I can't remember my first time using Google. Not sure why I would've remembered it either. I was probably in middle school, putzing around on the internet and was shown a new search engine by someone. Little did I know how essential this simple, bare-bones search engine would become to me and hundreds of millions of other people.
Google runs my life. Gmail is one of my main forms of communication. Gcal assures I'm where I need to be when I'm supposed to be there. I spend atleast two hours every day using Google in some way or another.
There have been one or two occasions this year where I have not been able to access my Gmail account and was presented with a "Google Error" message. This was a frightening experience to say the least. What would I do without Google? How would I organize my life? Google has become a necessity for me. In turn, I have become an advocate for everything Google. I don't understand why everyone and their sister doesn't have Gmail?!?! I get angry sometimes when I see people using their SU Mail accounts or some Microsoft Outlook bologna. Get with the program buddy.
Auletta's article presented me with a good deal of new and interesting info about Google. I found it interesting to see how far Google's reach expands in terms of its "approximately hundred and fifty products"(52). I feel as though the author presented two views of Google. On one side there is the roots of the company which got started in a garge with the attitude that "if people have better information they will live their lives better"(56). This mission helped shape a company which wanted to keep doing more and more for the user at a cheaper cost . The expansion of Google's services along with the company's exponential growth has brought Google into many different markets where it is competing and often out-competing well-established companies who cannot afford to provide such premium services at minimal costs. Such growth and expansion has lead some to believe that Google is spreading itself too thin and "peanut-buttering everything"(52) and others to accuse the company of becoming greedy and profit driven - the dark side.
I have faith that Google will prevail. The peanut butter may be spread widely, but it is thick with money. I have a feeling Google will one day not too far away take Exxon Mobile's place the most filthy rich coporation in the world. I hope Google lives on past me because I don't want to live a day with out it.
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You are one dedicated Google user. I, like you, cannot remember when I first used Google search engine. But my days of searching with Ask ended, and no matter how many time my dad mentions how wonderful Bing is, I can't switch!
ReplyDeleteI don't use Gmail, but I have an account. I've just been using my AT&T account since middle school, so I haven't had a reason to switch.
Same for me. I remember the days when we were taught at school how to use search engines and this was the only one I could remember of the top of my head. There are a lot of other search engines out there but google is by far the leader and the only one I use. It doesnt matter that youtube is not profitable for them, as long as they have their search engine, they will just keep going steady.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there can be a life without Google. Everything seemingly revolves around it. I use Google for everything and I'm sure most people do as well. I forgot about Yahoo! So I understand where you're coming from.
ReplyDeleteNever assume something is going to be around forever. We're in an era where fortunes can be made quickly, but things can go sour just as quickly.
ReplyDeleteI remember when it seemed like America Online would rule the world forever. It was huge, and just about everyone who got on the Internet got on through AOL, and it seemed a sure bet to be around as long as people had computers. (Not to make myself seem older than dirt, but I was a Quantum Link subscriber and had a Commodore 64.)
What happened? The Web evolved, and almost overnight AOL became unnecessary. Yeah, AOL is still around, but it's not the power it once was. As immense as Google seems now, if someone develops a significantly better method of searching, Google could become an afterthought in a few years. The 150-plus other projects that Google going could become a big problem if the search-enging money machine takes a hit.
October 20, 2009 6:41 PM