A Classic Example of Web 2.0 - About Google Shining !
In The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture, John Battelle describes how the evolution of a search engine has changed the way we view the human culture. Battelle in his book tells about Google’s birth and its rise to become a super power of the Internet and covers the technical and business history of search. He observes the implication of search as a cultural marker and its future as a challenging one. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the constant comparing and contrasting of both technical and business decisions of the various technology companies and how these decisions led each of them to success, failure or a particular place in the market.
Battelle begins the book with the concept of 'Database of Intentions', which is the key factor behind the current system's rise and defines the concept as the sum total of all queries that pour into search engines and reveal the details and peculiarities of our culture. This paved the way for ‘pay-per-click’ business model. Everything was automated for allowing people to participate effectively. As the ‘Database of Intentions’ develops and are analyzed intelligently, these business models make the advertiser to carry forward, as long as it continues to pay back.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who were the founders of Google, did not stick on to the profit based goals, but made sure that their product is built for the consumers. This helped them to create customers for life. Also, Google had never put advertisers ahead of its users. This principle has allowed Google to become a huge rival to its competitors in market share. ‘What does the world want?’ According to John Battelle, a company that answers this question in all point of views can surpass difficult challenges of business and human culture. Apart from Google’s success, The Search also reflects big-picture book about the past, present and future of search technology and the enormous impact on marketing, media, culture, job search, international laws and other areas of human interest.
Thus, Google is a typical example of one of the web 2.0 companies, running successfully in this current era. One of the article in Business week rates this book as high and worth reading it.