Random Google Musings

In fourth grade I learned that a "googol" was a very large number - a 1, followed by 100 zeros. In later school days, the word had a different meaning for me and for the world. In this day of technological advances Google has certainly become a powerhouse and it's more than just a search engine.

I use Google for so much each day. I get my email, my RSS feeds, and even this blog in which I currently write from Google. They have a homepage where you can put a couple of different features, including horoscopes, daily words, daily headlines, and crossword puzzles, among a plethora of other things. It's insane! Sure, there are other search engines but it seems as if Google is really the one taking over.

And the science behind it all is so fascinating to me. When I started my job I didn't know much about Google except that I could get email and look up any topic at all and come up with an answer. Now, I realize that the sponsored ads are there for a nice marketing strategy and that there is a very complex algorithm behind why certain websites show up above others in the organic search results. It's crazy!

My brother sent me an article from the Times this morning, which prompted me to write this blog. It seems that Google will now be trying its hand with radio, TV, and print. It's basically taking over the world. But, I wonder how good that actually is. It's basically like a monopoly taking over. It may take a while, but Google may one day be the only search engine left.

I guess businesses need to expand their services so that they can outweigh the competition and even provide consumers with even more options, but how healthy is that really and what does that actually mean for our society?