Google is 15

[kinboshi]

Google is 15 years old.  That's pretty much the same length of time I've been working in online marketing, and that makes me feel old.

For the 'kids', here's what Google looked like back in 1998:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&q=google+in+1998

[tikay]

I remember the first day I ever heard of google - Chris Evans was raving about it on his BBC Breakfast Show. "Searches are so quick" sort of thing.

Back then, with most of us on dial up, a routine search could take several minutes before the page appeared.

Note the other Search Engines listed at the foot of the page - what memories.

AltaVista Excite HotBot Infoseek Lycos Deja Yahoo! Amazon Open Directory eGroups

[tikay]

I ought to count how many times per day I use google - it may be hundreds. All for free.

Love it.

[tikay]

Ooh, think I am supposed to do this, so I can be cool.....

>google

#lovethegoogle

[Acidmouse]

When I first started using the internet I seem to remember yahoo search engine and it absolutely doing my head in. I think the beauty of google is it can seem a very clean simple page...

[tikay]

When I first started using the internet I seem to remember yahoo search engine and it absolutely doing my head in. I think the beauty of google is it can seem a very clean simple page...

Very much part of the attraction to me, that big white blank space, with almost no distractions, flashing banners or suchlike.

Clean, functional, fit for purpose. 

[Acidmouse]

Yep, Google have made alot from not alot if you get what I mean, absolutely genius.

[RED-DOG]

Watch out for evasive answers and long moody silences in the coming months.

There's nothing worse than an adolescent search engine.

[scotty77]

I find it amazing that yahoo is still around.  Who uses it?!

Even for email, Gmail is such a smooth and slick operation.

[tikay]

I find it amazing that yahoo is still around.  Who uses it?!
Even for email, Gmail is such a smooth and slick operation.

Well, you'd think so......but Wiki says.....


According to comScore, Yahoo during July 2013 surpassed Google on the number of United States visitors to its Web sites for the first time since May 2011, set at 196 million United States visitors, having increased by 21 percent in a year.

Also....


According to news sources, roughly 700 million people visit Yahoo websites every month.Yahoo itself claims it attracts "more than half a billion consumers every month in more than 30 languages."

Quite surprising, if true, but it just shows, each to their own.

[Tal]

Is Google banned in China? Might explain it if so

[tikay]

Is Google banned in China? Might explain it if so

Mostly so, yes. They had a bit of a stand-off as I recall.

[marcro]

I ought to count how many times per day I use google - it may be hundreds. All for free.

Love it.

In Google's eyes they are not doing this for free.  Each time you use a google product they are building their profile on you which gives them considerable marketing value which has translated to making them one of the most powerful companies in the world.

15 years ago it was hard to imagine any company could afford to develop google maps/street view/earth to the extent they have.  It would be interesting to find our how much that project cost them.

[RED-DOG]

I use Bing a fair bit.

[lucky_scrote]

Has anyone actually been using google for 15 years? I have, I just started secondary school 15 years ago (makes me wonder where that time went) and I remember a whiteboard at the front of the IT class having search engines written on it permanently.

I remember those being Altavista, yahoo, google, ask and possibly a couple of others. I'm struggling to remember if there was a default home search engine assigned to those ancient computers though.