Throwing a Googly.

[garinda]

Yet to find any evidence that Google have acted in anyway illegally.

Still sounds like sour grapes, and the excuse for a good moan.

10th November 2010

Dear Mr Cameron,

Re: an open letter from the UK's only search engine

It's exciting that large international companies like Google and Facebook have decided to invest in the Olympic Park. Their technologies have revolutionised how we store and search for information, shop, communicate...

Also, we're encouraged that your government is taking the technology industry very seriously, regarding recent moves towards establishing Shoreditch as a heart for this industry and encouraging foreign investment.

There are fantastic pioneering works being created in the UK, of which Searchers is one of many. The support of the government is essential to protect our domestic innovations and support our competitive advantage internationally.

We would like to support your efforts in doing this, and take this opportunity to underline a few relevant facts and give our opinion, as home-grown pioneers in search technology, working at the frontiers of this industry.

1. The UK is not within the M25: Your government needs to look beyond the M25. Shoreditch is not the only potential Silicon Valley. The infrastructure of the North West, laid down by our industrial predecessors, is phenomenally prepared for the technology industry. London can't be, and shouldn't try to be, all things.

2. Foreign company revenues and tax bills: While Google, Bing and Yahoo bring jobs and investment, British businesses have advertised on search engines and adopted their services - and have therefore paid for and earned any investment within our shores.

Let's focus on Searchers' own sector for an example: Google reportedly controls a 95% market share of internet search advertising in the UK, and the company has gone on record describing Britain as a key market for its operations.

However, like many multinationals, it has clever accountants and a legitimate, if ethically questionable, way of not paying tax revenue generated from British advertisers. In its US home, it has only an approximate 60% share of the market.

The UK needs help reclaiming some of this market for its businesses and the overall economy, as well as to assist its international reputation for excellence.

3. Our issue with Google telling you that it couldn't have been started up in the UK: Searchers started here seven years ago and has been built using private investment.

We therefore find Google's attitude to the UK business environment perplexing, also considering its massive market share (see above) and the revenues (ditto) - they're doing quite nicely out of it.

Investment by Google might well facilitate great inroads into a British technology 'centre', as it has revolutionised search for the past decade - but the search engine's recent predatory behaviour could be considered borderline abuse of a dominant position.

As such, your assurance to Google that the government will consider changing copyright law to accommodate its business plan is alarming. Google should instead be thanking the UK for the ease in which it has managed to gain its monopoly over UK search, and questions should be asked in Whitehall around how it is that British search, which powers so much of our business infrastructure, is owned by a foreign country.

Mr Cameron, we'd be more than pleased to give you a tour of our facility and speak with you in person about this. The Searchers team has many bright ideas and strong opinions, and we're eager to share them and help implement positive change.

Regards,

Kym Kinlin (technical director), Israr Sarwar (operations director)

CC: Vince Cable MP; George Osborne MP; Graham Jones MP; Accrington...

Dear Mr Cameron: open letter | Facebook

[garinda]

“Some will argue that Google is so innovative that we need not worry, but Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Groups, Google Docs, Google Analytics, Android, and other Google products are all based on technology Google has acquired rather than invented,” said Jones, repeating the word ‘Google’ so many time that it began to lose any meaning it may previously have had.'

'There we have it. The official line is that it's up to the consumer. The unofficial line, hiding just behind, is that money makes the world go round and Google has powerful lobbyists.'

Read more: Ed Vaizey hears MP's concerns over Google monopoly - Google presents new 'Google-everything' | TechEye

I must say, Google's been by far the most useful tool, when trying to find any actual evidence of illegality, concerning one company's journey to achieving market dominance.

Seems to me, people just prefer it.

[jaysay]

Think the bottom line is if people find a product they like they stick with it, I've been using the Internet for around 10 years and always found Google the best, would seem I'm not on my own

[katex]

I like to use Ask Jeeves now and then. He is such a smart, polite gentleman and gives me a Mrs. Bouquet rush.

[Boeing Guy]

Could not agree more Rindi.
It seems easier to moan and bicker, Google is very user friendly, end of.
if what they have is so much better than google, then they should promote it more and get the word out.

I have never heard of the search engine this company have. But the negative reports about Reach Global, makes me wonder if they are skating a bit close to the thin ice.

I have just tried both for a simple search 'Pink Floyd'.

Google, came back with the official website, videos, wikipedia, news and Pink Floyd fandom, a fan site all in the top 5.

Searchers came back with, the official site, Neptune albums, Metal magnets, acorn arts, penzance, the O2 advert for tribute band The Flesh.

I think I will stick to Google

[Boeing Guy]

Even better this product has never heard of BMW E36.

It seems Searchers has a long way to go

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by katex

I like to use Ask Jeeves now and then. He is such a smart, polite gentleman and gives me a Mrs. Bouquet rush.

Oh Kate, c'mon....I'm sure you can do better than the Jeeves guy....though......just hang on a minute.......he won't need any 'skiddies' washing from his undercarckers.
Sometimes a figment(of your imagination) is better than the real thing

[Boeing Guy]

Off the Searchers website

Why is Searchers so good?
Searchers has picked up where others left off, and we've brought the next generation of search to the UK.
Our technology indexes more UK web pages than anyone else, and only lists those read of prominence to the UK.
Pages are found and classified using our unique natural-language processing system – we don't just rely on word-matching techniques, we have incorporated new elements.
So, Searchers analyses what each page actually means in relation to the whole website, rather than ranking keywords by frequency and position.

