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Disclosure: I'm the creator of Killed by Google. There are a lot of good points here about why power users (i.e. HN types, technologists, scholars/researchers,
by codyogden 5y ago
Disclosure: I'm the creator of Killed by Google.
There are a lot of good points here about why power users (i.e. HN types, technologists, scholars/researchers, etc) find Google Search frustrating, but it doesn't really provide a balanced perspective which would acknowledge that Google Search for the average, billions-scale user is an incredibly optimized, positive experience. For those users, Google Search is doing exactly what they want: providing instant answers to trillions of queries without making the user click or read anywhere else while making Google an absurd amount of money through ads. I'm not being facetious when I say that if you find Google Search frustrating, then you are no longer the target user of Google Search.
I've noticed that Google Search also provides too much weight on recently added/updated content than actual valuable content. A great example, while anecdotal, is Paul Graham noting that searching his quote on Google--`"Prestige is just fossilized inspiration."`--the first result is typically a third-party blog that is quoting him, not his own website where the quote was originally published. (Though he refuses to add SSL, which is why Google may be dinging his site.)
I, too, find Google Search frustrating for a lot of technical topics. The content ripping spam is overwhelming, even with technical topics. The past couple years, the proliferation of scraping sites that rip information from GitHub Issues/PRs/Discussions and StackOverflow information makes me incredibly angry and frustrated, and that is directly Google's fault for not identifying that spam and removing it. There is also nothing we as consumers can do because of Google's near monopoly on Search. We can switch to competitors, but it doesn't hurt Google's bottom line.
I have absolutely done the `${search query} "reddit"` 'hack' to find reading for my more niche queries--technical or non-technical. Reddit is a wealth of user-generated information, but it is typically a densely written answer and requires a user to comprehend that information. It can be easy to forget that the average reading level of a US adult is middle school level. That average user with a low reading level isn't going to spend their time trying to read paragraphs of text in order to both discover and understand an answer.
tl;dr Google Search is only dying for "us," not for the more profitable "everyone."
- freediver 5y agoI agree with this sentiment. You can meaningfully append 'reddit' to only a fraction of actual searches. But we should also note that HN users are the "spearhead" of adoption curve and if there is ever any meaningful alternative to Google, just by the virtue of HN users adopting it, could mean strong propagation in their social circle - the less tech savvy family members, friends and work.
- codyogden 5y agoYes, power users (HN users) are early adopters, but I disagree that it would result in any meaningful change that requires social pressure. Fundamentally, power users and average users view search differently. Power users want "results," average users wants "answers." Power users accept a fact-of-life burden to skim through results and find the right resource that will help them with their query. Average users view skimming results as a waste of time and want immediate information. Results require more effort, answers are immediate and consumable. You're essentially proposing that less tech savvy users switch to something that requires more effort from them. Even if the results are 10x better--hell! they could be hand picked--it won't convince the average user to take a path of more resistance. That said, I would love to see a competent competitor enter the marketplace--there already are a few. But I have a feeling we'll be heading back to a system of more niche/focused search engines in the future.
- freediver 5y ago> You're essentially proposing that less tech savvy users switch to something that requires more effort from them. Not really. When I say meaningful alternative to Google, I mean something that is same or less effort for an average user, not more. Ideally a perfect search engine is simple and easy to use in the default mode, but can uncover an advanced mode with a few clicks (for example ability to ban sites in results, just to give an example. This is currently lacking in Google and a solid source of advanced users' frustration).
- codyogden 5y agoAh, yeah. That makes sense. Yes, the inability to block certain sites is such a terrible flaw in Google's approach.
- alphabetting 5y agoThis is exactly right. Search for "Seven" on Google and duck duck go. For the average user Google hits it out of the park. 100% useful info with FAQs, where to watch and trailer. DDG is a mess and less than 20% of info is useful.
- Pyrious 5y agoIf you search "seven movie" on DDG it works fine.