Search Part II

Yup, I’m a believer. Google, with its powerful search capabilities, has far reaching effects: it can be both a small business owner’s friend in securing new customers but it can also take that prosperity away just as quickly. In the second half of the Search, Battelle brings up the notion of the long tail. Although Amazon’s revenues in 2000 were $2.76 billion dollars, countless small family operated businesses accounted for a combined total of $25 billion. The significance of this long tail must not be lost. It’s not just the large companies who carry all the financial clout. Now with the abilities of search, small companies with little to no ad budgets are able to step up to a market they were once locked out from.  

Long tail aside, the example of Neil Moncrief’s plus shoes shows the danger of building a reliance on Google’s search. At first without even placing an ad, Moncrief benefited from high search results, but after a while this trailed off. Moncrief bought AdWords for the mere fact that “(p)aid search ads worked,” but it failed to produce his desired results (p. 166).

Customer intentions are a valuable asset as seen in the profitability of Google. Our class conversations about the future use of cell phones and bar codes will allow us all access to all the benefits of Google’s search in something we carry with us everywhere already. The idea of scanning products for more information and rebates is a brilliant measure that will revolutionize the way we shop. At the time Battelle’s book was published, bar codes were a resource not yet made for public consumption, but I have a feeling the capabilities will soon be realized.

Ironically I was on a local listserve today for book publishers, DC Pubs, and read a woman’s post inquiring how quickly she should expect a press release to be searchable on Google. A clever, fellow publisher replied that there’s “an entire industry dedicated to search engine ranking; it’s an art, a science, and a moving target, as Google et al. constantly change(s) their algorithms.” Battelle points to the updated indexes and algorithms as Google’s attempt to stop spammers from proliferating their site. The term “editorial judgment” used for how Google creates these algorithms is quite interesting. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they are playing god, but these algorithms have the potential to shape success and failure for many businesses.

Copyright infringement for Google has long been an issue. Battelle brings up specific cases brought to trial when companies found their copyrighted names being used for competitors search terms. Google has also tested the limits of fair use by digitizing entire collections from a handful of libraries regardless of copyrights. As part of their agreement they are supplying the libraries the digital files they amass from their work. The audacity is that Google asks for publishers and copyright holders permission for their works to appear in Google Print for Publishers, but negates this step entirely for their library project.

Having gone beyond the idea of search, Google has changed the landscape of business. As Google creates more applications and acquires new ventures, this power will grow infinitely. I am looking forward to seeing what’s next, but would also hope for a Google that is not higher than the law.

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