Here's an interesting story for everyone who seems to think you can build a sustainable business on top of someone else's work. It seems that Kozoru built some algorithms to search Google and then parse the results for a better outcome.
Good idea, right? Sure, until Google decides you are a threat or pest and block you from using their APIs. Think this will be the only example of this? I would say this is merely the first example of Google shutting down prospective competition and the tip of the evil iceberg.
Of course, I personally wouldn't bet my business on using another companies online service, but all signs pointed to the fact that Google would keep these things open. I have no doubt that the comments that we are google-bashing will start asap, but do us a favor and actually think about it for a second. I like google search, but the blind faith really needs to stop.
Let us suppose, for a moment, you are a small company (like kozoru) and you've figured out a way to take results from another search engine (like, say, Google) and run them through your own statistical approach and do the following: Let us suppose, for a moment, you are a small company (like kozoru) and you've figured out a way to take results from another search engine (like, say, Google) and run them through your own statistical approach and do the following:Keyword search their system
Grab 100-200 results
Parse the pages (all of them) from the results in #2
Provide 1-3 "answers" to your results
Now, let us suppose these results are more authoritative, more relevant and better (according to 120 random people who test the system) than the results from the search engine.Now, let us suppose that you have shown those results to the search engine and they were mostly excited about what you were doing, but couldn't decide how or if your results were able to be monetized -- after all, less results means less space for ads and so forth.
Then, out of nowhere, you were suddenly banned from using their system to show them how you make search better.
Well, that exact scenario was my Christmas present from Google. It makes very little sense to me because other "meta search" systems (Brainboost, Dogpile, etc.) all do the same thing and for far more users.
Before you get too upset, remember that the only people who ever saw this system were Google, Yahoo, MSN and the other partners we were speaking with after the Web 2.0 conference. This wasn't a generally open (or available) system and there were less than 6 companies with access to the results, including kozoru. And remember, no one - other than Google - has ever banned us or even hinted at banning us for this limited-use, demo-only system.
This seems no different than 37 Signals "Making Google Better" web mash-up.
And, all I wanted was a a phone call...
Posted by Dave Rosenberg on December 20, 2005 09:02 PM
