[WEB4LIB] More on Google going commercial

[Daniel Messer]

    To be honest, I'm surprised it took this long for Google to "go commercial." But do I have a problem with it? Absolutely not, so long as they keep the search engine part as free as it has been and as well put together as it is. As for the catalog database, I think it's pretty cool and has the makings of one scathingly brilliant business plan. Google can charge for the advertising, a copy of a company's print catalog reaches a larger market, and people can use these archived
catalogs to purchase things from the company. Where's the problem?
    Being someone who never has, and probably never will, completely grown up I decided to do a search for a favourite toy, the Transformer named Optimus Prime. I heard a new version of this toy was available and I wanted to play with the catalog database anyway. A couple of clicks later, I had a full colour picture out of the FAO Schawrz catalog, along with price. And I could order the item out of the catalog, a remarkable feat since the nearest FAO Schawrz from where I live
is over 200 miles away and I never receive a catalog from them. Besides, it always peeved me that, for many of the catalogs Google lists, I would have to pay money to get them. I consider it a service that Google is providing that I can now access those catalogs for free.
    Bottom line, in my opinion, as long as Google doesn't start in with pop-up. pop-under, and flashy ads and as long as they keep delivering the same high quality searches which they are well known for, I've got little problem with their commercialization. Face it folks, the beautiful days of being able to surf the web sans advertisement are LONG gone. Heck, I can't even start up my mail programme without getting an ad. I suggest that folks do what I do with ads, at least most
of the time... Ignore them.

Dan


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Mondai wa
The subject in question...
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Daniel Messer, Technology Instructor
Yakima Valley Regional Library
102 N 3rd St Yakima, WA 98901
(509) 452-8541 x712
dmesser at yvrls.lib.wa.us
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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
                     -Hunter S. Thompson