Are Google taking over the world? ;o)

Alpha505

Google Earth

Google Maps

Google itself

Google Talk

Gmail

And talk of them buying their rival search engines!

Will it get to the stage where their internet power is such a monopoly that they could start charging per search?

I dont think Ive ever seen a company grow so fast. Mad.

hoody

Don't Forget Google Internet Phone is on the way

scary really

Alpha505

hoody wrote:

Don't Forget Google Internet Phone is on the way

scary really

Jaysus.

Has anyone got the link handy to the video of what the interner will be like in 2030? Its heavily features Google.

Setun

Yes. And it's only a matter of time until there's google pre-arranged marriages.
And then we're all fecked.

Alpha505

I think the search engine itself is in the position where they could charge something tiny like, say, a euro for 50 searchs and people would pay it.

How is the order of what comes up in a Google search decided btw? I rarely go past page 2 in a search (unless its, em, an image search )

Alpha505

Alpha505 wrote:

Will it get to the stage where their internet power is such a monopoly that they could start charging per search?

Probably not. They make a stupid amount of money from their advertising.

segadreamcast

...and today:

"Is the gatekeeper of the world’s information planning to become one of the globe’s biggest Internet providers?

For the past year, Google has quietly been shopping for miles and miles of "dark," or unused, fiber-optic cable across the country from wholesalers such as New York's AboveNet. It's also acquiring superfast connections from Cogent Communications and WilTel, among others, between East Coast cities including Atlanta, Miami, and New York..... "

Courtesy of http://www.neowin.net

el Bastardo

Diversification (no business grows without it).

Why is it that everyone uses Google and Google only? I get a page full of BUY-ME-NOWs, irrespective of what I Google for, and while it's my search engine of choice, it annoys the fk out of me that it's uber-commercial! Yahoo's always good for a second opinion, Dogpile for a third... and so on.

I doubt that they're going to take over the internet, or charge for it, if for no other reason than the internet, and the people using it, don't work that way.

Goodshape

How did Google get to where they are in the first place? As far as I recall there wasn't any major marketing campaign - nor is there today - it just spread through word-of-mouth as something that actually works, and works well.

While seemingly every other search provider was trying desperately to become your homepage by piling on the features, here was one page with about two lines of text and a search box. Exactly what I wanted.

Now they're expanding into all sorts of different territories but the underlying simple functionality doesn't seem to have changed. If it does - like they start charging for it - then I don't think it'll take long for an alternative to pop up.

28064212

Alpha505 wrote:

Will it get to the stage where their internet power is such a monopoly that they could start charging per search?

Not a hope, because as soon as they even tried it, people would stop using it. That's the advantage of the internet, there's so much choice. It's not like it's the local shop and you'd have to go an extra ten miles to get to the next one. The only reason Google's so widely used is because it's so good.

DjDangerousDave

Alpha505 wrote:

Google Earth

Google Maps

Google itself

Google Talk

Gmail

And talk of them buying their rival search engines!

Will it get to the stage where their internet power is such a monopoly that they could start charging per search?

I dont think Ive ever seen a company grow so fast. Mad.

Google Web Accelerator - http://webaccelerator.google.com/

tba

Alpha505 wrote:

Jaysus.

Has anyone got the link handy to the video of what the interner will be like in 2030? Its heavily features Google.

http://www.robinsloan.com/epic/

Board@Work

Alot of the google products aside from the search engine IMO aren't that huge a success..

Saying that the search engine isn't all consuming either. I don't have the figures but I believe Yahoo and MSN searches still have a decent chunk of the market. GMail and Google Talk are still beta so time will tell but whether Google talk can knock Skype off its perch i dunno...

Wait and see google could be the next microsoft or the next netscape..

uberwolf

Alpha505 wrote:

How is the order of what comes up in a Google search decided btw?

I could tell you, but no doubt (and inescapably sounding facetious) just google it. tis very smart really, but intuitive nontheless

Lump

Buy shares TBH

John

Deadwing

tba wrote:

http://www.robinsloan.com/epic/

booooooring!!
turned it off after about 2 minutes, the way that guy says google like 'guggle' just bugged me.

