Google Isn't Everything

Anybody who maintains a web presence knows the importance of search engines in getting a service or product out into the world. A high ranking on a search engine can very often make or break a business. In this day and age, however, the word "Google" has become a synonym for just every search engine on the web.

Yes...there is more than one.

Most people seem to have forgotten that Google isn't the only search engine on the web. There is a very long list of alternative search engines that offer users different levels of interaction and entertainment. One website is attempting to catalog the various search engine services on a blog called "The Encyclopedia of Search Engines".

The idea for "The Encyclopedia of Search Engines" was born out of a desire to show the world that options exist. It is part art project and part social experiment. The different tactics used by the search engine creators range from cool and sleek search engines only boasting the most simple of applications while others are very loud, very colorful, and very entertaining.

Internet users can get presented with a new background image everyday with one search engine. Another search engine lets Internet users search the web with a hard metal rock band. How about a washed up singer? Internet users can send off their search requests with a specially trained search dog or in the hands of a foreign looking butler. There is even one search engine which rewards Internet users for using their service. In exchange for executing multiple searches Internet users are randomly awarded points that can be redeemed for some pretty nice prizes at the search engine's online store. Prizes range from wall paper and song downloads to video game consoles and big name mp3 players.

The day of the impersonal search engine is over. These days the search engine experience can be as customized or general as the user would like. Search engines have become fan sites, art galleries, and revenue sharing platforms all rolled into one.

Some may ask why it would be important to catalog the various search engines that exist. Many may not see the importance or the value in the work being done by the "Encyclopedia of Search Engines" maintainer.

Does it matter how one retrieves information so long as it is retrieved and accurate? Probably not, but it seems like a sham to walk through life thinking that only one option exists in the search engine market. "The Encyclopedia of Search Engines" shows us this to be false.

Internet users are encouraged to visit "The Encyclopedia of Search Engines", which is still being updated as newer and newer search engines are discovered, and see for themselves the various options for searching the web. The search engine market is so diverse that an Internet user would be hard pressed to find a search engine that doesn't seem to fit their lifestyle or interests.

Sources:

Encyclopedia of Search Engines.