Sounds impressive, however I tried typing 'Accringiton' to see what happens and Searchers came back with:

Whoops!
Your search for: accringiton did not match any web results.
• Please check your spelling
• Search again using different keywords
• Try using fewer words
• Search on more general terms

So I tried it on:
Yahoo
Lycos
Alta Vista
Hotbot
Alltheweb
Ask
Bing
and of course the hated Google
All either realised my spelling mistake and corrected it or asked me if I meant Accrington.
Seems our Local search engine is not up to much. Reminds me of the early days.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Boeing Guy

Could not agree more Rindi.
It seems easier to moan and bicker, Google is very user friendly, end of.
if what they have is so much better than google, then they should promote it more and get the word out.

Strangely they don't seem to have a problem with other foreign based internet companies, who have achieved global market dominance. If they can be used as a promotional tool...

Israr Sarwar, Operations Director at leading internet marketing agency Adrac, said; “If the trend continues, 2010 could see further growth in the online advertising sector which mirrors the spectacular growth in the popularity of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.”
Online Marketing Sees Phenomenal Growth Thanks to Advertiser Confidence and Social Media - Adrac, social media, social media sites

Odd, that.

[accyman]

when bing was launched people rushed to test it and rapidly returned to google as bing was useless and gave out incorrect returns matching nothing typed in by the user.Bing may have got their act together but first impressions last therefore people stick with what works

i know for sure which search engine i will use when looking for drivers for a 10 year old computer system

when google was launched its popularity was nothing to do with any polotition it got its reputation as a good search engine from the internet users who used it and recomended it on forums all over the world.Up unitl the launch of google i was using ask jeeves which only ever seemed to want to sell you somthing on the first page of results.

google has changed ownership since it launched and although they have some dodgy goin ons regarding google mail and gmail accounts it dosnt takeaway that they have an excellent search engine but as far as their mail service goes they can shove it as i prefer to be the first person who reads my emails not them.

unless google are breaking the law with their search engine their search engine has no buisness been discussed in parliament wasting time that could be spent discussing how to straighten this country out.Running to an MP crying about how the world isnt fair wont get your company out of the doo doo , providing a good product will.

i am surprised this matter was given the time of day

[garinda]

I suppose the question could be asked, how in 2007 a company could make headlines, offering to sponsor Celebrity Big Brother for £1 million pounds.

Manchester Evening News | Latest Manchester News, Sport, Football, Entertainment, Business and more | Accrington Observer - menmedia.co.uk

Yet two years later are awarded £29,928.00 of tax payers' money, in the form of a No Limits Finance for Growth award.

Reach Global Reaches New Heights

Perhaps they're just very good at generating publicity for themselves, apart from convincing us their search engine is worth using.

Looks like they've found another publicity tool, to help them.

[accyman]

seems to me this company has had more than enough help and should start looking in house as to their lack of success

[g jones]

This is not a great glorious campaign for online justice. I like google and will continue to use it as it is a good product.

My mailbag is full of anti Murdock letters opposing the BSKYB sale. If Murdock owned 91% of newspapers, 91% of TV market or 91% of the internet, or any other media mogul people would complain.

We must recognise Google has been a great product but like everyone else it has to play by competition rules and if it acts in a detrimental way to the UK we should take a stand.

Searchers is a problematic site. The stable of sites employs 125 people in Church.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by g jones

My mailbag is full of anti Murdock letters opposing the BSKYB sale. If Murdock owned 91% of newspapers, 91% of TV market or 91% of the internet, or any other media mogul people would complain.

They only have 91% because people like their product.

I honestly wouldn't give two hoots which baron had control of the press, as long as I was happy with what they offered.

If they didn't, I wouldn't buy it. I'd chose an alternative. Which there always is, happily, in the free market economy of the western world.

If other people were similarly unhappy with what was being offered, and sought a better service, their market share would go down.

This will continue unless anyone's planning we all read a state run, Pravda style newspaper, and any competitors are outlawed.

[Less]

Originally Posted by g jones

This is not a great glorious campaign for online justice. I like google and will continue to use it as it is a good product.

My mailbag is full of anti Murdock letters opposing the BSKYB sale. If Murdock owned 91% of newspapers, 91% of TV market or 91% of the internet, or any other media mogul people would complain.

We must recognise Google has been a great product but like everyone else it has to play by competition rules and if it acts in a detrimental way to the UK we should take a stand.

Searchers is a problematic site. The stable of sites employs 125 people in Church.

Whoa. Hang on, Graham, let's do a little towards perspective, the owner of THIS site has never been fancy, AccyWeb without grants subsidies or anything other than loyalty from it's members has managed to keep a site going.

The www is out there if these people are any good they won't sink, they will flourish, don't back moaning losers.

The Murdock thing is nothing to do with them.

Basically you would be better ignoring them and just asking Roy how he pays bills for a website, I think you would find it's a little like google, (not as big), but people use it because it works.
Don't waste your precious time just because they have caught your ear and drone on about how it's not fair.