“Predicting the future is much too easy, anyway. You look at the people around you, the street you stand on, the air you breathe, and predict more of the same. To hell with more.  I want better.” ~ Ray Bradbury

The Top 100 Alternative Search Engines list for January could be interpreted as the precursor of another twelve months of a three column table of the most interesting search engines that I can find.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we’re never going to break into the Major Leagues by making long lists! 

To hell with more.  I want better.  I want the first network of cooperating ‘Alts,’ the second network, the Independents, the Stealths, etc.  In other words, strategic groupings of search engines where there is mutual benefit to be had, and individual stand outs as a deliberate choice.  A search engine ‘phone book’ or directory isn’t a threat to anyone, is it?

Last year I saw the People Search panel at defag, and several good Alts emerged out of conferences, but in general I didn’t find one that was expressly for the hundreds of Alt Search Engines that we featured, with panels and programs tailored to their unique needs.  I did see a gazillion conferences that had speakers from, oh, Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.  To hell with more major search engine sponsors and speakers.  I want better.

I want to see one get together in 2008 where the invitations go out to every search engine ever featured on AltSearchEngines.  Where the content is for them and them alone, and where the deals in the hallways are between Alts or Alts and investors.

Last year the Top 5 major search engines had roughly 98% of the search market, with the Alt Search Engines splitting up the last 2% combined.  Judging by the .1% jockeying between the Big 5 every month, I am convinced that this year they will continue with their stranglehold on Search.  The hell with more Big 5 dominance.  I want better.

I want the awakened Alts to begin to gain some traction and at least catch up to AOL and Ask.com’s 5% of market share - combined.  I don’t think that’s too much to ask, do you?

I don’t usually report on my behind-the-blog life, but just yesterday I got another  “and those *%$!! stole our code” emails.  Ever see those?  I’ve had to chose between Alts that are suing each other, that don’t trust each other, accuse each other (off the record, of course), and refuse to appear in joint posts.  To hell with more name calling.  I want better.

AltSearchEngines has always insisted that even our Debates be carried out with the utmost decorum.  In fact, we recently added the question, “can you name one thing that you admire about your debate partner?”  If a commenter makes a significant negative comment, we insist that they communicate it directly to that engine.  No “hit and run” comments allowed on ASE!

All year long in 2007 I kept hearing about “Google killers.”  This search engine, that search engine.  Magazine, newspaper and blog headlines:  Is ___________ a Google killer?, with a different name in the blank every other week.  Now it seems that tomorrow the Real Google killer will launch!  Friends, there is no One Google killer.  To hell with more Google killers in 2008.  I want better.

I want, of course, the Alts to combine their fractured individual strengths into well-rounded, eye-catching, new search experiences.  Synergistic projects that actually do move eyeballs away from Google and Yahoo! and over to them.  Read “Is Google Invincible?” from Thursday - it’s right there.

When the Alts do get press, it’s often in the form of a blogger’s review of a search engine and resulting opinion, and that’s fine.  But if that’s all that we bloggers do, then at the end of the day (or year) all that we have to show for it is a collection of alternative search engine ratings, like endless Amazon book ratings.  “best book I ever read **** for me!”  ”Ugh, I hated it. * ”

To hell with a scrapbook of blogger reviews.  I want better.  At AltSearchEngines, I want to meet (at least by email) the team behind every search engine on the Top 100, the International ones where possible, and each of the daily new ones that we discover.  I want to hear from them week in and week out, introduce them to others with similar interest, and invite them to our conference so they can meet face to face.

“Things have got to change. But first, you’ve gotta get mad!… You’ve got to say, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Then we’ll figure out what to do about Google and Yahoo!. But first get up, open the window, stick your head out, and yell,  [screaming at the top of his lungs] “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!”

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 6th, 2008 at 5:14 pm and is filed under Guest Authors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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