Will Google search favor Google content? | csmonitor.com
Just got wind of Google’s new online encyclopedia Knol. It’s a really neat concept that seems to mix Google Docs with a more social network, how to type network. It’s a neat concept. And best part there is no restriction on advertising your business on it like there is on Wikipedia.
Though, with this new creation, many critics are worried that Google has gone too far. The Christian Science Monitor has written an article (excerpt below) about Google’s distraction from it’s main mission as a search company.
On the Google scale of projects, the search giant’s newly launched online encyclopedia Knol ranks as relatively minor. But for some, it’s a stretch – not technologically, but ethically.
Google has over the years expanded its Web presence beyond the familiar search box. With each foray into content, it raises concerns about conflict of interest with its original function as unbiased search engine – concerns that Google search would be disposed to point to Google content first.
“This is a step too far,” says Danny Sullivan, editor in chief of Search Engine Land. “Google’s job started out being a service that points people to other information, and that remains their primary job – not to be providing the information themselves.”
The company now controls the leading online video site YouTube, owns a major blogging platform, and has advertising inventory on millions of external pages thanks to AdSense and DoubleClick.
Like most search engines, Google keeps secret the algorithms that rank search results, meaning that users are left to trust the company not to favor its own burgeoning content over others.
“I would prefer that a search engine keep church and state separate,” says Jay Bhatti, co-founder of Spock.com, a people search engine. “You can’t choose to be a content creator as well as a content aggregator that impartially sends people to data sources. It’s very tough.”
Google has moved into some areas of content because few other companies can undertake projects of such scale, such as digitizing the world’s books. Other times, it dabbles in publishing mainly to improve its search functionality.
In the case of Knol, says Mr. Sullivan, the project overlaps needlessly with existing online encyclopedias, including Wikipedia, Citizendium, and Squidoo.
“They really didn’t need to do Knol,” says Sullivan. “What you really want sometimes is for Google to say no to itself.”
Honestly, I agree there is reason to be a bit concerned. After all Google is the go to search engine for not only Web surfers but Web and SEO developers around the World. I do agree that there might be a conflict, but not as big of one since Google is allowing everyone to take part in it and pretty much do what they please with it (it does have some restrictions).
Though the concern is a valid one, I figure it’s just one more place to promote my business online and drive more business my way. I think that instead of worrying about losing business, people should concentrate on how to make this new system/product work for them.
