[WEB4LIB] More on Google going commercial

[Dan Lester]

Wednesday, January 02, 2002, 10:37:42 AM, you wrote:
CH> As ZDNet News says in their article at
CH> http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5100863,00.html,
CH> "The company has long cast itself as an incorruptible search
CH> service in an increasingly profit-driven business--an image
CH> that helped it win a die-hard grassroots following."  My guess
CH> is that this discussion group is a part of that group of die-hard
CH> users.  Will this ongoing commercialization of a very good search
CH> engine make any of you change your approach to this product?

I can't imagine why it matters.  The ads come up on some searches, but
they're clearly identified.  I searched "computer mouse" and got to
sponsored links, but the next two links were links to Engelbart's
original demo of the mouse in '68.  I see ads on CNN.com, on CNN on
the tube, and in the NYTimes.  That doesn't mean that I avoid them,
either.

I suppose that those who demo it in library instruction classes or in
the reference area should point out to the patron that there are
sponsored links, but I'll bet that most of the students understand
that already.

Happy 2002,

dan


-- 
Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan at RiverOfData.com 208-283-7711
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