Could you Live Without Google?
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Do you use Google? Could you get along without it for a week? I tried it, and dubbed it Google Fasting. There’s no way I could do that again. It was really tough, believe it or not. I got an email from Mike recently, that raised a thought-provoking question about Google’s power.
Do you feel the power of Google is good for the Internet? With one search engine being used so often, there becomes a potential for abuse. As we become a society who gets our news and history over the Internet, is Google in a position to filter what we know and how much? I read awhile back that a pre-condition of China using Google was that search results could not return any information about the Tiananmen Square incident. More recently, China blocked access to YouTube in the wake of a Tibetan protests. If governments and search engines can weild such power over the Internet, they can effectively remake history, and shape issues of the day.
It’s interesting: we’re at this crossroads. Forever, we’ve lived in a world that had borders. The Internet is a world that has no borders. When we have such an open society on the Internet and try to get that to fit inside existing infrastructures… it’s really scary in a way. It’s potential for anarchy, and breaking down borders. I can guarantee people in power are scared, both in business and in government.
What happens when we transcend our physical presence to connect with other people? Again, I’m telling you… we’re at a crossroads between hierarchy and no hierarchy. Does Google have the potential to limit what we see? Certainly they do. However, if they did something new and open would crop up. I don’t see Google doing anything like that.
If we elevate Google to the position where we can’t live without them, we run the risk of letting them run us. The Internet is pretty big though. Google hasn’t been around forever. Eventually, something could even replace Google. It’s the ebb and flow and ideas of human identity and connections.
I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. How do you define society? How do you see this playing out? How do you see us moving beyond today?
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219 Comments
Chetan
May 7th, 2008
at 11:08pm
I can’t live a single day without Google. Its my online guide and i start and end my webmastering day with Google :)
Alexander Do
May 7th, 2008
at 11:36pm
To be honest, no. I cannot live without Google. I even use it to check my spelling! I think that Google will take over the world, really.
Nice blog post Chris!
liamrharvey
May 7th, 2008
at 11:47pm
I could not live without google because i have most if my documents on google docs and have all my widgets on igoogle so it’s impossible to live without google!!!
Jack Hayward
May 7th, 2008
at 11:55pm
Hey Chris, this was a very interesting video, google has contributed allot to the internet and nearly everyone uses it, I don’t think it would be easy to live without it in the short-term but in the long-term a good replacement probably would calm everyone down, this is quite complicated but very interesting, I would be very interested to see what happens when google dies.
Thanks Chris, Great Video by the way
Penrin
May 8th, 2008
at 12:00am
Google is my best friend, i could never live without it…
James Johnston
May 8th, 2008
at 12:15am
I only wonder if google can keep it simple. They have power, but thus far have only flexed their muscle a little.
Gary Staley
May 8th, 2008
at 12:17am
I think even the people in China will find a way to get around any blocks put on them to use Google. I use it everyday and I don’t even try any other search methods.
Simon
May 8th, 2008
at 12:50am
This is a good topic. Since the main email service I use is gmail I would definitely find it very hard. I just love the speed and simple layout that gmail has in comparison with other email services.
FishingMedic
May 8th, 2008
at 12:53am
I have been using Google before most folks knew there was a Google. (got tipped off to this great new search engine by a few folks way back when on a lil show called “tech TV…..) Hopefully It will never change or be forced to BUT in this world it seems change is inevitable. I remember when I laughed at folks saying how big they thought MySpace would become……silly me Huh? I think some young mind will find/rethink some idea that will at least equal Google if not replace it ONE DAY, But…..hopefully when that happens, the change will begood enough that we won’t miss Google.
Tracker
May 8th, 2008
at 12:58am
Google could in theory could run its own internet network and have that going world wide and run it all. But if google was to do anything that would cause users not to like them any more then surly there would be another search engine that would spring up to fill the gap
*ponders if he should Pirillo it* :D
Miguel Chavez
May 8th, 2008
at 1:28am
I use Google all the time, and I’ve never really considered that possibility. I trust Google does not use their position for political or nefarious reasons; and I have not seen evidence of that at all. I do my fair share of research on the web, mostly for convenience, and I have not seen what can be described as bias of any kind. *If* Google has done this in China, then that would be terrible, terrible, terrible. I hope that they have not.
Outsanity
May 8th, 2008
at 1:34am
Honestly… it’s 50/50.
I would say I could go without Google but I say it’s 50/50 because there’s always Yahoo or some other search engine but, like a default, Google is usually the “iHangout”, so to speak.
Chris Porter
May 8th, 2008
at 1:39am
I honestly think that even Google, in all it’s highness, knows that it can be replaced just like it replaced the one before it. The beauty of the internet as it stands today is that anything can be created and this idea is what keeps things fresh and open. If the mighty “G” were to do something stupid like censor content, I think we would adopt something that would spring up in its place undoubtedly. Don’t even get me started on net neutrality… that’s a subject that infuriates me to no end. Why would I want to use a closed and directed internet? Anyway, as for where the future of the web is headed… I have a few ideas on where I’d like it to go but it all depends on the maintained openness. The only way to move beyond today is to keep everything on the table and develop from that pool of ideas… the more the better. Oh and as it stands today, no, I can’t live without my Google.
raymon
May 8th, 2008
at 1:56am
it’s really hard to live with out google i tired it but it very much in need for schoolkinds but the goverment controling this medium so we never know anything avout this world and the history is said they have to much power his is a fact if the can controle the internet the have to much power
Recadra
May 8th, 2008
at 2:03am
I don’t think I’d be able to live without Google. I’m using it on a dayly basis. I sure did try other search engines but most of the time te results they give are far worse then the results Google is giving me. On the other hand, I don’t believe Google is abusing it’s powers to filter results, I mean they’re fighting for Open Source, they’re trying to be transparent; they rock :-)
Ralajer
May 8th, 2008
at 2:58am
The fear that Google will use it power to for ill is really misplaced, it is not like the Umbrella Corporation. It derives its power from a voluntary interactions and I believe that the internet is anarchical , a term I use in spite of its negative connotations. Some may say it is a democracy but that would require a power structure that separate from the individual user’s wants and desires. If the the internet was anything but anarchy it could do all the bad things mention in the blog, luckily it is anarchy. While I do not want to speak for others I know that I would not use a services that is trying to shape the information I receive for any malicious intent. I would likely not be proactive in trying to detect any deceit on the part of Google but I would bet that there would many people that would be and they would get the word out. The bottom is that Google needs us more than we need it.
Hippy Randall
May 8th, 2008
at 3:22am
Live without Google? I couldn’t do it. I use it for…well everything. If Google got a dime for every time I opened their page they’d have at least an extra $30 per day in their coffers.
I don’t know how you did it but my hat is off to you for even attempting it!
Dan
May 8th, 2008
at 4:02am
Me thinks you worry too much.
dabrace1984
May 8th, 2008
at 4:33am
I could not live without Google. The main reason being that the school I go to uses Google Apps. If I didn’t use it, I would fail my way out of a degree. With that said, I use Google for so much. Google Reader, Google Calendar, Google Mail (Gmail), Google Docs, Google Earth, Google Scholar, YouTube, Google Checkout, GOOG-411, Google Maps, Blogger, and of course regular old Google.
Eliot
May 8th, 2008
at 4:46am
It would stink to have to live without Google (especially during school) because it has directly connected us to all the information we need. Any other method of gathering information is draining and tedious, and we don’t have the attention span for that anymore.
If Google though, decided to not allow certain searches to come through, it happens anyway in many news programs. They don’t have to report the news they don’t want to, and that power can be used to prove their own standpoint.
Dianne
May 8th, 2008
at 4:59am
I refuse to Google anything. Google is not a verb…it’s a commercial. I won’t use any Google products because they aren’t the best or the easiest to use; they are just the most widely advertised. People are too lazy to look beyond Google and that’s their right. But that’s one bandwagon I will stay off of.
Greenhippo33
May 8th, 2008
at 5:01am
Google has been my homepage for years , I don’t think I could live without it because I go there for EVERYTHING why you may ask , because Google know EVERYTHING for they really do :)
Jim
May 8th, 2008
at 5:14am
Chris,
I use Dogpile. It’s the best of all the search engines and it’s not that well known. People seem to be in a rut with Google - not me!!…go Dogpile!
epgeek
May 8th, 2008
at 6:11am
It is amazingly arrogant that China can force rules on content coming into China while at the same time giving free rein to their own spammers to trash the Internet conent going out of China with their offensive and criminal spam and scams!
C.S. McClendon
May 8th, 2008
at 6:12am
Now I admit I’m no business man… I never was, and my ideas tend to run to the altruistic, but were it me in the big chair, and a country, an entire country wanted to use my software? I would be all about the journalistic integrety. You want me to block certain content? Nope, sorry, there are other countries and you can take your business elsewhere. I feel that companies in that position have the opportunity to affect social change, and in cases like that… they also have the responsibility to do so as well. But of course, that’s just me.
