Originally a search engine now google is what?

What has google become?

[stinkfoot]

Way back when I first heard of search engines there were few. The greatness of those that were then have come and gone altavista lycos are but 2 that have all but disappeared. Google has remained. Why? Well, tbh, it was in my mind the best at getting the results I and Joe Public needed from simple search phrases.

Since going public the search results have gone from bad to worse to worse again. Any professional response to requests for information to technical staff go unanswered or so cryptic they may as well have been unanswered.

So what has it become? Why do we go to google?

1) Many enthusiasts will tell you oh wow you should see the maps they are producing.

2) You should see the toolbar functions with autolink on it!

3) Have you got a google mail account yet wow its amazing spam email comes in and we look at them.

4) Have you seen froogle geez I am gonna buy all my presents from there!

Well. An enthusiast I am not. I am a professional. All of the above are of no more use than a stick in a swarm of bees. I need good search results that are produced by people who know what they are doing, which is not what I get there. To me google has just become a behemoth than is hard to escape. My IP address is rarely seen now by google because of this.

What has google become to you?