Comments on: What If Google Killed Puppies?

By: Simon Heseltine

Simon Heseltine — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:46:30 +0000

Well, I used to use DogPile as my main search engine before switching over to Google back around 2003ish, and I never went back, so you could say that for me Google did kill a puppy…

By: Bob Weber

Bob Weber — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:35:44 +0000

The more this is discussed the more I think I am on the total opposite end of most of you. I converted to Google very early on, as soon as I found it in fact. Once I tried it I dropped every other search engine I was using.

To this day, if something new is announced I give it a shot. I even tried cuil, in spite of the stoopid name. It sucks, so I don’t use it (just paused to try it again and yep, it still sucks).

I’ll keep trying anything new when I find it, and if it’s good, I’ll drop Google like a hot rock.

By: Sherisaid

Sherisaid — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:02:30 +0000

Lisa, I don’t remember when I switched to Google, TBH…but it was still in beta. I should probably say that I’m something of a geek and like trying out new beta programs. But saying that, you’re right about one thing. A site would have a long way to go before I’d switch from Google, because beating the services offered by google would be damn near impossible. The bottom line is that Google offers what I need without driving me crazy.

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:50:57 +0000

Dawn: I’m sorry, we can’t help you here. Please wear a face mask as to not infect the rest of us.

Ben: Wow. Do you still feel like you have to wade through “several pages of garbage” to find good results on Google? Really? More so than Yahoo? Interesting that you were willing to switch over to Google because that’s where your traffic comes from. Kind of proves the point of the post, no? That relevance has nothing to do with which engine you use and that people stick to what’s socially acceptable? You may not like Google, but you’re still using it. Even if your heart still belongs to Yahoo. [And you may want to see someone about that?]

Robert: Eh, I disagree. Google has done VERY little marketing compared to the rest of the search engines. If it was a dollars war, Google certainly would not have won that battle. I think they got their users because they offered a product that was head and shoulders better than their competition.

And don’t even get me started on Ask.com! Yeah, they HAD the potential. They SHOULD have been successful…and then Barry Diller came in and borked up the whole show. At this point it’s not their marketing that’s hurt them. It’s the fact that they:

A. Kicked their brand evangelists in the face: http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/archives/2008/03/goodbye_askcom.html
B. And then neutered their search engine: http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/archives/2008/06/ask_core_search.html

And yes, I am sensitive about it. Why do you ask?

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:00:23 +0000

Actually… I’d disagree (mostly because I just have to argue – who doesn’t like a good fight?). Google won over the market, not because of quality so much as marketing. Give stuff away for free… give away free services… list websites for free (they don’t have an insane yearly charge to be in their directory).

@ Dudibob: um… I don’t Live/MSN-it… don’t Yahoo!-it… but actually I prefer to Ask(.com)-it. They had all the potential in the world but their marketing stank. It’s really that simple.

What would Google have to do for me to leave? Um, actually they’re my second choice. To flip it around if they could give me 3D-Search as Ask.com used to (I’m still bummed they went more Google) then I’d mark them in first place.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:42:18 +0000

I never really left Yahoo in spirit. I was late in switching to Google and could never understand the alure. (What good are fast results when you need to look through several pages of garbage to find useful material) Over time I found myself using Google more because my websites got more traffic from there. I will drop them like a rock the minute that changes.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:05:32 +0000

I’m not sure if the slaying of innocent puppies would be enough to persuade me away from the speed of convince. Is there a Googleholics Anonymous Group near by?

By: Lisa Barone

Lisa Barone — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:58:32 +0000

SheriSaid: You had no trouble switching from Yahoo to Google because Google was far, far superior. And at what point did you switch? How many people had to go over before you? I’m not saying you wouldn’t switch over it something better came along, I just think the bar is a lot higher for what it’ll take to move us. [And I'm maybe not just picking on you for fun. ]

Daniel: I, um, agree. Completely.

By: saffyre9

saffyre9 — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:51:05 +0000

The fact that I can access search, email, video, docs, webmaster tools, analytics, etc etc etc all from one spot with one login is just too compelling. Sure, there are better alternatives out there, but no one else has been able to combine them all like Google has. Google is just too easy not to use it.

Of course, once innocent kittehs and puppies start being sacrificed, I will have no choice but to go elsewhere

By: Bob The Builder

Bob The Builder — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:29:26 +0000

My porn results were much more relevant in Google compared to yahoo.