selling your data to people who want to know about you. Take a glance around the next page you visit that had ads, soon enough you’ll get that eerie feeling you’re being watched.
6) Google is awesome. Yes, I know – if I wanted to shield myself from prying eyes, I really shouldn’t use Google. It’s hard not to, though. Their products are awesome: Gmail, GoogleDrive, GoogleChrome, GoogleVoice, GooglePlay. I use them all – which makes me question why I didn’t use Blogspot now that I think about it.
So there you go, clboss.net is now ‘webbed’ to Google. Go forth and explore…