google wave cures cancer

Actually I made that up. Despite the predictions & prognostications, no one actually knows how well Google Wave will work. It sounds cool enough but we should remember that not everything in Google world is a lush fountain of awesomeness (Blogger is not quite up there with Wordpress, what the **** happened to Jaiku) but nevertheless, the dog is keen to see the rabbit.

The only issue with calling your product "Wave" is bad PR whenever there's a tsunami. "No, no, our product doesn't drown people. We're the good kind of wave..."

google vs bing: microsoft thinks i'm gay

Microsoft have brought out there own search engine competitor to Google. it's known as "Bing" (which makes me think of a dead crooner, not sure if that's the association that they're after). I put both these products through their paces by conducting a rigorous benchmarking process entering a stupid question. Google's results were quite funny. Bing's results were... gay. And I don't mean that in an offensive, equating-homosexuality-with-lameness fashion but literally.

Yikes, may be I am gay. May be Microsoft have tapped into the murkiest corners of my sexual orientation and revealed my true nature to me.

I am out of my closet and it's all thanks to you, Bing!!!

[Click on images to enlarge - please note the findings from Bing are not safe for work or a web demo for your kids]

search as point of sale

Google has become an advertising powerhouse because it catches people at that special moment: When they know they need something and are trying to find it. They may not be willing to spend money then & there but they are more willing to hand over the cash than when they are engaged in some non-related activity such as brushing their teeth or walking the dog.

Intranet or internal search within an organisation should be prized by those offering internal services - such as HR, Training, Facilities, etc. It offers you that opportunity to reach people when they need you - esp. in large organisations where actually finding the people responsible for these is often tricky.

Yet based on the lack of effort put into search engine effectiveness, these groups do not seem to get this. Why is that?