Ron Donnell
May 8th, 2008
at 6:29am
I agree to some extent. But don’t you think with proliferation of mergers, even within the search engine community, there is the possibility that a new and open search engine could be absorbed by the like of Google?
I know there is a following of open source software, but the vast majority of individuals still use what is given to them on their brand box/white box computer. So does it not follow logically that with the growth and censorship capabilities of the huge search engines that they could in fact change the way we view information and news or history?
Just my opinion…
Mark Chandler
May 8th, 2008
at 6:30am
Absolutely. I use Yahoo for most all of my searches now. I haven’t looked back. I used to be a frequent Google user but I got tired of it, got a lot of misses. Yahoo does a better job than Google with their search and with the upcoming Search Monkey I think that things are going to get even better.
DaMirrorLink
May 8th, 2008
at 6:36am
I honestly could not live without google, that may be cause my email is with them, but anyway, the real reason why is the fact that I use it so often, and I prefer it much more ofer Alta Vista and Yahoo! and all the others, its just so much more easier and to me more accessible.
christian
May 8th, 2008
at 7:06am
well… google isn’t only the only one in the internet… somebody can live without it by using another site but the real question is: “could we live without the internet???” it seems to be hard if we don’t have internet in our lives…
Doug Rutherford
May 8th, 2008
at 7:26am
This is interesting because I recently did a couple blog posts that somewhat promoted Google technology and posed the question from a little different perspective asking, “What Microsoft technology could you not live without?” I found that Google is playing a huge role in helping people to move away from Microsoft by providing great online technology that is free which can replace the popular Microsoft applications. Combine that with a Mac and other open source / free software or web apps and you have a quick & easy replacement to your common household PC without giving Microsoft more support for relatively little cost.
mikewill55
May 8th, 2008
at 7:30am
Great show Chris!! Google, in my opinion, is what made the internet what it is today, a more enjoyable experience. Google only gets better, so it is hard to imagine how great the future will be. I just wish I would have bought 1,000 shares of their stock when it was first offered..lol.
mjay
May 8th, 2008
at 7:39am
I loves my gmail, my igoogle page, my google cal, and of course my google search. I use google Analytics. I love the recent changes they’ve made in their video search.
All that, and could I live without google? Sure! I don’t see why. Everything they do there is something out there that does it as well. Many services may even be doing a better job, or at least on the verge of doing a better job at their function, YOU NEVER KNOW!
My point? Google is in no position to try and do something many people would consider “evil.” While it would take effort to switch from google to something else, we are NOT locked in. If google does something shady they will loss some market hold. So far they’ve been great. I hope they continue to be.
Nacho
May 8th, 2008
at 7:57am
Hi chris!
First of all, I’m from argentina and my english isn’t rgeat, so sorry if I miss spell something, that being said, I’d like to share something that is happening to my cousin.
She uses google for everything!, i mean, every service or program that google made, she is either using as we speak, or she tried it at the very least.
She uses gmail, google docs, google esath, google calendar, google blogs, she pretty much has a GoogleLife, and i’ve even heard her say that she couldn’t live without it.
Another things is that, as google expands, providing new services (calendar, gmail, docs, etc)- and not only google, it’s a known trend that every application is moving on to the internet, to be used online, from a browser- more and more information is coming to the hands of a few, being really esay for them to regulate what goes back and forward on the net.
My wish is that the www wil balance itself.
this is my first comment on your blog, but ive been a suscriber of your youtube channel for sometime now.
best wishes
Scott Salberg
May 8th, 2008
at 8:05am
An argument that correlates the workings of a free-world internet search engine with the known censorship and human rights violations of a Communist government is doomed to be labelled fallacious.
That said…
I started using Google when it first came online, when I was on dial-up. It loaded quickly, and presented results quickly. I had previously used Yahoo’s search engine, which took more time to load and search. As Google matured, I found that its capacity to find what I was looking for far exceeded that of the other search engines. (YMMV.)
Today, Google still gives me better results than any other search engine. That’s why I use it.
For some, certainly, part of Google’s appeal is that it does NOT appear to censor information (while allowing the consumer the use of a safe mode for search results). Should Google start to “abuse” its “power”, some other company will develop to take their place. Google will not want this to happen, so will almost certainly continue to produce the product that has been overwhelmingly successful. (If we want to talk about abuse of power, we can switch the topic to Microsoft.)
Zach Scott
May 8th, 2008
at 8:06am
I think as we all move closer to the cloud things get cloudier. I think that there will always be dictators that try to impose their will on society in general. Society is different for everyone and your culture effects your view of society. So as we become more detached from society in general the more we become controlled by the cloud. This may not make sense but that is okay i guess.
Vapur
May 8th, 2008
at 8:16am
I think we have all became pretty dependent if you will on search engines. They simplify our mission to search for particular items or idea quickly.
I would say personally, yes, I am very dependent on google. I like it, I love it, I use it.
My daughter tells me to use ask.com and i’ve tried some others but I always come back to google. Perhaps its because of my love for gmail.
Anyways, I enjoy following you when I can chris…glad you have kept yourself in the geek forefront since the ‘call for help” days…which by the way I was an avid fan of.
Good Day!
Vapur
Len
May 8th, 2008
at 8:37am
It’s still my first choice for web searches as it gives the most relevant results and only returns pages that include my search terms.
I used to use Google groups extensively for PC solutions. Of late it’s been unusable and I’m missing it. I can’t find any suitable alternatives.
Len
Joe Barnes-Gott
May 8th, 2008
at 8:38am
Short answer: NO! Long answer: Oh my days what would i do without google? the amount of times i’ve not done my homework and its found the page i need to use in a split second! got me out of quite a few detentions i can tell you that! Its speed is incredible i love the way they always change the google logo with the change in the season/date. It need not be said how much it totally blows Windows Live Search out of the water! Google has been my homepage for a LONG time and will remain so for a long time. Awesome video Chris, great topic. Keep it up!
lubu
May 8th, 2008
at 8:52am
probly not cuz i have google set as homepage on all my pc’s /mac just has so much info google has just hope they stay good and not turn evil
hassan
May 8th, 2008
at 9:53am
Hey, Chris !
Thanks for that i have actually tried it for 1 month.
And as you mentioned that it was really hard.
let me just tell you what made me not use Google for 1 month, actually i use google like so much. I think like hundred of times a day or maybe even more.
So this came into my mind that why not try to search with out Google.
I think i can’t even live without Google.
yeah, that’s all i just wanted to share this experience with you.
Thanks for reading.
civilhuman
May 8th, 2008
at 10:05am
Could I live without google? yeah right! Every day im on the computer I use google at least ones. Well lets hope google doesn’t turn into a propaganda site and it would be easy. It could ether be this open source of knowledge or a corporate agenda source of knowledge. I think sadly The government would use google for it’s own agenda, if history teaches us anything it’s that people would would rather silence others rather than defend it’s positions. I have a feeling we may hear something in the news about this kind of stuff and people will be pissed. Hopefully we raise above this , and see a change in the world we every thing is clearly viable with nothing to hide.
duncanriley.tv
May 8th, 2008
at 10:14am
Chris Pirillo’s attempt
Nivek
May 8th, 2008
at 11:32am
Are you joking??? Just thinking about life without Google makes me woozy! I use Google on an hourly basis and I rely on Gmail, Google Search, GMaps, and iGoogle sooo much that I would be just about be as gone as Google if it went away.
matt barrett
May 8th, 2008
at 11:47am
I first thought that it was my internet connection. Then i found that msn and yahoo was still up. I am having a very hard time getting any thing done on the internet i have been using google for so long i find it hard to use any other searches. I have gotten use to using yahoo for my searches now. But i still cant get to my email and i am waiting on info about going to collage. My website ads are not up so my website was not making any money at all on it. I hope every one else has a easyer time going with out google.
cheeseman52
May 8th, 2008
at 12:15pm
I don’t know how anybody ever found information without google. I could never live without it. thanks for the post chris
Jake Scheatzle
May 8th, 2008
at 12:37pm
Living without google doesnt seem hard until you think about it
I use it so much if i think about it
But alot of bad people use google
inherintly google isnt the wrong the sites that it takes you to in that case
And i doubt anything is gonna take over google any time soon
And becoming a better group of people would be a whole lot easier if we didnt have punk kids on the internets
GGCO
May 8th, 2008
at 12:42pm
Could I live with out google. That is like saying could you like with out chocolate. Of course I could! But my life would be much harder. I am a HUGE fan of web-based email and I have accounts on pretty much every service, and GMAIL is by far the best. Their google apps and other services are excellent, and I use them alot.
Hmm….I don’t like it when governments and or big companies filter what you can and cannot look at. Not good. That is very very scary. If they can filter what you can look at and how you get your information then that means they can control how and what you believe. However, I do believe that there is a place for regulation of the net. Such as taking off pornography and that kind of things. Remember even though China has blocks on their citizens there is always a way around the block. Take a look at the world of hacking.
