Comments on: Soul and Role of Yahoo and Google http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/ Conning people into thinking I'm intelligent. Since 1982. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:24:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Premshree Pillai http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-324 Premshree Pillai Thu, 27 Jan 2005 19:07:55 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-324 As Anand mentioned, Adwords is no small thing -- it's is a billion dollar industry. As Anand mentioned, Adwords is no small thing — it’s is a billion dollar industry.

]]> By: Anand Pillai http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-323 Anand Pillai Wed, 26 Jan 2005 16:09:28 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-323 Nice article. Thought I will comment on a few things. Like you said, Google is percieved as a 'technologically cool' company. In fact if you work at Google, you have to spend a certain amount of time thinking up and working out creative projects of your own, which might never make it out of your computer's hard disk. However, the company encourages it since Gmail is one such innovation which took off from a Google engineer's creative project. You also have to appreciate that Google is not holding back from tagging their product as beta. (The fact that it works way better than most beta software is another thing!). Some of the so-called 'software giants' on the other hand have been dumping alpha quality software on us as final releases and making money by providing a never ending stream of fixes and SPs. In fact, the famous company in Redmond has made it their business plan, haven't they :-) ? I am not really bothered about how Google plans to make money from technologies such as Google suggest. The very fact that Google has such a technology available is enough to increase my mental rating of the company a few notches up. And I think that Google generates a good deal of revenue by ad words. It is not an insignificant market as you seem to suggest. I think the concept of adwords pioneered by Google is one of the smartest moves in the Internet software industry. I would prefer the unobtrusive ad words on the pages I visit as opposed to huge flash ads which pop up right under my nose. Google thinks differently. And that is what makes them the coolest technology company out there. Nice article. Thought I will comment on a few things.

Like you said, Google is percieved as a ‘technologically cool’ company. In fact if you work at Google, you have to spend a certain
amount of time thinking up and working out creative projects of your own, which might never make it out of your computer’s hard disk. However, the company encourages it since Gmail is one such innovation which took off from a Google engineer’s creative project.

You also have to appreciate that Google is not holding back from tagging their product as beta. (The fact that it works way better than most beta software is another thing!). Some of the so-called ‘software giants’ on the other hand have been dumping alpha quality software on us as final releases and making money by providing a never ending stream of fixes and SPs. In fact, the famous company in Redmond has made it their business plan, haven’t they :-) ?

I am not really bothered about how Google plans to make money from technologies such as Google suggest. The very fact that Google has such a technology available is enough to increase my mental rating of the company a few notches up. And I think that Google generates a good deal of revenue by ad words. It is not an insignificant market as you seem to suggest. I think the concept of adwords pioneered by Google is one of the smartest moves in the Internet software industry. I would prefer the unobtrusive ad words
on the pages I visit as opposed to huge flash ads which pop up right under my nose.

Google thinks differently. And that is what makes them the coolest technology company out there.

]]> By: Swaroop C H http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-322 Swaroop C H Wed, 26 Jan 2005 11:17:37 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-322 Pramod: Thanks. And as always, you're bang on target :) Pramod: Thanks. And as always, you’re bang on target :)

]]> By: Pramod http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-321 Pramod Wed, 26 Jan 2005 09:00:28 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-321 hey..really nice post! Even Avinash and I end up discussing this issue ad nauseaum. I like Google for trying innovative ideas, whether or not they embrace it in the long run. Y! seems to wait for an idea to mature before they jump in. hey..really nice post! Even Avinash and I end up discussing this issue ad nauseaum. I like Google for trying innovative ideas, whether or not they embrace it in the long run. Y! seems to wait for an idea to mature before they jump in.

]]> By: Swaroop C H http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-320 Swaroop C H Wed, 26 Jan 2005 08:20:13 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-320 Aseem: Yes, it reminds me of the dot com bust. Aseem: Yes, it reminds me of the dot com bust.

]]> By: Swaroop C H http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-319 Swaroop C H Wed, 26 Jan 2005 08:18:55 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-319 Sriram: I'm highly skeptical of seeing Google Suggest going mainstream. However, I'd like to see that happen. Regarding, search engines, well I used to exclusively use Google before, but I read an article that Yahoo does well for non-geeks and so I thought 'Why not try it myself' and I have been using it quite often. The Firefox searchbar makes it trivial to switch search engines. Now, whenever I search for people or places or similar information, I use Yahoo Search - the Yahoo network plays an important role, For example, if I want to know more about Daniel Bedingfield, Yahoo Search also tells me there's a [Launch Page about him][], and I can even listen to his songs on that page! [Launch Page about him]: http://launch.yahoo.com/ar-294352---Daniel-Bedingfield When I am searching for techie stuff, Google is way better, it has more sense of 'thinking like a geek'. One advantage is that it indexes the Usenet archives through Google groups. That's a big plus. Sriram: I’m highly skeptical of seeing Google Suggest going mainstream. However, I’d like to see that happen.

