Infoseek Memorial Services

[Brett_Tabke]

Friends and Family;

I have been asked by members of the community to say a few words on the passing of Infoseek.

I stand here not to speak for myself, but as a representative of the webmaster community. Just another member of the loyal tens of thousands of website owners for whom Infoseek defined the search engine.

So many of us owe our very careers to Infoseek, that to allow this passing to go unremarked would be an equally tragic loss to net history.

But more than that, Infoseek came to weave it's way into the fabric of our daily net lives.

There was no fee. No 60 day delay, it was just there, it was always on and waiting for you.

Submit a page in the morning, and Infoseek would have it listed by 5pm and sending referrals. From the ever unfolding tragedies around the Globe, to the super bowl champions, Infoseek was there.

We came to trust the Infoseek. To count on it in times of trouble as well as time of joy.

It was a very different net time than today. I'm sure the last holders of the keys to Infoseek, simply can't understand, why so many people would adore a simple search engine with such adoration and respect.

For many in my generation, Infoseek was The Search Engine. It was a rude shock to the senses when we found out that other search engines wouldn't list a page in under 8 hours.

I think of the time during a tragedy long since forgotten in 1997, when I scurried around the net collecting links on the subject. I built a quick set of pages, submitted to Infoseek, and was receiving referrals by afternoon. The visitors who walked through those simple link pages sent me cards of thanks for all the information. I simply replied, "Don't thank me, Thank Infoseek".

I can't help but think there is a big chair waiting for it in search engine heaven.

Infoseek, you will be missed.

Please join with us in sharing your fondest memories of this once titan of an engine.

[Brett_Tabke]

Mourners should also note several other locations for fellowship:

[webmasterworld.com]
[webmasterworld.com]
[webmasterworld.com]
[webmasterworld.com]
[webmasterworld.com]

[rencke]

Fine words, but aren't they a bit premature what with Infoseek Germany and Infoseek Japan alive and kicking under local owners?

[BoneHeadicus]

<wimper> :( </wimper>

[chiyo]

Amen

[Marcia]

Is resurrection a possibility?

[Drastic]

I think reincarnation is more likely.

[cirelle]

It must have been Suicide.

Infoseek must have felt it was disgraced, pulled the sacraficial sword from it's sheath and forced it pointedly into the abdomen.

Death by the sword is better than suffering the humiliation of a million tiny deaths it would have suffered as a result of legal briefs with micro fine edges by the creator of all searches and indexes -- Altavista

[luckynh]

Farewell :(

[JamesR]

I am going to miss the message board :)

[jk321]

...the moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on...

[Hunter]

Lets just hope that it does not come back as some crazy Disney cartoon...

[tedster]

...with a theme song from Celine Dion and Snoop Doggy Dogg

[Hunter]

...LOL Tedster

[Brett_Tabke]

Infoseek had been on life support since Disney took it over. I don't think the stray children in other countries are Infoseek Rencke.

There hasn't been an engine that can match infoseeks 1997 performance yet.

[Mike_Mackin]

>There hasn't been an engine that can match infoseeks 1997 performance yet.

Those were the days!
Farewell infoseek
:(

[mivox]

A sad farewell to one of our biggest referrers... hopefully, big entertainment companies will start building their own sites to run into the ground, rather than taking over good independent sites.

[tedster]

I never understood Disney's thinking. If you offer a great search engine, you've got lots of eyeballs. They surely could have done something with all that traffic to help the rest of the Disney cause, as long as they maintained search quality.

Instead, Disney seemed to think the search engine was just a doo-dad or gimmick, a secondary appendage to their pop culture offerings -- and we've all lost.

[DaveAtIFG]

Perhaps Elton John will cut a memorial CD or MP3 in fond memory...

[Brett_Tabke]

Thanks to Danny Sullivan [searchenginewatch.com] for the mention of this thread on Search Engine Watch.

[engine]

Such a shame to see Infoseek Go.

Any buyers for the SE out there?

[livierules]

I lament the passing of Infoseek. Your gracious words of comfort are most apropos and much appreciated