The bottom line is this. The internet can be used for good, and it can be used for bad. It is up to us what we do with it.
Fabs
May 8th, 2008
at 12:51pm
Hey this googlefasting is really quite an interesting idea. guess I’m gonna try this rather soon.
I guess you can live without google, as you proved (well, rather poorly). But I think google’s powerful search engine is not just extremely convenient and useful.
It’s an obvious fact that the internet wouldn’t be the way it is today if it wasn’t for google. I think the internet actually needed it, yes it was just waiting for this invention to be made.
It’s like modern surgery without anesthesia. I mean, it is possible to perform surgery without drugs. Theoretically. It would just involve excruciating pain (not having it at all) or using inconvenient and unreliable methods like hypnosis (substitutes like yahoo etc.)
I believe google was not just a turbo for the internet. It is is actually the motor oil, without which you would be in quite a hopeless situation trying to use the motor(/the internet)
It is crucial that we have google to rely on.
Having said that, I am quite intimidated by the power and influence this massive company has. Of course google just has to put up with the chinese government’s orders in order not to loose this evergrowing market. but the fact that google doesn’t stick to uninfluenced information strictly, raises the question of how long it will be until we get compromised results here in the ‘western world’.
I thank you very much for this blog. It has very much stimulated my mind as you might have noticed^^
Have a good one
Fabs (switzerland)
Garey Harvey
May 8th, 2008
at 1:23pm
Frankly, I could not get all the stuff I do get without GOOGLE,He has been my BEST, tool I have had ever since I started withPIRILLO….Google gets to places that GOD, forgot it was there. Now that sentence does not sound all that great , but I have been out of school since 1955, I need to go to the PIRILLO school of talking and writing, he has a different slant on a lot of stuff, that I read. I just found out WHY,,, I did not know he lives in IOWA. iS THAT STATE have lots of grain growing , it looks like 3/4 of the state is fields, good money maker,
,
Russell
May 8th, 2008
at 1:25pm
I could NEVER live without google. all the other searches dont have very go UI if u as me and ther are to many flash banners. I LOVE GOOGLE!
summd14
May 8th, 2008
at 1:44pm
I truly will say that I would not be able to survive without google. For crying out loud, it’s my home page. Google and Facebook are my addictions, i go on them once to 31 times a day. Either for Sci & Tech in Google News or just for a quick search, I’ve always used google although there was a time that i thought dogpile was awesome, but i got over that stage in my life. But thanks chris for talking about all of this.
Rob Fahrni
May 8th, 2008
at 1:45pm
Chris Pirillo: “Do you use Google? Could you get along without it for a week? I tried it, and dubbed it Google Fasting. There’s no way I could do that again. It was really tough, believe it or not. I got an email from Mike recently, that raised a thought-provoking
Andrew Brackin
May 8th, 2008
at 2:05pm
I couldnt i use google , youtube, blogger, google docs all the time and gmail what about my ipod touch how would i search its set up for google and i mean bebo and other searches are ran by google.
So my awnser is no plus adsense is everywhere.
Thanks again Chris
CPUGenuis
May 8th, 2008
at 2:07pm
i personally think google is trustworthy, but there needs to be some type of law in place so they aren’t tempted to do things wrongly.
Rabid_Llama8
May 8th, 2008
at 2:12pm
Not only does Google have the ability to shape history in search results but being integrated into as many aspects of internet use as they are I think the scarier outcomes comes from what could happen with the information they wield. People seems so willing to hand out personal information to get something for free and Google has already begun to cater ads based on this. How long can someone in possession of this kind of information not abuse it? I don’t think I want to find out.
Astrogeek
May 8th, 2008
at 2:14pm
Yah… as an IT guy I could not only live without google, I could live without computers, and go back to the stone age, with pleasure.
Spitviper
May 8th, 2008
at 2:18pm
There’s no way I would possibly be able to live without google, It’s always up as a second window on my computer just in case I have to quickly look somthing up. A week without google? That might be a cool experiment I might want to try later in the future.
hichez
May 8th, 2008
at 2:46pm
google would have a hard time doing that in the state it is in now. the only possible way that could could happen is if they get a drunk CEO.
MacProMan
May 8th, 2008
at 2:47pm
Yes I was one of the ones that was chatting on there and I absolutely could not live without google because I use it every day.
Montreal
May 8th, 2008
at 3:50pm
I think there needs to be some clarification. Google is a search engine, could I live without Google, yes, of course. There are many, many other search engines, many of them are not as good as Google, but they serve the purpose of general internet searching.
However, if the question is altered to: could you live without search engines, the answer is most certainly no. The reason being that without a search engine the internet’s usefulness is greatly reduced.
Micah
May 8th, 2008
at 3:57pm
I think Google needs us more than we need it. Our traffic draws in their revenue from advertisers. Seems to me the only reason we rely so heavily on the use of Google, is because it has become so integrated into everything that we use. Google has learned how to permeate ever aspect of our online and sometimes offline lives. So I don’t see an inherent or acquired need for google, its just one of the simplest and smartest search engines being used right now. What we have come to rely on is the services these information trafficking companies provide…and I expect an increase in the quantity of services provided balanced with a small decrease on how well they work, or if certain services are necessary at all and not just bloatware.
Robert
May 8th, 2008
at 4:00pm
I lived without the internets for 30 years, so… yes… I think I could live without Google for a week. Mind you, I wouldn’t be happy, but I could live. Apparently I’ll get to put it to the test this summer. We have a family vacation planned with some friends. A week in a cabin on a lake without internet or telephone. I plan to stock my iPod with lots of podcasts.
umpc
May 8th, 2008
at 4:01pm
I know i can’t live without the cool features, and EVERYTHING that they have to offer
Tim Cheung
May 8th, 2008
at 4:24pm
i probably wouldnt be able to go through my daily life with out google. i use google for almost everything.
Tom
May 8th, 2008
at 5:07pm
I imagine that I could live without Google, to a certain degree because there are other search engines that are fairly close in functionality. Are there any major differences between Google and say Yahoo, aside from any aesthetic differences?
Wraak
May 8th, 2008
at 5:10pm
(pressed backspace and lost my last comment)
I could probably live without google - with yahoo, msn, dogpile, etc - but thats not the point. From what I understand its about censorship. I am definately for net neutrality as are most common users of the interweb. The stuff going on in China is all messed up so I guess they are an exception.
When google wants to start taking over they will end up like Realplayer and be in the virtual trash bin of life.
Joriz
May 8th, 2008
at 7:15pm
I think I could be able to live without google at least for a day or 2. I have my most visited/favorite links all setup in my.yahoo page. All the things I need in the daily basis to do my work and news updates / movies / TV shows and all are in that yahoo page. Or say in case I need to buy stuff computer components, i immediately know where to go - NewEgg, BhP photo… or If i need some information about network stuff, I usually just go directly to cisco if it concerns cisco. If I need a sample code about somthing, I go to csharpcorner or heaveanscode and a lot more. Of course I stil need google in the end, if I’m not finding what I need.
Joriz
May 8th, 2008
at 7:18pm
oh i forgot to mention about forums. although I’;m member to countless forums. I still use google to find for more. But usually i just go directly to forums like if it is something about home entertainment, i go to avsforum or say crutchfield.
One thing I missed though was google groups. I used to be a heavy user of google groups but now, I hardly used it. everytime i use it to find something I/m just not getting what i want. So i eventually stopped using it.
Rx7turboII
May 8th, 2008
at 7:22pm
I could not live without Google to save my life. Especially since browsers started supporting the google toolbar. I do think it is possible that Google could be limiting our knowledge, sending us spiraling into the horror of futuristic satires as a form of reality. Also; I know this sounds disturbing, but a friend of mine that had a sick mind used to google image search for child porn, then he started complaining the google DOES NOT let you search for it anymore. There is a message somewhere along the lines of “searching for this is illegal, due to legalities with the U.S. government google has hidden the search results from you”. I know it’s an extreme example, but it goes to show Google can limit our searches too, and they could be keeping us from proper international news. Also, don’t worry I am not the aforementioned friend’s friend anymore :D
TheTechStop
May 8th, 2008
at 7:38pm
I could not live without Google. Yahoo doesn’t cut it for me. I know some people swear by Yahoo, and I don’t see how they do it when Google in my opinion is superior. Google is how I found all my web pages that I want to look at and surf. I use Gmail as one of my primary email accounts, so Gmail is a big part of my life. Also Google Maps. When I have to drive in a area that I am not familiar with I quick go on Google maps and print off a map. So I would die without Google.
liberator
May 8th, 2008
at 7:39pm
i personally could not live without google. i use google probably 10 to 15 times a day. i would try not using google but it would cripple me and i would probably go insane from lack of new information
iowafan4life
May 8th, 2008
at 8:36pm
i could not live with out google. i use it at least 3 times a day. the thing is why is google so great, other places like yahoo and msn were the owners of the search and email (or aol for email) until google came along. i also have wanted to know how do they create the lists liek if you search chris pirillo. a page may comp up of pictures and some your webshow and your youtube account. how do they put that in there?
