The power of Google

Google started in 1998 as an alternative to the big players, and over a space of just a few years has become the major player on the web. Its mission statement is “to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Google receives about a billion search requests per day. Popular websites estimate that 80% of searches are coming through Google. Google’s revenue comes largely from advertising. AdWords enables advertisers to display advertisements in Google’s search results and the Google Content Network, through either a cost-per-click or cost-per-view scheme. Adsense enables other websites to display an advertisement on their own site, and earn money every time it is clicked.

Some Google websites

Google Guide: a guide to using Google effectively: www.googleguide.com

Google Weblog: An unofficial blog about Google: http://google.blogspace.com

GoogleWatch: As Google’s power and influence on the web grow, this website reports on the public interest issues that this raises. www.google-watch.org

Scroogle: A way of Googling developed by GoogleWatch so that the search cannot traced back to your internet address: www.scroogle.org

Elgoog: “Elgoog” is “Google” spelt backwards, and the site provides information on Google and on-line gaming. www.elgoog.nl

GoogleWhack: Enter two words of between 4 and 30 characters and search on Google. You get a “GoogleWhack” if the search produces just one result. www.googlewhack.com