Regarding, search engines, well I used to exclusively use Google before, but I read an article that Yahoo does well for non-geeks and so I thought ‘Why not try it myself’ and I have been using it quite often. The Firefox searchbar makes it trivial to switch search engines. Now, whenever I search for people or places or similar information, I use Yahoo Search – the Yahoo network plays an important role, For example, if I want to know more about Daniel Bedingfield, Yahoo Search also tells me there’s a [Launch Page about him][], and I can even listen to his songs on that page!

[Launch Page about him]: http://launch.yahoo.com/ar-294352—Daniel-Bedingfield

When I am searching for techie stuff, Google is way better, it has more sense of ‘thinking like a geek’. One advantage is that it indexes the Usenet archives through Google groups. That’s a big plus.

]]> By: Swaroop C H http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-318 Swaroop C H Wed, 26 Jan 2005 08:14:03 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-318 Kiran: I find it hard to believe that, but if it is true, then good for the end user ;) Kiran: I find it hard to believe that, but if it is true, then good for the end user ;)

]]> By: Swaroop C H http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-317 Swaroop C H Wed, 26 Jan 2005 08:12:38 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-317 JD: Yes, you're right. Yahoo provides the best overall experience for an end user, **especially** a non-geek. For example, if my mom wanted to start using email, I would get her to use yahoo email first even though I personally prefer GMail because yahoo email is easy to understand for non-geeks. For example, labels are not easily understood by newbies, this is evident by discussions on the [gmail-help group][]. [gmail-help group]: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Gmail-Help-Discussion/browse_thread/thread/6305980291c2bfbf/57307d066a9d6efd?_done=%2Fgroup%2FGmail-Help-Discussion%2Fthreads%3Fstart%3D30%26order%3Drecent%26&_doneTitle=Back&&d#57307d066a9d6efd JD: Yes, you’re right. Yahoo provides the best overall experience for an end user, **especially** a non-geek. For example, if my mom wanted to start using email, I would get her to use yahoo email first even though I personally prefer GMail because yahoo email is easy to understand for non-geeks.

For example, labels are not easily understood by newbies, this is evident by discussions on the [gmail-help group][].

[gmail-help group]: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Gmail-Help-Discussion/browse_thread/thread/6305980291c2bfbf/57307d066a9d6efd?_done=%2Fgroup%2FGmail-Help-Discussion%2Fthreads%3Fstart%3D30%26order%3Drecent%26&_doneTitle=Back&&d#57307d066a9d6efd

]]> By: Aseem Asthana http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-315 Aseem Asthana Wed, 26 Jan 2005 07:52:57 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-315 Nice writeup. Eventually all companies, either technology oriented or not, have to find a way of making money. In other words there has to be a business plan. A lack of the same, and of course head rush, lead to the loud sound of the bubble bursting. Nice writeup. Eventually all companies, either technology oriented or not, have to find a way of making money. In other words there has to be a business plan. A lack of the same, and of course head rush, lead to the loud sound of the bubble bursting.

]]> By: Sriram http://www.swaroopch.com/blog/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-316 Sriram Wed, 26 Jan 2005 05:41:58 +0000 http://swaroop.textdriven.com/archives/2005/01/26/soul-and-role-of-yahoo-and-google/#comment-316 I see Yahoo as a grown up Google - in a way, Y!'s origins are not that different from Google's origins. But I don't agree with Google Suggest as an example- they could easily put it in the homepage and everyone would benefit.As for the others - I think Google is going for 'information management' here. If you got it, they want to organize,search,store it for you.Orkut is a failure though. Interesting post nonetheless..atleast to see a Y! engineer saying that Google's search engine is better :) I see Yahoo as a grown up Google – in a way, Y!’s origins are not that different from Google’s origins. But I don’t agree with Google Suggest as an example- they could easily put it in the homepage and everyone would benefit.As for the others – I think Google is going for ‘information management’ here. If you got it, they want to organize,search,store it for you.Orkut is a failure though.

Interesting post nonetheless..atleast to see a Y! engineer saying that Google’s search engine is better :)

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