Chris W
May 8th, 2008
at 8:51pm
Google IS the internet! As far as I’m concerned, Google represents the internet as a whole. Years ago, when Google was new, I immediately knew that it was here to stay and was going to become popular. What I’ve always thought was the best feature is simply the cleanness of their interface, with even their ads not being obnoxious with flashing graphics and whatnot. Website CLUTTER has always annoyed me, and most other search sites used to have or still do, a bunch of **** all over the screen that overwhelms my poor, easily distracted brain.
As far as Google being a super power dominating force that runs the world, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. Every sword has a double edge, and every tool can be used for good, or for evil. The internet is no different. That’s just life. Things will play out for the best, that is if you believe that good triumphs over evil in the end. Which I do.
Mirvays
May 8th, 2008
at 9:25pm
Yahoo,Ask.com and other small search engines wont do the job we need Google to depend upon/” AM I RIGHT OR AM I RIGHT?”
Google Tutor: Tutorials and Tips for Google Users
May 8th, 2008
at 9:35pm
a post today by Chris Pirillo
Condoulo
May 8th, 2008
at 10:32pm
There is NO WAY I would live without Google.. maybe before I signed up for a google account, but now I do many things on Google, I read my email, check RSS feeds, use bookmarking, Google Calendar, and iGoogle to check most of that in one page. Even Youtube I use
To tell the truth, I actually read this blog post, in Google reader. Since I switched to Firefox, I’ve taken advantage of the built in Google search.
Google can be to the point where it can control your life……… I mean with all the Google services out there.
I also see Google replacing the Desktop OS with online apps pretty much.
I, and probably many other people rely on Google for so many things, if Google ever goes, well, it will be hard to find something as great.
Those are my mixed up thoughts on Google, if you could understand the mumble jumble. Great topic though. Sparked my interest. (Since I am a Google Fanboy, if you will).
~ Tyler J. Brown (Condoulo)
Mi blog
May 8th, 2008
at 11:10pm
http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/05/07/could-you-live-without-google/
Brady
May 9th, 2008
at 1:21am
I probably could not even use the internet without google, I use it for everything from a Calculator to a Spell checker and a dictionary. There is nothing like google, I would probably use Yahoo though if I really had to dump google, But that is not going to happen anytime soon. Oh, and Google define: Society as an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization.
v2explosivo
May 9th, 2008
at 5:50am
I definitely agree, Chris. Although it may be a bad thing that Google has so much potential, I fear that if we become too dependent on Google, we may lose sight of the bigger picture of the internet: communication. Even the fact that ‘google’ has become a household verb for ’search’ frightens me. If we allow Google to be the prime source of which we gain our knowledge, we’ll end up missing the bits and pieces not tracked (in a full respect) by Google. I’ll have to try Googlefasting and see how long I can go before needing to use it.
Fil
May 9th, 2008
at 8:24am
Google is the best service on the internet available, it’s really helped us look for all kinds of information available to us. Google is a crucial search engine that I’ve used ever since the internet was created.
Jahada
May 9th, 2008
at 9:51am
ok, now what did people use before google. hmmmm…. i don’t remember; however, i don’t think any search engine works better. yeah yahoo and aol… (they are ok, well at least yahoo-who uses aol today) i still have my aol account because it is free and i don’t want to change. it is kinda like my grandmother’s phone number that never changed while my mom moved us around from state to state changing our phone numbers so many times, her’s was constant and that is why i keep my aol email addy. i use others from time to time. i don’t understand how it all works in the making of money for others but, i try to help a lil if I can and it seems like I am helping the company without a cost to me. does it cost me in some way? no, right? anyways. i am trying to post on as many links as i can but, there are over 400 pages of posts so which ones to choose from. hmm, like i said in an early post if it is meant for me…. there is no way that i am going to be able to post to all or close to all or very many posts period. I have 7 children, homeschool, and all just the regular daily activies. this is the first time i have taken the time out of my day to try to win anything this seems it is going to take up so much time. and alot of these post - i don’t even have a clue as to what they are talking about except win this or that free-of course i understand that clearly. lol. anyway i will keep trying because i certainly can’t afford it. so why not at least try, right? ok til later today when i have a few more minutes of “free time.”
Finlay Craig
May 9th, 2008
at 10:30am
Google is definitely shaping the way people are able to express themselves. Not necessarily in ways that could effect people in a bad way, but more in the sense that ‘So what if some people don’t like what your doing?’ There are so many people using services such as Google that anyone can find appreciation for what they are doing. Music for example - people love making music but some are just to shy to try! But services like YouTube let these people get their sound out there. Ron Jenkins for example is one of my favorite online musicians, his YouTube went from very few views to almost 1,000,000 on some. He now has 1 CD which is selling well, and another on the way. This service has literally given him is career. In that respect Google isn’t just something I wouldn’t want to live without, but something I couldn’t live this life without.
Ion
May 9th, 2008
at 12:59pm
Google has me hooked with the services it provides because of its ease of use, flexibility and good online collaboration skills. I use Google Search, Gmail, Calendar, Notepad, Docs and Reader to run my virtual existence on a daily basis.
Nevertheless Google’s possibility to hide information from our reach will bring its own destruction as we, its users, could always stop using a censuring service and find alternative ways to escape its dominance.
Being an Eastern European I have the experience of censorship especially during the last years of communism and I’m sure that when human liberties are ignored the only way to resist the menace is finding options to it - namely online spaces that understand the importance of their users privacy and act accordingly.
Google’s vast resources should respect common sense and live up to its slogan “Don’t be evil” :)
Fort
May 9th, 2008
at 2:57pm
Nope, I love Google and use it every day. Not much beats it for info at my fingertips and at a moments notice. Hate to think I’d have to go back to AltaVista or Dogpile if something happened to Google.
skinnymg1
May 9th, 2008
at 2:59pm
Google is my way of life. It is how I learn and navigate the internet and even more. I would not even like to think about going without it. Its my bread and butter.
Yup me again
Skinnymg1
helpmetechshow
May 9th, 2008
at 3:51pm
As a frequent Google user, hearing this kinda makes me feel like an addict. If one company has so much power, (and their only real competitor, Yahoo! seems to be on the road to destruction) How does anyone get close to shutting them down? How does someone knock them off their perch? If we keep going like this, we are going to become androids. The only person capable of stopping them from being the equivalent of an internet wide government is the government. And to tell you the truth, I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon.
KY_Wildcat
May 9th, 2008
at 3:57pm
NO! NO! NO! I use Google EVERY DAY! And I really don’ think I could live without it. It’d be very hard to even get to a website without using Google… plus, anymore, every single website you go to has a way to get to Google from it. Not only that, any thing you click on anymore will often take you to a google results page. So, if you wanted to do a complete boycott of Google… it would be near impossible to do it. Be kinda fun to try if you ask me. lol
mohammedmali
May 9th, 2008
at 4:40pm
ya i think google has a lot of power over internet. i use google on daily bases and i might be a go a day or so without using google. i have used mamma.com, dogpile.com. any some other ones but they weren as accurate as google.
ZiggyFish
May 9th, 2008
at 5:56pm
How is this different from the OS market, and to extent in the OS market, it does happen. We are essentially controlled by Microsoft. Name same something that we done, that hasn’t gotton off of the ground before Microsoft inplemented it?
Bullit131
May 9th, 2008
at 8:22pm
I would never google fast, I literally use google everyday at home and school. I’m surprised I don’t use gmail yet.
Hamsterz (animalpalace)
May 9th, 2008
at 8:40pm
I think I could.. only if I had a day to prepare. Some sites I know everything, like their URL and stuff. I search them on google, because thats how the site is. But I could live.. if I was on vacation in the rocky mountains for a week, yes, for sure I would. If I was backpacking, for sure. lol
jsf
May 9th, 2008
at 9:10pm
I think that it’s fair to assume that we’ve become far too dependent on one website, namely Google. Google is everywhere. Mozilla has a toolbar and IE has a toolbar. Finally one thing Microsoft and Open Source can agree on! But the real fact of the matter is that there are other search engines out there and said search engines would be a much larger and more used if Google was not the prime target of people because of its quick availability on both IE and Mozilla with the built-in toolbar. As far as moving past today, we always move past things. Most things we don’t even notice because we pass by them so quickly. What could a search engine do to trump Google? I haven’t the slightest clue, but what I do know is that something will come. Carnegie didn’t stay on top forever and I predict that neither will Google. Something new will come and will do something that Google doesn’t or maybe even does the same thing, as is the case between Intel and AMD. AMD builds chips that can compete with Duo Core chips, not chips that are necessarily better. Google needs a rival to ensure that its broad internet powers do not go unchecked. The future is guaranteed to come, however what the future contains is not. For all I know, Google will remain on top until the end of the Internet and technological age and will filter everything we see and search and then also work with the government to block news agencies so that no bad news can reach the citizens, just like what China currently does. Will that ever happen in the home of the free and land of the brave? Only time will tell.