Alpha505

Lump wrote:

Buy shares TBH

John

I was strongly thinking about it actually. How much are they each and through whom can I buy them?

Alpha505

Deadwing wrote:

booooooring!!
turned it off after about 2 minutes, the way that guy says google like 'guggle' just bugged me.

Nah it a great little video. Gets ya thinking!

Matthewthebig

I still don't understand how gmail will become alpha?

what can they actually do to it?

aidan_walsh

Going Alpha doesn't necessarily mean making any changes to the software, but rather that they are deeming it ready for general, public use.

Keeping their projects in beta for sustained periods of time also means that they can pull them at any time without any real repercussion (apart from a loss of face) should any legal difficulties arise, hence why Google News is still in beta two years in.

Alpha505

tba wrote:

http://www.robinsloan.com/epic/

Cheers

Matthewthebig

aidan_walsh wrote:

Going Alpha doesn't necessarily mean making any changes to the software, but rather that they are deeming it ready for general, public use.

Keeping their projects in beta for sustained periods of time also means that they can pull them at any time without any real repercussion (apart from a loss of face) should any legal difficulties arise, hence why Google News is still in beta two years in.

ah thanks for that

tba

whats google talk like its blocked here in work...

keano11

tba wrote:

whats google talk like its blocked here in work...

Similar concept to AIM and MSN Messenger

DjDangerousDave

tba wrote:

whats google talk like its blocked here in work...

The quality is very good, i spent all day yesterday messing around with it. The UI is very limited at the moment but it does its job very well.

A g-mail account is required to use it, and it links in with all your contacts and tells you when you have new mail (just like msn).

They are planning to allow you to talk with people on other IM networks from the google talk client, this is a good move as you will not have to install lots of different clients or even a client that supports more than one network (http://www.gaim.com) for example.

Dave.

Maximilian

Interesting question.

http://www.google.ie/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-14,GGLD:en&q=are+google+taking+over+the+world

larryone

Will Google become the next Microsoft?


answers on a postcard...

flogen

larryone wrote:

Will Google become the next Microsoft?


answers on a postcard...

Yes, but for copyright reasons they're going to change their name to Microsoft Max

PullMyFinger!

Except they'll change just enough so they wont have to pay Microsoft a cent.

R0ot

No EA are going to own the world and google are going to be their bitches
EA taking over the world

Scraggs

dont forget froogle...

JohnCleary

Fair fuffs to the 2 nerds that started it. There was even an article about them in my Leaving Cert Irish paper this year!

(dont ask me what question - I just answered tbh!)

larryone

JohnCleary wrote:

Fair fuffs to the 2 nerds that started it. There was even an article about them in my Leaving Cert Irish paper this year!

(dont ask me what question - I just answered tbh!)

tbh!
Pretty shory answer. I'm sure you got good marks.

Sparky

wow theres even google video
http://video.google.com/

JohnCleary

I wonder whats happen if I typed in pron.google.com ?

Sparky

JohnCleary wrote:

I wonder whats happen if I typed in pron.google.com ?

someday i will work, someday

johnny_ultimate

OK - Google taking over the world. I call for a citizens army to be formed to stop this growing threat. We're in over our heads people.

[Doorbell rings]
Give me two seconds

[Doorbell rings]
Ok ok Im coming...

[Opens door]
Hello? What? No wait... I never... No! What are you doing with that chainsaw... No! NNOOOOOO!

[Returns to computer]
Google is good. Google is God. All hail Google.

Sparky

they have a calculator too, soon there will be google tv on sky, noooooooooo ah my googles i mean eyes.

Branoic

Yeah, that LC Irish exam paper got a bit of a chuckle around the office. I think it was also sent from the Dublin office to the Googleplex in the US for them to have a look at over there.


Don't worry, Google taking over the world can only be a good thing

Roar

They're also buying their own island apparantly, it'll be like jurassic park but with big mad search engines legging it about the place instead of dinos...

http://www.googland.com/

Branoic

Damn it, that island was supposed to be top secret. In true Bond style, Anybody who's anybody simply has to have a secret island fortress from which to direct any plans for world domination. Its like, the rule.

