Web Stuff and Whatnot » Search

The Best Search Engine?

Eden Jaeger — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 20:12:57 +0000

Yahoo has now doubled Google’s index of of online documents and images.

After a major upgrade, Yahoo now claims to have over 20 billion online objects indexed in its search engine. Google currently has just over 11 billion objects indexed- about 8 billion Web pages and about 2 billion images. Looks like this rivalry is heating up.

Just because Yahoo has a larger index does not mean it will be a better search engine, but it could be. The relevance of search results is what matters most, but there is no large-scale way to measure search relevance. Different search engines are likely to be more or less relevant on specific searches based on the specifics of the keywords searched for.

Google is still the search leader in terms of market share with a 36.9 percent share as of June vs. Yahoo’s 30.4 percent share (according to comScore).

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‘China’s Google’ Hits It Big On the NASDAQ

Eden Jaeger — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 20:16:44 +0000

The Chineese search engine company, called Baidu (www.baidu.com, ticker symbol: BIDU) more than quadrupled in its IPO today. The shares traded from a low of $27 and topped $151 at one point during trading. BIDU closed the day at $122.54. While this success is rather exciting, it is most likely attributable to a small share offering- only about 4 million shares were sold here on the NASDAQ.

Baidu makes money in much the same way Google does, by selling text based search advertising. And as if the Google guys were not rich enough already, Google happens to own about 2.6% of Baidu’s stock. While the business models are similar, Baidu is quite small when compared to Google, and probably quite a bit more risky. Baidu must follow Chinese government regulations, so there is always the chance that they may have to pull the plug some day. Unlikely, but still a risk.

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Google on the Moon!

Eden Jaeger — Fri, 22 Jul 2005 23:29:32 +0000

A nice addition to Google Maps is the new Google Moon satellite imagery. Not quite as fancy as it could be, but the markers for lunar landings are nice to have, and most likely better detailed imagery will come with time. Be sure to zoom in for a close look.

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Google Maps Transparancies

Eden Jaeger — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 18:02:47 +0000

Another incredible use of the recently released Google Maps API. Google Maps Transparencies uses a combination of the ‘map’ and ‘satellite’ views to give you an even more useful look at a city. I think it can really make finding your way around very easy. You can adjust the transparency too, so you can essentially zero in on the satellite imagery of a given area and see the street names and local landmarks laid out as well. Brilliant!

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Gmaps Pedometer

Eden Jaeger — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 19:28:34 +0000

For those of you not familiar, ‘Gmaps’ is a reference to the Google Maps service. As great as the Google Maps service is on its own, many people are more excited by the recent move by Google to make the Google Maps API available for use by anyone (almost anyone anyway). All you have to do is sign up for an API key, an easy process though it gives Google a chance to deny questionable Websites hoping to use the Maps API. This has lead to many interesting applications that take advantage of the Google Maps API.

The Gmaps Pedometer was put together by a runner from New Jersey who wanted to track training distances without relying on carrying a pedometer or other GPS tracking device. Very cool idea, especially if you have regular routes for walking or jogging. To use the Gmaps Pedometer you simply double click to create points on the map to track a route. The distance will then be calculated, thanks to latitude and longitude coordinates. Ideas like this really give you a glimpse of what is possible with some open technology in the hands of creative people.

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Google Maps (Now With Pictures)

Eden Jaeger — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 20:50:40 +0000

If you haven’t seen it yet, Google Maps is a very cool, and very useful application. You can search for any address and zero in on its exact location. It’s a very quick and easy way to get directions. However, you can now do even more. Just look for the “Satellite” link in the upper right hand corner of the page. Click that and you can now get your maps in color. Not just in color though, you can use nice satellite imagery to zoom in and really get a good look at where you’re going (or perhaps see who has a pool on your street). You can find my house in the picture below, although I’m sad to say it is not one located on the fairway…

As you can see, that’s some impressive technology. Other than just the neat pictures, the speed at which you can navigate the map is also very impressive. This technology is really going to open up new possibilities for Internet browser-based applications.

While the maps are fun to play around with, it does sort of leave you with a slightly uneasy feeling. Not that someone’s address is that hard to obtain, but the ability to get an overhead, color view of it is something new. I also have to wonder if it’s a good idea to have pictures of all the planes at Davis Monthan Airforce Base, located here in Tucson, AZ, available for viewing by anyone with an Internet connection. Here’s just a small picture from the base. It is nice to know we have so many planes handy though.

Of course, you can just as easily zoom in on the local airport. Again, the technology is very cool, but you have to wonder what doors we’re opening up with this kind of information available to anyone at any time. All of this is made possible by Keyhole, a technology company that Google acquired. Keyhole is even more exciting. It is a pay service, but priced very fairly for personal use. It will be very interesting to see where this technology leads us. How soon until we have real time video of major cities and urban areas? And sound? I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I can’t help but think of ideas from Brave New World or 1984. I guess we’ll have to stay tuned.

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Google vs. Yahoo!

Eden Jaeger — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 22:01:49 +0000

Wired magazine published a great article this month that offers a comparison of Google and Yahoo!. I guess I had forgotten that Google isn’t the only company founded by a couple of geeks from Stanford. I guess I had even forgotten about Yahoo! in general with all of the press Google receives these days. Well, Yahoo! is turning 10 this month, so I suppose it’s time we pause for a moment and ponder the Google of the last decade (how quickly things can change).

Probably the biggest surprise revealed by the article is the current search engine market share. I’ve been under the impression, as I would guess you probably have as well, that Google dominates the search engine market. Well guess what- according to the article, as of the second half of 2004, Google held 35 percent of the search engine market while Yahoo! was right behind at 32 percent. I have to admit that I never would have guessed the market share to be so close. Lately it seems like Google search results are all that count, but clearly as much energy should be devoted to optimizing your websites for Yahoo! as for Google. And yes, if you aren’t aware, there are differences between the two that must be addressed for achieving high rankings. Drop me a line if you’d like to chat about improving search engine rankings on your website.

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