AshTR
May 10th, 2008
at 12:18am
****. A week without Google? There’s no way I could do that. I use it way way way too much.
Although, I guess we don’t really depend on it too much since we do have alternatives like Yahoo Search, Live Search, and various other companies’ search engines that are decent enough. Just not as good as Google.
Zeke Gilpin
May 10th, 2008
at 1:12am
Personally i dont think i could live without it. i mean sure theres others but googles by far is one of the best in my honest opinion it gives me good solid results and a clean cut look. i just like it better than the others so i couldnt live without all thats google my number 1 search engine ^ ^
GGCO
May 10th, 2008
at 4:31am
One more thing.
I hate Windows Calendar/Outlook. I run a lawn service business in the summer, and I need a calendar. As I said I don’t like Microsoft’s so I am using Google Calendar right now. I have tried the Airset thing, and that is just a pain to use. I was wondering if anyone knew of a really good calendar app that is easy to use and free? Thanks!
Mataniah
May 10th, 2008
at 6:41am
Yes i can live without google. Reason i say i could is because lets face it, Yahoo? Excite? (as far as i know but i could be wrong) have been around before Google. I hear of the chit chat of google being the best search there is but i’ve tryed it and it just did not fit my neds as a search. It works i’d say more towards internet related use, i.e softwere, apps, etc but i’m more of a yahoo search because i like the image surch (for fuy images) videos and so on.
So yes, i can live without google.
As for Google Doc, i been following that idea since my WebTV Days useing Angelfire to save and edit txt files, save transcripts and so on. So i like angelfire for that and its never failed me!
-Mataniah
Bread
May 10th, 2008
at 9:06am
It’s not that Google has power, rather it is that we use it so much that it’s hard to alternate to other options. Whenever we need to search something. We type google.com. But, I think I would be able to get along by switching my browser engine and homepage. Still, Google’s content is used too much. And what if you have Gmail? Then you can’t google fast.
KostadinVo
May 10th, 2008
at 12:49pm
Way back in the time when Google got way ahead from Yahoo with their search enigine the time which Google needed to find the result was 0.0000000…something. Now (at least for me) varies from 0.001 to 0.59. Its true that the string which is being searched matters a lot but the Internet got bigger and that’s a noticable fact. Way back in those days the most relevant results were in the front page. Now… its kinda different. Maybe few years before their algorithm seemed ‘the best’ but now its not quite so at least in my opinion. Make a little test for yourself. Google ‘Ozar Midrashim’. This is a song by Information Society. By our logic the first result must be some e-music shop, wikipage, group page or something of this kind. But surprise…the first two results are remixed version of the song not by the original band which happen to be hosted on…You Tube (surprise…). The truth is that its not the most relevant result at least in my opinion. When you click the “I’m feeling lucky” it starts the You Tube remix video and not the wiki page or the group page. Is that relevant? Is that algorithm ‘the best’? I think that inevitably someone will show up with a search engine that solves this kind of problems. This is evolution and it is truly inevitable. As for that if we can live without Google..sure we can! Its not the only search engine and even without any search engine I think we can figure something out as mankind always does.
GGCO
May 10th, 2008
at 1:02pm
One question guys. I have used Google Reader for about a month now, and I’m sorry but I really don’t see the point. Actually, I do see the point, but I just don’t use it as much as I thought I would. I was wondering if anyone else used Google Reader?
Also as much as I love the idea of Google Docs, I honestly do no use them that much at all. I don’t like how the controls are laid out, and the simplicity of it. That is if you can call it simplicity. I think that it is half-backed. Is it really easier to go online to Google Docs or just open up Word? Remember if I bring my laptop and have a word processor on it I can type a document on it anywhere. Even places with out Internet. But with Google Docs I have to have Internet access. How about Google and Open Office combining forces and making a sweet Microsoft Word killing application?
Don’t get me wrong though, I love the concept! I love it, but I think that it is just easier to write something on Word or Open Office.
What do you think? Do you use Google Docs? Is it just me that is complaining, or do other people have the same thoughts?
Stephen
May 10th, 2008
at 3:13pm
We’re you allowed to use other search engines besides google during your google fasting?
leonacrafts
May 10th, 2008
at 3:14pm
I’ve lived without google so far. ^_^ Sorry, but it’s not my main source to EVERYTHING, I use a variety of sites, the only things I’ll use Google for, is maps, and backup files that I save. ^_^ everything else, I use other sites, like Yahoo (for whatever reason Google Search engine doesn’t like me, can’t get what I’m looking for, and Yahoo gets it on the first try, sorry) I also prefer certain places over others for specific benefits, for example when it comes to IMing, I use Yahoo and MSN, depending on what I need at the time, I will ask my friends to switch from one to the other, Msn has better Mic Connection for chatting when I’m in game, but Yahoo supplies the option of multiple chatting over mic in one chat room unlike MSN, MSN let me use Custom Icons, while Yahoo gives me more space to actually Type up a longer paragraph. They both have their uses, I wish one day they just put them together and no more need to switch for everything.
Grayson
May 10th, 2008
at 3:19pm
I think there are multiple sub-societies to general society. A new sub-society is necessary to be formed when a group of people become independent at some point of another society. So, how does this relate to Google?
Google in my humble opinion IS the internet, and the internet is a sub-society. Without Google I would have an extremely hard time getting around. It’s so important in fact, that it’s my homepage. I NEED Google. Google has so many different services that are all so brilliantly executed besides its search too. Google Earth, Google Docs, Google Maps, Google News, I could go on… Now, I know other people are also as crazy about Google as I am.
So, when we have a group of people crazy about something, that something has major power. Google being that something could adjust itself to change peoples opinions, and even control people to a certain extent.
So, to answer to emailer’s question: Google’s power is fine for the internet; so long as Google remains as open as it is now.
tupactim
May 10th, 2008
at 4:08pm
Simple answer to the first question NO,
I couldn’t live without Google,
I depend on them for my email, troubleshooting problems, (using search) searching stuff on the internet and my PC (Google desktop), video (youtube (
JavaBeans
May 10th, 2008
at 5:18pm
This reminds me of a question I was asked not too long ago. Someone asked me, “What was out there before Google?”. It has been so long since I have used another search engine that I could hardly rememeber another. The few I do remember are WebCrawler, Altavista, and Yahoo. I tried using Yahoo again, ugh, just horrible in comparision.
Should Google keep such a strangle hold? Of course, if they are doing it better than the rest, why not? Google makes finding information on the internet such an easy task, I welcome that any day.
stryper2000
May 10th, 2008
at 8:15pm
Personally I have too become attached to Google over Yahoo, but i don’t believe it’s going to monopolize anything in my opinion. Reason being that theres always going to be someone to try to take them out of the lead somewhere down the road
Antonio
May 10th, 2008
at 8:30pm
I definately could live without google. There are many more search engines. I remember the day that the web wasn’t even hypertexted. Search from “the terminal” was normal. The internet has come far, but definately wouldn’t define my life. Organizations can control information on the internet, but there are still many ways of transmitting it.
TechGuy555
May 10th, 2008
at 11:06pm
Google is just a word that everybody is addicted to. When we want to find out something, we don’t go to Ask or Yahoo. We just type in google.com. We have gotten so used to it, we do it without knowing. Google will be around for a long time, and we will always remember it.
azzack5
May 11th, 2008
at 4:28am
Hi, Chris.
My opinion is that I can live without Google because you know Google has not been around for ever. But I also think that we are going to live without googel sooner or later, I think Google is going to dissapear some day. But when Google dissapear some other company is going to create a simular wabsite and we are going to use that site just as much. I don’t have a clue of how Google is going to dissapear or if it going to, Google may not even dissapear but I find it most likely that it is going to dissapear some day. The day google dissapear im not going to be concerned becouse like the next day google is going to get a substitute.
ps. sorry for my bad english ( im from sweden )
Ionen47
May 11th, 2008
at 4:32am
I use Google products on a daily basis - Gmail, Doc, Reader, News, Maps, Picasa, Notebook and of course the Search feature. It’s their convenience and flexibility I like, and also the ease of use.
Censorship on the Internet it’s the worst thing that could happen and I’m pretty sure everybody will drop Google’s services if this spreads.
I see the Web as a crossroads of policies - those of the ISPs, of the big companies and that of the average user. And the latter is whom should be empowered to do its work, to have fun or to waste time on the Net.
Google isn’t the only solution out there for managing our online activities - and when I’ll notice that it will stop following its slogan, I’ll be the evil one and delete my accounts with them and choose another search engine, mail client etc.
It’s a competitive space, the Internet, and we the users should benefit from that!
