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>the only way DDG is going to improve search results is by you using it regularly. For what company or product is that not the case? Unfortunately, most peopl

>the only way DDG is going to improve search results is by you using it regularly. For what company or product is that not the case? Unfortunately, most people (myself included) aren't interested in integrating inferior products into our lives with the hope that "one day" they might be as good. I decided to default to DDG last year to see how it was, and because my online privacy is worth something. I found the results lacking, having to Google things anyway, and eventually just went back to Google.

cakes 11y ago
I ended up giving DDG a chance as well this year and I had a similar experience. I recognize that part of it is probably how I'm conditioned but it's really frustrating to feel like I'm fighting the thing that's supposed to be helping me (which is how I felt). Hopefully it does improve over time, I do value my privacy, but I still ended up back with Google because it became too much of a hindrance.
AdamSC1 11y ago
Hi forgetsusername, The results have come along way over the past year, and we've also added a feedback tool that lets you share with us when you feel an answer was lacking. If you are interested in trying us again sometime I know we'd love to hear the feedback as we aim to provide a great search experience without sacrificing your privacy. We also have our "!Bangs" (https://duckduckgo.com/bang https://duckduckgo.com/bang) which allow you to re-direct your search directly to over 7000 providers including sites like Amazon, Twitter, Stack overflow and even Google. In those cases you find a result lacking you can quickly forward the search to another provider without manually navigating or switching your default. We understand there will be times you want to search other sites and so we make that easy to do. (Although we do hope to continue to lower the need for that in the future).
- johnsonjo 11y ago
  Bangs are honestly one of my favorite parts of Duck Duck Go and I actually found out about it from a friend a while after I switched from Google. It completely changed how I used DDG.
- biomcgary 11y ago
  I use DDG as my default search engine, but I created a bookmarklet that adds g! to my DDG query. I know you don't track users, but do you track queries that are reposted with a bang? It seems like it might give you an indication that the results are not what was expected.
auno 11y ago
> most people (myself included) aren't interested in integrating inferior products into our lives Sure search results are the most important aspect of a search engine, but it's not the only one. Saying simply that it's an inferior product is very one-dimensional. It might be inferior in one aspect (I too experienced this just after the switch, but not as much anymore), but it's vastly superior in another. As long as the main functionality is good enough, privacy evidently does seem to matter enough to outweigh the shortcomings for a sizable minority.
bsbechtel 11y ago
Keep in mind that people start using a new product because it solves a problem for them, in DDG's case it's privacy issues with other search engines (and apparently exposing yourself to information outside of your filter bubble, which I didn't think about before this thread, but could be an interesting marketing avenue for DDG employees here ;-) ). For a new product, these people are early adopters, because the product is generally still raw or rough around the edges (or in your words, inferior), but it still solves a problem that is very real for them. The big question for DDG, is can that product grow up, clean up their offering to users other than early adopters, and move into mainstream use? That's the question posed in the original article, and also the big challenge facing DDG for the future. To your point about not being interested in integrating an inferior product into your life, hoping that it improves in the future, have you ever been an early adopter for another product, or participated in a Kickstarter campaign? If so, you're helping that company improve and refine their future offerings to customers. You don't have to do it for DDG if it doesn't meet your needs, but consider this point of view when commenting on its inferiority.
propogandist 11y ago
use startpage.com - anonymized Google results and they don't track IP

cakes 11y ago

I ended up giving DDG a chance as well this year and I had a similar experience. I recognize that part of it is probably how I'm conditioned but it's really frustrating to feel like I'm fighting the thing that's supposed to be helping me (which is how I felt). Hopefully it does improve over time, I do value my privacy, but I still ended up back with Google because it became too much of a hindrance.

AdamSC1 11y ago

Hi forgetsusername, The results have come along way over the past year, and we've also added a feedback tool that lets you share with us when you feel an answer was lacking. If you are interested in trying us again sometime I know we'd love to hear the feedback as we aim to provide a great search experience without sacrificing your privacy. We also have our "!Bangs" (https://duckduckgo.com/bang https://duckduckgo.com/bang) which allow you to re-direct your search directly to over 7000 providers including sites like Amazon, Twitter, Stack overflow and even Google. In those cases you find a result lacking you can quickly forward the search to another provider without manually navigating or switching your default. We understand there will be times you want to search other sites and so we make that easy to do. (Although we do hope to continue to lower the need for that in the future).

johnsonjo 11y ago
Bangs are honestly one of my favorite parts of Duck Duck Go and I actually found out about it from a friend a while after I switched from Google. It completely changed how I used DDG.
biomcgary 11y ago
I use DDG as my default search engine, but I created a bookmarklet that adds g! to my DDG query. I know you don't track users, but do you track queries that are reposted with a bang? It seems like it might give you an indication that the results are not what was expected.

auno 11y ago

> most people (myself included) aren't interested in integrating inferior products into our lives Sure search results are the most important aspect of a search engine, but it's not the only one. Saying simply that it's an inferior product is very one-dimensional. It might be inferior in one aspect (I too experienced this just after the switch, but not as much anymore), but it's vastly superior in another. As long as the main functionality is good enough, privacy evidently does seem to matter enough to outweigh the shortcomings for a sizable minority.

bsbechtel 11y ago

Keep in mind that people start using a new product because it solves a problem for them, in DDG's case it's privacy issues with other search engines (and apparently exposing yourself to information outside of your filter bubble, which I didn't think about before this thread, but could be an interesting marketing avenue for DDG employees here ;-) ). For a new product, these people are early adopters, because the product is generally still raw or rough around the edges (or in your words, inferior), but it still solves a problem that is very real for them. The big question for DDG, is can that product grow up, clean up their offering to users other than early adopters, and move into mainstream use? That's the question posed in the original article, and also the big challenge facing DDG for the future. To your point about not being interested in integrating an inferior product into your life, hoping that it improves in the future, have you ever been an early adopter for another product, or participated in a Kickstarter campaign? If so, you're helping that company improve and refine their future offerings to customers. You don't have to do it for DDG if it doesn't meet your needs, but consider this point of view when commenting on its inferiority.

propogandist 11y ago

use startpage.com - anonymized Google results and they don't track IP