Mark

Google

Chavster

The topic of the thread is tongue-in-cheek but might not be far off. Google are evil, since finding this out i've never used their site. Basically they collect any information you give them, pool it, keep it forever on file and then make enormous sums of money from it.

Think about it, any search you've ever done, any personal details you've given them, any email you've sent/received with gmail. All this has been kept in a file that can identify you, your personal habits, your interests, your sexual preferences etc etc

check this out for the details.

for google with none of the above check this out. (Go to the google scraper)

the dice man

of course they're finding out what you're searching. but so is every other search engine and yes they're using the information from your emails but thats the price you have to pay for getting **** loads of email space for free.

if you're not prepared to give up some of your privacy don't use google. if you're not prepared for you're weekly shopping to be monitored don't get a valueclub card.

its the same with every area of your life where you are interacting with companies and they are providing you services for "free"

Chavster

You mustn't place any value on your personal privacy then (which is your choice, not condeming! ). I personally won't use a 'free' service that infringes on my privacy and/or liberties, especially if they make truckloads of money from it.

Of course some people don't care which is their perogative. However the vast majority of people just don't know about it and so can't possibly make an informed decision. If everyone had all the information about what Google does with their personal information then i'd say the numbers using Google would drop.

Branoic

Chavster wrote:

The topic of the thread is tongue-in-cheek but might not be far off. Google are evil, since finding this out i've never used their site. Basically they collect any information you give them, pool it, keep it forever on file and then make enormous sums of money from it.

Think about it, any search you've ever done, any personal details you've given them, any email you've sent/received with gmail. All this has been kept in a file that can identify you, your personal habits, your interests, your sexual preferences etc etc

check this out for the details.

for google with none of the above check this out. (Go to the google scraper)

Oh please. That Google Watch guy is a loon. Check this out for the details.

As for the big bad file that Google has on everyone, its not nearly as big or bad as you seem to think. See here for the details.

And for some excellent information and quotes from various people about privacy and Gmail, see here.

Of course Google do collect information from you. But then, so does *every* website. If you're scared of the information Google has on you then you probably shouldn't be online at all.

Google is evil because they collect some information on you which they then use to make a load of money?

Hmm.....how do they make the money exactly? By displaying targeted adverts in the search results and in Gmail which are related to what you were looking for or the content of your email (which by the way is automatically scanned in the exact same way as a spam filter). Google will only make money from you if you then click on the ads. Simple as that.

Dades

Alpha505 wrote:

How is the order of what comes up in a Google search decided btw? I rarely go past page 2 in a search (unless its, em, an image search )

"Buying" Google AdWords shows your ad down the right side of the page. What page you appear on depends on how much you agree to pay per click.

I'm not sure how this translates to the main search results but I reckon they are interlinked somehow.

Branoic

The Atheist wrote:

"Buying" Google AdWords shows your ad down the right side of the page. What page you appear on depends on how much you agree to pay per click.

I'm not sure how this translates to the main search results but I reckon they are interlinked somehow.

There's no link between AdWords and the main search results. They're entirely separate. The position of your AdWords ads is tied to your Max CPC (cost per click) and the quality of your ad. The free search results are ranked democratically by PageRank.

aidan_walsh

Of course, there are also the sponsored links, but as far as I know thats based on AdWords, not PageRank.

Thats how Google are making their money, they're offering similar yet different services at different prices. Not to mention enterprise-orientated solutions like Google Mini. They also sell their services to other search engines, while at the same time offering a public API for developers to use.

Branoic

aidan_walsh wrote:

Of course, there are also the sponsored links, but as far as I know thats based on AdWords, not PageRank.

The sponsored links on the Google search results pages are AdWords. They're the same thing. The sponsored links you'll see on various websites across the net with the tag "Ads by Gooooooogle" are AdSense. Well, the programme governing the ads appearing on the websites is AdSense, but the actual ads themselves are AdWords, just like the sponsored links on the search page.

Franky Boy

I think google rock......but yes they are taking over the world.They Are now your GOD.