Cody1
May 11th, 2008
at 6:33am
I could not live with out Google.Google is a great search engine but also a Great spell checker! Google has also helped many different Websites develop to what they are today.Google can and will take any challenge that we throw at it!
-Cody
delfmeek
May 11th, 2008
at 7:41am
Could I live without Google Search? It would be difficult. Could I live without all of the other stuff that Google offeres? yes.
D0M1N8R
May 11th, 2008
at 7:56am
I could certainly live without Google but they think there would be a level of degradation to the Internet experience as far as finding the information you need when you need it. They also have quite a bit of interesting projects. Google docs seems to be very promising.. love it
peoplephobic
May 11th, 2008
at 8:39am
I think there are enough other search engines where I could survive without google. I don’t think I could make it without search engines though.
jeremy
May 11th, 2008
at 12:19pm
google. is this super internet power.. they came out of no where and google, is hackers best friend. you can look up anything. its scary but cool. if you think about it google is a super power.
Laurent’s blog
May 11th, 2008
at 12:48pm
Twitter is finaly trying to do something about spammer. Simply by kicking them off. Pownce introduces the sharing of files through your lifestream. Someone (namely Chris Pirillo) tried to live one week without Google. He calls it Google Fasting and saysits impossible to survive. Facebook 5000 friends limits finally lifted. Touches about 1000 of the 70 millions active users. Picasa photosharing site Hello will disappear.
bradleybradwell
May 11th, 2008
at 12:50pm
I used to be a strict MSN Fan, or i guess now they call it live. Then i started using Google Services, and i was so amazed of what it could do for me. Now i have to admit that i probably use Google For Almost everything i do on the internet now days. I wonder if another search engine will ever become more popular as Google has????
Thanks
Bradley Bradwell
gotenks08
May 11th, 2008
at 1:06pm
I agree that it would be difficult to live w/o Google search. However, I’m going to disagree with you a bit. For example, Could I live w/o Gmail? No, it’s the best free email provider out there and I don’t need to download a CSV file anymore to have my mail client import my contacts. Could I live w/o Google Docs? Maybe, but it’s not like I carry around my external hard drive everywhere I go and USB Flash drives are limited on what it can hold. Can I live w/o everything else? Yes.
Hemo2OO
May 11th, 2008
at 1:31pm
you are right. we, people had google addiction.we became unable to live without google.
corvettefisher
May 11th, 2008
at 2:11pm
CHris isn’t a Pc guy he uses a mac. All Pc gurus build their own PCs and laptops
togmanzoo
May 11th, 2008
at 3:23pm
It is true, I can’t use a computer without using google. Heck, I’d pay to use google because it’s an internet life-line. See something on TV or make a bet with your friend, use google to search it up.
IIoWoII
May 11th, 2008
at 3:54pm
Uhm… No
I use google all the time, at home and school.
Yahoo is too comercial for me.
Also google is not only the search engine, it´s also all the other stuff like:
Google earth, google desktop, Android ( opensource Phone OS ).
Varun
May 11th, 2008
at 6:19pm
I Can honestly tell you this right now I cannot live without google. I have had many attempts to try to switch of the serch engine and its products but I just can’t. The competing products just arent as good (except for online yahoo mail). Still I would love to be a person who uses multiple products from different vendors but I’m not.
David
May 11th, 2008
at 7:48pm
Personally, i couldn’t live a day without google. Every little thing that i look up or need to look up, i just type in google.com and look it up and i always get good results. I mean there’s other good search engines out there but google.com is my favorite… :D
moremetallica
May 11th, 2008
at 11:19pm
I use Google on a daily basis. Whenever I need information, I use Google. However, Google dose not always give me the answers I need so then I flip to ask.com. The thing I like about ask.com is that if you ask the question in the wrong way there are other suggestions on how to ask the question or search phrase. As for defining society, there are crack heads and non-crack heads just kidding. Our society is so complex it hard to define there is no black and white only gray. Chris had it right about the corn analogy there are people who associate only with the people with common likeness. If I am all about computers, there will be a good possibility that I will be in the group/society of people with similar interests. However, without search engines aka Google it would not be as easy to connect with those people. We are defiantly changing as a society we are not as out as much as we use to be. We can stay home and make those same connections with other people over the internet. We no longer need to go to the Library to get information or even go out to meet new people. Eventually people will see that the connections we are making and the things we do at home on line are not as important as the real life connections you make in the real world out side of your keyboard and screen.
gotenks08
May 11th, 2008
at 11:35pm
“All PC gurus build their own PCs and laptops.”
This is statement is false. I know two people who prefer PCs over Mac but they don’t build their own computer. They don’t even make their own laptop either. Sorry to say this, but most statements containing the word “all” are false statements.
TechTV Reunion
May 11th, 2008
at 11:45pm
Apple iBook G4 Deal - May 9, 2008 - Chris Baseball Rampage Coupons + How to Hit a Curveball - May 8, 2008 - Chris Second Act Coupons - May 8, 2008 - ChrisCould you Live Without Google? - May 7, 2008 - Chris How and Where do you Save Files? - May 7, 2008 - Chris
kl0otzak
May 12th, 2008
at 12:55am
yahoo!
:S
closer232
May 12th, 2008
at 3:01am
whats google?
yash230395
May 12th, 2008
at 3:26am
i like pie
yash230395
May 12th, 2008
at 3:26am
u loser
andyboy155
May 12th, 2008
at 3:44am
never heard of google
omfg4000
May 12th, 2008
at 3:46am
Firefox is evil, Google is evil to.
They said “We’re going to be able to enable you to search through your Hardrive with google…though you will have to give up some of your privacy (again)”…
That’s a real quote.
trashyourtv
May 12th, 2008
at 5:20am
chris i must say if it wasnt for google i wouldnt of found you or this blog. but im glad i did u anwser alot of questions im either asking myself or someone elese is asking me. i think what you are doing is great and full of usefull knowledge and i now am a better person for finding this blog…keep up the great work
pimpinout1
May 12th, 2008
at 8:02am
yahoo FTW
ProfTheory
May 12th, 2008
at 10:50am
Life would go on if Google stopped doing searches. Their was life before them such as Excite, AltaVista, and Yahoo. Will Network23 be next?
adam james
May 12th, 2008
at 1:03pm
chris i must say if it wasnt for google i wouldnt of found you or this blog. but im glad i did u anwser alot of questions im either asking myself or someone elese is asking me. i think what you are doing is great and full of usefull knowledge and i now am a better person for finding this blog…keep up the great work
xscottx3
May 12th, 2008
at 1:41pm
I live on Google! As a college student I need it constantly to look up the various things I need for my courses. I also use it to do my own research and also for my personal interests. I have used a few different search engines and I have found Google to be the best. I could not live without it.
PsionicArchon
May 12th, 2008
at 2:21pm
Can I live without Google, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. In fact, without refining your search or adding in complex search algorithms such as the highly useful index search command intitle I find Google to be down right near useless when I’m looking for something uncommon or highly specific. Being a power user, I do this all the time. Google has become so large a search engine spidering so many different websites that then you search for lets say a ps2 to usb converter so you can attach a dance mat to your pc you get swamped with a ton of irrelevant websites.
This leaves me using Google as a shortcut when I’m in school, or not on my home computer to reach sites I don’t know the full address to, even then I still have to poke around for a bit on those particular sites to get where I want to be. It’s not search engines we should be worrying about its service providers such as Comcast and Version. If Google suddenly vanished or started altering what you could search for how would that impact your internet experience? Now, if lets say Comcast were to vanish where would you be then?
I admit, Google is a convenience and one we have all grown used to and we all know what happens when a convenience is removed from our lives however to go as far as to say it has the potential to run our lives might be stretching it, to shape yes to run no that I can’t agree with.
As for society, I would love to go off on the internet and its relation to society however I feel this post is long enough and that might be a topic for another place and time.
Potato Funk
May 12th, 2008
at 2:50pm
to be honest i dont think i could live without google now.
I remember the days when it wasnt around and i look back at it now and i wonder how people survived.
One of the most ridiculous arguments against google is that it is dominating the area too much. HOW IS THAT A BAD THING?
It is not a problem for other companies because the competators are equally large companys, if not bigger.
They have potential to get the market easy but Google has such a grip on it now because the average person knows of google and how to use it.
Harvey
May 12th, 2008
at 5:51pm
Persoanlly, I find it clumsy and pretentious. I do very well without it. In fact its imbedding in so many web sites is quite annoying. For anyone who feel they cannot live without it. I won’t be hiring any of you to work for me.
Connor
May 12th, 2008
at 6:24pm
I have actually tried google fasting two times, the first, I lasted a day, the second time, I gave up in about 6 hours
Jacob
May 12th, 2008
at 7:24pm
ipersonallyi could not live without google. i use google probably 40 to 60 times a day. i would try not using google. google is the bee’s knees, the apple’s core, the car’s engine :) i love google
Kevinaz
May 12th, 2008
at 7:26pm
i think back to the old aol dial up days before google, and i dont know how i ever got along without google.
