To see part 1 of this series click here
TORONTO, Digital Journal In our last story, the candles on Googles fifth birthday cake had just been blown out. Company founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin could be forgiven if, at that moment, they thought themselves kings of the search engine world.
Their Mountainview, Ca.-based company has been feted in the global technology press for thinking up what even critics call an industry-leading search utility. The CIA recently purchased some of Googles search appliances to manage information for its secret and top-secret intranets. And potential investors are ruining their pants over the prospect of a Google IPO, expected this spring.
But with all the happy talk about Google, there havent been many questions asked about whether it is too powerful a search engine. Theres also precious little discussion of the privacy implications surrounding Google. However, some of the happy talk is being replaced by a more critical view.
First, lets talk power. Googles potential clout was revealed by the outcry that arose in late November after the latest Google Dance, a periodic tweak of its search algorithm designed to stymie cheaters. In November, Google made a major readjustment known as the Florida Update, and it created havoc.
George Toma is with Search Engine Position. After the Florida Update, about 20 or 30 of his clients not only saw their Google rankings drop, they completely disappeared. For a lot of businesses, this was absolutely devastating, he said, claiming a top 10 Google ranking should mean revenues of at least six figures.
However, Toma thought the tightening up was long overdue, with many sites having a lock on top 10 sites because they cheated on things like links (see Part One of this series at
