Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Blogs Google Watch
    • Blogs
    • Google Watch
    • Search Engines

    Google Wants You (And Me)

    By
    Michael Hickins
    -
    April 24, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Think Google can’t possibly earn itself an even bigger portion of the search pie? Think again.

      Google is giving users yet another compelling reason to get a Google account, this time promising to make searches on their own names more relevant. Talk about an exercise in narcissism, but for once, when a company tells you this is all about you, boy do they mean it.

      To see what I mean, simply type “me” into the search field and hit go. Google will return results for Apple’s Mobile Me, a .gov site for the state of Maine, a link to Me Magazine, some YouTube clips featuring the word “me,” a Microsoft support site for Windows ME (yipes!) and, eventually — if you already have some kind of account with Google — an incomplete stump of your own profile.

      What Google is banking on is that people want to be found, and especially if their name is fairly common, that a name search on their name returns the “them” they want you to find if it’s indeed “them” you’re looking for — if you know what I mean.

      Nothing more frustrating for your ego than doing a search on your own name and realizing that a person could easily mistake someone else’s information for yours.

      If you already have a Google account, you probably won’t stumble over your own profile until you get fairly far down the page, whereas if you don’t have one, the first search result is a link to instructions for creating a Google profile, which is a great way to snag new users. Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, said the profiles are not just a good way to engage more people with Google, but will tempt more people to shop with Google Checkout, use Picasa to post pictures or use Google’s Blogger. “It deepens your engagement with Google,” he told USA Today.

      Either way, Google gets to serve more ads or, in some cases, earn fees.

      There are certainly plenty of people who worry that Google already knows too much about them, and won’t fall for this. But they’re in the huge minority. Most will be more than happy to create or add to their profiles so that when you search on their names, you’re aware that 25 years ago, they won their elementary school’s spelling bee.

      Michael Hickins

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×