Miguel Chavez
May 12th, 2008
at 8:11pm
I *could* but wouldn’t want to. I choose Google for 10 major reasons. 1) The homepage is *clean*. 2) I’m not the greatest speller in the world, and it’s spell check is very useful and accurate. 3) Google News is awesome, and I use that feature all the time. 4) Google books has complete (facsimile) volumes online and partial volumes for public viewing. As a bookworm this is freakin awesome. 5) I love Google Video. This is a great one-stop for many — though not all — of the Web’s video files. 6) I have saved *a lot* of money from Google shopping (and this is how I found B&H Photo.) 7) “I’m feeling lucky” saves me precious seconds, and as an ornery and impatient person this is very valuable to me. 8) The search results are as bout as good as they get 9) The ads are inconspicuous 10) Google maps and Google scholar are nice tools to help me find academic papers and locations.
tigrous4ever
May 12th, 2008
at 8:46pm
i build my own computers but not ALL pc gurus do
agirlnamedamber
May 13th, 2008
at 1:28am
NO WAY JOSE! I could not go with out Google…I use it for everything, Oh Geee ya yea know what…I think thats even how I found you….hehe!
ionen47 (Ion)
May 13th, 2008
at 2:00am
I’ve told you I’m quite the addict here when it comes to Google’s services. And after they’ve released this new thing, FriendConnect, I jumped right in to see how it acts for the sites I collaborate with.
As you can see I’m probably more the type that surfs the waves rather than being afraid of exposing itself to any risk! So for now go Google GO!
chainsawman62
May 13th, 2008
at 6:41am
in a week of gmail i have a hundred spams so yeah i use yahoo for every thing
JetJL
May 13th, 2008
at 6:48am
Google is for good and evil. It is a tool we need it to use it properly. Now I am scared of what could come
Tony
May 13th, 2008
at 8:49am
Well I think that Google has became some sort of a symbol of the Internet. There aren’t people who uses computers and don’t know what Google is or what it can do.
At least I use Google everyday, it has became the biggest info source for me on the Internet. Google is known all over the world and cannot be overlooked. I use Google SketchUp, Google search engine and Google Earth whenever I am in need for information or as for SketchUp I am just bored and making sketches (what will never leave this computer of course).
But back to Google search engine itself. Basically if you cant find what you are looking for in Google, then it probably doesn’t exist. Well there are some cases that the info what you are looking for doesn’t appear on Google, but the only time it has happened to me, it was in a language I couldn’t understand. But yeah, in conclusion - Google rocks.
thesongmistress
May 13th, 2008
at 10:16am
ARE U SERIOUS?!?!?!?!?!?!? OMG! ITS A VERB NOW! I MEAN IM NOT MAD AT YOU! but its just incredible to me that someone could actually live in this world without knowing about google! OMG! tell me how you managed to escape it!
Tyler
May 13th, 2008
at 10:50am
I use Google everyday and every second. It’s even my homepage. I would not be able to live without it. There has been times when Google’s page hasn’t loaded for me and I had to use Yahoo, oh the humanity.
Software Reviews and Manuals
May 13th, 2008
at 2:05pm
source:Could you Live Without Google?, Media Blog ~ Chris Pirillo More Keygenerators and cracks related stuff I found:
Matt Smith
May 13th, 2008
at 2:39pm
Google is definitely a company with a lot of pull in today’s world. Many of the services they offer are VERY attractive. Gmail is, by no doubt, the best email service I have ever used. The search is concise, shows you exactly what you need and nothing more. As for control of information - these types of privacy issues can occur anywhere on the Internet. Just because it’s Google…well, so what? For the most part, Google just manages most of the information that is already present on the web.
xXvideoXgamerXx
May 14th, 2008
at 5:04am
Three words. Google. Is. God! its true DX
varenvious
May 14th, 2008
at 5:36am
“all” your base are belong to us :P
varenvious
May 14th, 2008
at 5:37am
agreed 100%, but all google is awesome..
delfmeek
May 14th, 2008
at 5:41am
It’s interesting to see what everybody uses Google for. Majority of people I know use Google Search, and maybe G-mail. I only know a handful of people who use Google Docs/Apps. But, hey, different strokes for different folks. Depends on what your needs are.
Sodzo
May 14th, 2008
at 10:30am
I don’t think google will ever die, at the most, they will branch off into other companies. I think society is just a big group of people. I believe a lot more about what our daily decisions do to affect our outcome in the future.
Anyways, Google is a must for when I’m looking for something. I could not fast without google for a week.
blakeb903
May 14th, 2008
at 3:01pm
i hate that stupid pirillo face on his macbook. It looks so ***!
Ruben32
May 14th, 2008
at 10:07pm
Well, I cannot live without Google. Not possible for me. It does my Math homework and well, it just cannot be done for me. Google would not do such thing, unless asked by a government, and if people REALLY want to get that info, there are proxies. Google Fasting would be difficult for many people…
-Ruben
benjojo12
May 15th, 2008
at 2:09am
3:49 lol “im on mars now”
Mool212
May 15th, 2008
at 6:12am
I think that it would be possible to live without google, only because if they were gone or no one used them there would just be some one to replace them. Its not like Google is the end all be all of the universe. I mean, sure, their services are extremely useful and helpful when it comes to finding information as well as doing other work, but its not the only way we can get things done.
DrWho
May 15th, 2008
at 8:22am
i have searched on other search engines before i ever heard of google like Altavista, lycos search, msn search but today i can’t Imagen a life without Google, even when i get to msn search i search for Google cause it feels like everybody is using Google so they post everything they have done, on Google, i think that it is so funny the way Google is so popular, i wonder why Google ended up to be so popular, what does Google have that other Search engines don’t. i wonder if kids today even know what altavista is, i bet they are all using Google for everything like me.
bushywhacker
May 15th, 2008
at 10:02am
If Google wasn’t around, there’d be something else that’d fill the gap. Something else would already be in place to perform the same or similar services that Google today provides. It’s just the way things are. Google usurped Yahoo, who outlasted Webcrawler and Altavista and the like. Think about it like this…if you never met Ponzi, don’t you think you’d still be happily married now to someone else? ahhhhaaaaa…see what I’m saying?
Sicom
May 15th, 2008
at 2:03pm
I love Google, but I’m not hopelessly addicted to it. I use the search engine frequently, but it’s mostly curiosity driven, “hm, I heard something about such and such, and I’d like to find out more”.
If I have real issues I need to be resolved or things I need, I’ve already got several sites/forums bookmarked for such. Admittedly, I must give my thanks to Google for finding most of these in the first place.
You know before Google became big, I was using other search engines and to much success. I don’t think Google is necessary, although an attempt at controlling the flow of the internet would be interested. Net Neutrality much?
Flip Owner
May 15th, 2008
at 3:51pm
i tried this once.
I wrote more about it here:
http://home.windstream.net/selanderw/Google_fasting.htm
PSP365
May 15th, 2008
at 4:49pm
So can you live without Google? I certainly can’t. I don’t think anyone in my school could either for all those crazy research projects. It is the first place everyone, including me of course, go to for looking up information on the internet. It’s the best because I think just about 80-90% of the web is indexed (or listed) there. There are other good search engines out there too you know. Such as Askjeeves.com a.k.a. ask.com and dogpile.com and many more. Google is not only an excellent search engine, but it has many other amazing features packed into it. You can put your own widgets there, use the Google docs, Music, Videos, and a whole lot more! Google rules! Really, if you haven’t herd of Google yet, you must live in a shell and have no computer access whatsoever.
Chadarius
May 15th, 2008
at 7:33pm
I love Google. I use it every single day for work and home. I’m really not all that worried about Google getting a strangle hold on the marketplace. Its just a browser app. Its not like it can dictate pretend “standards” like Microsoft did/does. So far they seem like they have been good corporate citizens.
Google can be overshadowed as quickly as it rose by a new company with a better idea and better search. I doubt Yahoo or Microsoft will ever get their acts together to better Google at this point.
Let’s just hope that Google continues to be good corporate citizen. I think taking a different road would mean the beginning of the end just like it did with Microsoft.
Rasheeed22
May 15th, 2008
at 8:22pm
dude!
ianpaulc
May 16th, 2008
at 7:13am
Someone set up us the bomb!
leglemonmoney
May 16th, 2008
at 10:04am
chris… by far the most interesting video i have ever seen from you. the others you make a re very ‘usefull’ but non quite this interesting. realy got me thinking.
leglemonmoney
May 16th, 2008
at 10:04am
chris… by far the most interesting video i have ever seen from you. the others you make a re very ‘usefull’ but non quite this interesting. realy got me thinking.
wajrus
May 16th, 2008
at 10:05am
IS THAT BILL GATES BROTHER ?:) JOKE :)(
redpapers
May 16th, 2008
at 12:37pm
I believe that the internet should be strictly controlled to segregate human kind. I do not like the idea of people being able to break down boundaries and using the internet to reach out to others for support. We should never forget the glory that our white ancestors bestowed upon us, and that a major part of that was relegating other races to savages. I DO NOT support the idea that we are all human beings. Those at the top deserve to survive; the rest of you are cacogenic slime.
