Life Without Google?
I just don't think that's possible for me. Heck, I just bought a backpack that has the 'Google' logo stitched on the back, needless to say I'm a huge fan.
Here is an interesting perspective though. From CenterNetworks, My life without Google which I discovered through Library Stuff. James Thomas from CenterNetworks explains why he blocked Google:
The amount of data they're gathering on me is frightening. Not because of Google, but because I'm positive the government will legislate their way into Google's database sooner or later and start labeling people as suspicious. Political paranoia aside, let us look at the fact here; Life on the internet without using Google is hard.
Which I agree with, Google does know a lot about me. But to imagine my life without Google services would be difficult. I can't live without GMail or Google Reader. Both of these applications are far superior to any mail or reader service I've ever tried. I even enjoy Google Calendar for managing my schedule. I rarely use other search engines too.
Occasionally I'll use Ask.com when I'm working on questions for patrons (mostly school related questions) but when it comes to searching for something that I know I can find easily, I don't even bother with the others...I know Google will get me there if I choose the right search terms immediately. The one service I switch around a lot on are mapping services. I prefer Yahoo for local searches but I prefer Google Maps for more specific searches (geotagging images and geocaching are far better on Google Maps). Now that I can take Google Maps out geocaching on my Mobile Phone, with satellite images, I am psyched!
I'm comfortable with Google, it's like a friend to me. I can even take it everywhere, Google Maps Mobile and GMail Mobile are incredible applications. My home page on the internet is iGoogle, because it brings all of Google's goodness together on one page.
It's a discussion on the value of time vs. the value of privacy. What we'll see in the future is whether they can live in harmony or whether one will win out over the other.
Technorati Tags: google, privacy