So, everyone’s going nuts about the fact that you can now build your very own search engine. It seems like every blog in the universe is reporting on it, but this is how Google describes it:
“Wouldn’t it be cool if you could easily build a search engine on your blog or website tailored to the topics and areas you know and love the most? You’re not alone if you’d like that — we’ve heard from partners large and small, and users across the web who want access to the Google search platform, and want to customize and make it their own.”
Wouldn’t it be cool? Well, quite frankly, no. Maybe I’m a complete idiot, but I’ve never felt a burning desire to pick out ten or fifteen websites and limit all my searches to them. If I already know what sites I want to search, why not just go there in the first place?
Okay, so I get that the idea is that you “share your expertise” with others by letting them use your very own search engine. And I’m prepared to admit that there might be areas where limiting your results to a select, “expert-picked” number of sites might be useful. But do I want to build my own? No, I really don’t.
I also think it’s worth pointing out that this is really just a new way of dressing up Google Co-op, which they launched back in May and which failed to become the hit they had hoped for.
To be fair, it is supposed to be remarkably easy to build your own engine. If you’re interested in seeing some examples, have a look at RealClimate and TechStuff. But the original problem is still there – anyone can claim that they’re an “expert” and better equipped than me to decide which sites I should trust. But how do I know they’re not just some delusional teenager on the other side of the world?
In other words: don’t expect to see SharewarePromoogle anytime soon. Or ever.
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