The Search
The Book “The Search” by John Battelle speaks about how Google and its rivals brought about the change in business and transformed our culture in to the database of intentions. Initially the author appears to explain about the history of Google, but it's really about the whole search industry.
He then explains about the different implications of search such as how the search engine works, who searches, what is searched, where and why. This takes us inside Google's legendary Page Rank algorithm which is one of the most carefully guarded secrets. One of the distinguishing factors about Google is that it sees the problems of search as one that can be solved mainly through technology, clever algorithms and sheer computational horsepower. He then describes about how the rivals got established in the market.
As Google develops more intriguing and powerful search based applications, he sees search as the key to global commerce bringing buyers and sellers together world wide. He also challenges that in future there would be a completely web based operating system. According to Battelle, future search will be everywhere from phones to cars to our stereos. Anything digital will have the ability to search. The search should be both ubiquitous and personal too. The final part of this book focuses on the potential future directions of Google and its product development. He acknowledges that Google might just be a "digital fantasy train", he describes the possibility that Google will become the centralizing platform for our entire lives. He also conveys that Search is no longer a stand alone application, a useful but impersonal tool to find some thing on a medium called World Wide Web.