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I absolutely hate the new Google. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter KC Foggin
- Start date
Are you using their app? I'm trying the website to see any difference, but even with different proxies, US, Europe, Asia, and they are all the same.
I'm not using them since they are a monopoly they push their own platforms on the 1st page, and are shadow banning 90% of the web (90% of web pages just don't appear in the search results anymore)! but most search engines still rely on G. indexation data, so it's difficult to bypass them...
I'm not using them since they are a monopoly they push their own platforms on the 1st page, and are shadow banning 90% of the web (90% of web pages just don't appear in the search results anymore)! but most search engines still rely on G. indexation data, so it's difficult to bypass them...
At least 5 years ago Google shifted its search focus from "indexing other websites" to "providing people with answers". This leads to the first "search results" not being actual search results at all, they are Google attempting to answer what it thinks you are asking.
For most people this is all they want. If you want to get to the customer service number British Gas or find out the 60s TV series in which Clint Eastwood played a cowboy then having then having Google just give you the phone number or the name of the show is what you want. The problem comes when you don't have an actual question you are merely in search of information. Google will still try to imagine your search terms as a question that needs answering and link to pages providing a simple answer rather than the page that contains the source material. A day or so ago I was looking for a research paper that had been mentioned in the press, the first 25ish results were all links to different newspapers regurgitating the same university press release.
It isn't just Google all search engines seem to be going down 'answering questions' route and I feel that LLM ChatGPT-alikes are just going to make it worse.
Those of us who have spent years perfecting their "Google-fu" are just going to have to relearn the methods needed to get to the actual things they want to find.
For most people this is all they want. If you want to get to the customer service number British Gas or find out the 60s TV series in which Clint Eastwood played a cowboy then having then having Google just give you the phone number or the name of the show is what you want. The problem comes when you don't have an actual question you are merely in search of information. Google will still try to imagine your search terms as a question that needs answering and link to pages providing a simple answer rather than the page that contains the source material. A day or so ago I was looking for a research paper that had been mentioned in the press, the first 25ish results were all links to different newspapers regurgitating the same university press release.
It isn't just Google all search engines seem to be going down 'answering questions' route and I feel that LLM ChatGPT-alikes are just going to make it worse.
Those of us who have spent years perfecting their "Google-fu" are just going to have to relearn the methods needed to get to the actual things they want to find.
I rarely use google and because of your question I just observed: a change in appearance, some insistence to sign in, less results on the page, a change of relevance (for me) of results, more "menus" for alternate interests.
It is something of above?
I think the question asked at #2 is still important... Google does a million things - so it's not clear what you mean by 'the new Google' or 'the older version' or 'the original Google' - or even by 'your version'...
Do you mean www.google.com viewed as a desktop website? - I don't think I've noticed a change in this over the last year or 2. But these things roll out unevenly, so maybe changes have hit the US first? What does it do now that it didn't do before (or vice versa?).
Do you mean www.google.com viewed as a desktop website? - I don't think I've noticed a change in this over the last year or 2. But these things roll out unevenly, so maybe changes have hit the US first? What does it do now that it didn't do before (or vice versa?).
Its actually quite difficult to rid yourself of Google.
Some of their products like gmail, news or calendar, its quite easy to replace individually; but they all integrate really well, and nothing comes close to google maps for points of interest and live traffic, and the integration between google maps and gmail, calendar etc makes it all intertwined.
The chrome browser, password manager, and google authentication to other apps all suck you in further!
Then you get the likes of eBird linking to google maps and the google products soon become the hub of everything.
I've been concerned about my dependency on google many times, usually after they can something I've used daily, like google circles, google plus , or google stadia. But each time I try to move away from their products I soon realise its not really practical, or is a step back for me.
Would be interesting to know if anyone who has bought in to the apple products feels the same pull to the apple equivalents.
Some of their products like gmail, news or calendar, its quite easy to replace individually; but they all integrate really well, and nothing comes close to google maps for points of interest and live traffic, and the integration between google maps and gmail, calendar etc makes it all intertwined.
The chrome browser, password manager, and google authentication to other apps all suck you in further!
Then you get the likes of eBird linking to google maps and the google products soon become the hub of everything.
I've been concerned about my dependency on google many times, usually after they can something I've used daily, like google circles, google plus , or google stadia. But each time I try to move away from their products I soon realise its not really practical, or is a step back for me.
Would be interesting to know if anyone who has bought in to the apple products feels the same pull to the apple equivalents.
I'll have to try that one Arthur. Thanks guy!
So far, so good Arthur. Thanks again.
LittleBitOfBreadNoCheese
Well-known member
I don't use Google search, gmail, google maps, or the google app store. I don't find this at all difficult. Oh and I use BirdTrack not eBird.
jurek
Well-known member
Just use Duckduckgo!
A better solution is not having lots of things to integrate, but putting an internal filter to limit the low-value and worthless information which would need archiving / reacting to.
A better solution is not having lots of things to integrate, but putting an internal filter to limit the low-value and worthless information which would need archiving / reacting to.
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello Peter,
I use Apple Devices and their services, like Safari, where I have DuckDuckGo, as my chosen search engine. Apple has a reputation for respecting privacy and my devices and apps are integrated.
Stay safe,
Arthur
Here's an example of what I mean/experience..
Duckduckgo you say. Great, I'll give it a try.
There's the results for my favourite country park: Google gives me a button to phone them, a button to navigate there, opening times, and their website.
Duckduckgo gives me an option to navigate there with an app that's not available on my phone, the start point is about an hour from where I live, and the next hit is an advert.. it isn't as good, I stick with Google.
I don't want to, but there isn't a choice for me.
Duckduckgo you say. Great, I'll give it a try.
There's the results for my favourite country park: Google gives me a button to phone them, a button to navigate there, opening times, and their website.
Duckduckgo gives me an option to navigate there with an app that's not available on my phone, the start point is about an hour from where I live, and the next hit is an advert.. it isn't as good, I stick with Google.
I don't want to, but there isn't a choice for me.
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I wish it were even that, but it's so much worse. I used to be able to type in any kind of search and would get results based on what I typed in, but now you simply receive whatever advertisements they think might possibly be related to any of the words in you query.
Hard to believe, but the internet was much, much better just 15 years ago.
