Cloud Nine Squad {C-iX}

This is kind of a rant but it's been on my mind for awhile now and I think it should be mentioned. Maybe some of you understand this issue but I certainly don't.

Why does everyone still use Google?

Yes, it's been around for awhile and is definitely better than Yahoo's or AOL's search engine, which is why Google has been successful from the get-go. However, lately I've been noticing so much garbage in Google's search results. I swear that they update their algorithm at least twice every single day. There are lame results on page 1 that are not even relevant to my query yet when I go to page 9, boom! Just what I was looking for. With Bing, bam!!! So blissful. Google used to pwn everyone but now it seems like their search engine is getting so dull, yet why is everyone still using it? Just out of habit or the admiration for the simplicity of the landing page?

Google's popularity is so huge it's scary. If they control the web, they control what you see and don't see. This is not healthy for mankind.

I have DuckDuckGo as my primary search engine on all of my Firefox installs on all of my computers. This way it's built right into my search bars. DDG does not track you. Here's some DDG tips:

Append !g to the search query to automatically do the search in Google.
Append !gi to the search query to automatically do the search in Google Images.
Append !b to the search query to automatically do the search in Bing.
Append !y to the search query to automatically do the search in Yahoo (powered by Bing).
Append !d to the search query to automatically do a thefreedictionary.com search.
Append !t to the search query to automatically do a thesaurus.com search.

Here is the complete list for all DuckDuckGo "!bang" searches: LINK

They have a useful Firefox plugin here: LINK

I have a saying that I've shared with Bullet Magnet. It's a spoof of JFK's famous inaugural address... "Ask not what Google can do for you, ask what you can do without Google." Sadly, I'm still stuck on Google for things like my personal emails. it'd just require too much effort to change it.

Regarding Google Search, whether your search results are relevant varies by situation. I rarely perform a search and fail to find relevant results on the first page.

Both of my devices (laptop and Galaxy S3) are pretty Googlish. Google's key service among all their products is integration. I personally don't use the email/calendar system as I prefer Outlook, but from what I've seen, it suits everything from the general consumer to small businesses (and arguably corporate environments). Google Drive has been a downright excellent cloud-based replacement for USB drives for me. I've used Google Docs for a ton of school projects, and the ability for other users to edit the same document/spreadsheet/presentation alongside you is pretty nifty. Plus, they're now allowing for 3rd-party plugins in some of their apps like Google Docs. The integration with my school Gmail account is also nice.

It's simple business. They've acquired the resources to provide superior customer value (often for free). They will continue to dominate for as long as they enter new markets and use integration to promote brand loyalty.

The knack against them will always be privacy and Big Data practices. I've used DuckDuckGo a few times as per Zorro's suggestion, but the privacy concerns have yet to truly hit home.