Search Engines are Life Management Tools
I’m starting to think that “search engine” is a misnomer. In the past, when search engines were truly dumb, we did search. However, with the increase in search engine power and functionality, the idea of search is outdated and inappropriate.
Search engines help us solve problems. We ask them questions, we use them to hunt for information, and we use them to pinpoint data. But we’re not looking for good results just because we want specific web pages. Instead, we have questions and we use search engines to get answers. In turn, and importantly, these answers allow us to make better decisions, resolve puzzles, and more. Like understanding how the world works, and making sense of the order and chaos we experience.
Think of it this way. You might use a search engine to find a web page that gives you a great recipe. That recipe in turn helps you create a great meal. So, what you really wanted when you searched was not just a great recipe, but a great meal.
Let’s explore that idea. Wouldn’t it be great to enter information into a search engine so that you could produce a great meal? Imagine that instead of just entering text, you enter other recipes you like, ingredients in your fridge, number of people to feed, dietary restrictions, and so forth. Better still, wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to type all the data? Suppose the data was spit into the search engine via some feed from your Ghost?
Search engines are going to die eventually and they will be replaced by problem solving engines. One key to understanding this shift is to get a grasp of knowledge reuse and ontologies. And personal web servers. And web services. And parsing natural language. And so forth. Basically, technology and smart people need to be smashed together for several years.
On a related note, why do you think there are so many smart people working at Google? Oh, and think about how much Google helps you manage your life. Perhaps Google becomes a Life Management Company? As more and more of your life moves online, Google will be there to help you sort it, manage it, search it, publish it, and so forth. Google is no longer a search engine company. Not at all. If that is what you think, you are stupid. Search is merely one little piece of the pie. Sure, it is a core competency, but Google isn’t just about search any longer.
April 30th, 2004 at 3:39 pm
I agree completely. Google is my sidekick Tonto. I love being able to find obscure information, Google up recipes, etc. That’s why I’m worried that I’m becoming too dependent on it. So I need to diversify, but it’s difficult, because Google owns search engine usability AFAIK. Simple, clean, it suggests spelling when needed, results are ranked and ordered sensibly, it’s just very well done.