TheSlimJim
May 16th, 2008
at 1:47pm
I could live without using any of Google’s features EXCEPT Gmail. Using their IMAP capability along with Thunderbird, I use it every day to recheck my email. I couldn’t get along without it. As for the search engine, there’s other good alternatives as well; PC Mag had an issue last year that devoted an article to Google Alternatives for more than just search.
I guess if I had to live without Gmail, I could go with Hotmail (if they have IMAP capability) as I still have my Hotmail account with them that I created 10 years ago.
joelg88
May 16th, 2008
at 2:33pm
NO NO NO . I can not live without Google. I use Google Many times everyday. Its the only search engine I use. If I ever have a question i go to google. If I hear about a product that I think is nice I search it on google. If i hear about a website I search it on Google. I use google ALOT. I cant live without it. I dont think alot of other’s can either.
wickbruvinit
May 16th, 2008
at 6:27pm
Cacogenic slime? Lol im guessing your not a communist! Why not help people..? Is helping bad?
So I think thats wrong
radical3113
May 17th, 2008
at 1:17am
google toolbar is spyware it updates itself without promting you/ without your permission, in other words your “internet” tool bar can do what it likes on your system, without you ever knowing.
can you say BACKDOOR
StiichDK
May 17th, 2008
at 8:38am
ur awesome but u look like a jew
jakethekleenex
May 17th, 2008
at 12:05pm
thats not a bad thing
06sterling
May 18th, 2008
at 5:40pm
Google itself is great. Screw the toolbar, and mapquest pwns.
SeanBabyFace
May 18th, 2008
at 8:07pm
Yaaaaahooooooo lol i use google tho
thekingdor
May 19th, 2008
at 6:05am
lol he totally burnt that dude that called him *** :-D
Jose
May 19th, 2008
at 2:49pm
I don’t know how I’d live without Google. It’s just such a necessity nowadays. I don’t like any of the other search engines as I find Google gives the best results. I even sometimes find myself blindly staring at the Google page for minutes without doing anything :P
Richard McCahill (rrm74001)
May 19th, 2008
at 4:57pm
I tried to do the Google fasting program as well. I failed. I do not think that Google has become too big. I believe the internet should be transparent, just like a social community, as Chris has mentioned in earlier blog posts. I do not think I would like the idea that the internet is hiding something from us. Because there will always be that question in the back of your mind: “What are they hiding?”. I think Google is here to stay for a long time.
randomdude90
May 20th, 2008
at 7:09am
I could definitely live without Google. I use other search engines anyway.
im1the1real1zezima
May 21st, 2008
at 6:04am
okay this is the **** list and the GOOD list
google=AWESOME
VISTA=****
MAC=****
xp pro=AWESOME
xp home edishin=good
ME=pro hacka
your mom= hot in bad lol
im1the1real1zezima
May 21st, 2008
at 6:06am
nooooooooooooooooooo! i love google and no 1s gona take it away =’( plz dont take it away waa waa waa
PS: IM NOT GOOGLE I WISH I WAZ THO
joby866
May 21st, 2008
at 8:08am
I tried not to use Google… Only lasted 3 days. Lmao
joby866
May 21st, 2008
at 8:12am
google=AWESOME - Agreed!
VISTA=**** - Agreed!
MAC=IMMENSE!
xp pro=ok
xp home edishin=****
ME=a much better hacker =P
TheDeckClubs
May 21st, 2008
at 9:09am
dude.. you guys need a life, get out of your moms basement and get a girl friend.
edwin768
May 21st, 2008
at 11:25am
**** YEAH **** GOOGLE I USE YAHOO and think its a whole lot better
ezoby
May 22nd, 2008
at 2:18pm
I couldn’t live without that Google have ever existed but now days Google have a to big concurrence which can be use instead of it and it is no question that Google is making better services for its users like never seen before.
Bubbles4534843
May 23rd, 2008
at 4:37am
Yahoo Blows
Jerry Gould
May 24th, 2008
at 5:34am
I have no friends BUT Google….I live in a sealed box and look like Howard Hughes (damn, it gets harder and harder to type with these fingernails)…
bluebubbleboy
May 25th, 2008
at 10:42am
The google fish found back is 1821 by john weatheroogle, can grow up to ten hands in length and weigh up to 5.7 pounds, blue red yellow and green in color, and can seach for food extremely fast.
ZqweBSname
May 25th, 2008
at 5:16pm
I used altavista before google
redpapers
May 25th, 2008
at 9:05pm
Helping people is wrong when it doesn’t benefit you and hurt them in the long run. If helping China works out that way, then I’m all for it. Until then, keep the earthquakes coming. ^__^
jorg pihelgas
May 28th, 2008
at 6:32pm
Well it depends, if you are in school or work and it has some thing to do with internet then most definetly not, you can but it would be very hard and the work process would be slow, but if you are situated with things that don’t require internet then i think your good to go. I personally can’t live with out google; mail,school,weather,etc
Sugaslim
May 28th, 2008
at 7:29pm
I can most certainly go a week without Google. I usually only chat online, and most of the websites I go to (Facebook, wikipedia, e-mail) I have bookmarked in the first place. However, without Google, I feel that the world would collapse on itself. If you got a link from someone, they probably found it on Google by accident, or it was referred to them by a friend who found it on Google. Google is more or less the foundation of finding things on the internet lol.
aeiz
May 29th, 2008
at 4:23am
It would be very hard to do this… my email and calendar and search are all google based. Not to mention, Google is my sole source for document editing.
r3novatyo
May 29th, 2008
at 8:44am
Without GOOGLE Is like without water.I can’t live a single day without it.Very smart people those from Google.They did an awesome job with this serch engine
Boredcollegekid
May 29th, 2008
at 12:57pm
I try but I find all the other search engines pale in comparsion and Google cache is a lifesaver, recovered an old template for a site so I didn’t need to start all over
Boredcollegekid
May 29th, 2008
at 12:58pm
all others pale in comparsion and google cache has been a lifesaver recovering old posts and old templates
Jamie Jahnke
May 29th, 2008
at 4:31pm
Although I think Google is poised to become the next “Evil Empire” I still don’t think I life would be as comfortable without Google Earth, GMail, or the venerable Google Search.
TJ
May 29th, 2008
at 4:50pm
I think I could….GASP! Yeah, I could. BUT, Google is an awesome service all around! Google Docs FTW!
Matt Smith
May 29th, 2008
at 5:18pm
I’m sure I could get along without Google, other search engines do exist. They just don’t have the same feel, however.
Matt Smith
May 29th, 2008
at 5:19pm
I’m sure I could get along without Google, other search engines do exist. However, it’s just not the same feel as using Google.
Luke
May 29th, 2008
at 6:00pm
I doubt that I could live without google, I use it for everything, I dont even use my browsers url space.. because I just google the websites, I might later on want to try a week without google, but i doubt that I would make it.
xxTrojans4Lifexx
May 30th, 2008
at 7:27am
what a nerd!!!!!!!!!!!
imlikeyeah
May 30th, 2008
at 11:47am
He has a wife. Get your facts straight. At least people like him think for themselves. Have fun working at McDonalds:)
imlikeyeah
May 30th, 2008
at 12:07pm
He had a wife. Get your facts straight. At least people like him think themselves. Have fun wor
imlikeyeah
May 30th, 2008
at 12:09pm
He has a wife. Know what your talking about before you open your big mouth. At least people like him think for themselves. Have fun working at Mcdonalds.
mtswingband
May 30th, 2008
at 1:07pm
i love yahoo win u need some thing its rite ther
wheelieblind
June 2nd, 2008
at 10:00pm
I went a hole year with out using a computer, not even using an ATM, I go inside the bank, I dare anyone to try that.
News
July 12th, 2008
at 3:10pm
s New Features? Upload Digital Photos to Web Albums for Free! Does Google have a Command Line Interface? Free Video Conferencing and Chat: No Downloads! Get Documents and Spreadsheets on the Go with GoogleCould you Live Without Google?Accessing IRC Chat via a Web Browser: Mibbit How to use Google Docs for Live Polls and Quizzes Chris Google Lively VR Chat Reviews
ilovegoogletoo
January 8th, 2009
at 4:58pm
my life without google would be simply a disaster.
Twitter Fasting #twitterfast » ReTweet
March 31st, 2009
at 10:38pm
[...] I’ve got an idea I’m thinking about trying, but I’m not 100% sure if I’ll be able to commit to it. Thinking about taking one week off from Twitter to see what life is like without it. This idea is inspired by Chris Pirillo when he took a week off from Google in 2006. [...]