Comments on: Any Good Alternatives to Google? http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:18:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Google Apps for Your Domain and ROBOTS.TXT « Gobán Saor http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-73 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 14:53:27 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-73 [...] Where’s the logic in this ? As it turns out none, it’s a bug, well it may be a bug as a comment I left on Peter Coopers blog prompted him to email a contact he had within Google, who contacted somebody else within Google, who confirmed it was a bug. Makes you worry about handing over too much of your infrastructure to “faceless companies”. Who do you call, or email? Where are the bug databases? Questions on the support forum, remained unanswered. I guess we can always ask guys like Peter Cooper, thanks again Peter. [...] […] Where’s the logic in this ? As it turns out none, it’s a bug, well it may be a bug as a comment I left on Peter Coopers blog prompted him to email a contact he had within Google, who contacted somebody else within Google, who confirmed it was a bug. Makes you worry about handing over too much of your infrastructure to “faceless companies”. Who do you call, or email? Where are the bug databases? Questions on the support forum, remained unanswered. I guess we can always ask guys like Peter Cooper, thanks again Peter. […]

]]> by: Tom Gleeson http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-71 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 12:43:08 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-71 I've just noticed, that the link http://apps.gleesonit.com/robots.txt now returns a balnk file, that was quick. Of course now that my Google Apps hosted "apps" sub-domain is searchable and it's a duplicate of my recently moved "www" sub-domain, I'll probably end-up penalised for duplicate content ;-) Thanks again Tom I’ve just noticed, that the link http://apps.gleesonit.com/robots.txt now returns a balnk file, that was quick. Of course now that my Google Apps hosted “apps” sub-domain is searchable and it’s a duplicate of my recently moved “www” sub-domain, I’ll probably end-up penalised for duplicate content ;-)

Thanks again
Tom

]]> by: Tom Gleeson http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-70 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 12:30:29 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-70 Thanks for that Peter, Well thanks be it's a bug and not a deliberate policy! Tom Thanks for that Peter,

Well thanks be it’s a bug and not a deliberate policy!

Tom

]]> by: Tom in Hk http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-67 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 05:57:28 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-67 Recommend you try www.turboscout.com which provides easy access to multiple search engines without tr-typing the search item. Recommend you try www.turboscout.com which provides easy access to multiple search engines without tr-typing the search item.

]]> by: peter http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-63 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 01:12:38 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-63 I just e-mailed my contact at Google about it and after a little bit of back and forth he e-mailed the project manager for Google Page Creator and told me this: <blockquote>I just heard back from the PM--it's a known bug that applies mostly to Google Apps for Your Domain accounts. They're working on it.</blockquote> So.. that's the sort-of official response :) It's a bug. I just e-mailed my contact at Google about it and after a little bit of back and forth he e-mailed the project manager for Google Page Creator and told me this:

I just heard back from the PM–it’s a known bug that applies mostly to Google Apps for Your Domain accounts. They’re working on it.

So.. that’s the sort-of official response :) It’s a bug.

]]> by: Tom Gleeson http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-62 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:24:55 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-62 Peter, Yes indeed the web is very quiet on this issue, but then if you think about it, the market for Google Apps is not the internet-cognoscenti but the small business folks looking for a cheap reliable DIY website and mail hosting service. Robots.txt are not a topic of conversation in the local chambers of commerce. For examples of the discussion, such as it is ... http://groups.google.com/group/GPC-How-to-Advanced/browse_thread/thread/777fbfad278755a4/406c7a8f487c7863?lnk=gst&q=robots.txt&rnum=1#406c7a8f487c7863 http://groups.google.com/group/GPC-Suggestions/browse_thread/thread/bc9bc09dd063989c/d005e3fc0bc45aec?lnk=gst&q=robots.txt&rnum=2#d005e3fc0bc45aec http://gfour-net.blogspot.com/2006/12/google-pages-killer-robots.html To see an example of the the robots file.. http://apps.gleesonit.com/robots.txt Tom Peter,

Yes indeed the web is very quiet on this issue, but then if you think about it, the market for Google Apps is not the internet-cognoscenti but the small business folks looking for a cheap reliable DIY website and mail hosting service. Robots.txt are not a topic of conversation in the local chambers of commerce.

For examples of the discussion, such as it is …
http://groups.google.com/group/GPC-How-to-Advanced/browse_thread/thread/777fbfad278755a4/406c7a8f487c7863?lnk=gst&q=robots.txt&rnum=1#406c7a8f487c7863
http://groups.google.com/group/GPC-Suggestions/browse_thread/thread/bc9bc09dd063989c/d005e3fc0bc45aec?lnk=gst&q=robots.txt&rnum=2#d005e3fc0bc45aec
http://gfour-net.blogspot.com/2006/12/google-pages-killer-robots.html

To see an example of the the robots file..

http://apps.gleesonit.com/robots.txt

Tom

]]> by: peter http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-61 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:05:22 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-61 Yeah, I use http://del.icio.us/ quite a lot for searches now, particularly if I can guess the tag that might be used. Even things like, say, http://del.icio.us/tag/ruby+tutorial work out really well usually. del.icio.us tag intersections used to be really slow, but they're usable now. I'm now envisioning a search engine where people vote for the sources (or one that, perhaps, uses existing sources of good links, such as del.icio.us and Digg). Yeah, I use http://del.icio.us/ quite a lot for searches now, particularly if I can guess the tag that might be used. Even things like, say, http://del.icio.us/tag/ruby+tutorial work out really well usually. del.icio.us tag intersections used to be really slow, but they’re usable now.

I’m now envisioning a search engine where people vote for the sources (or one that, perhaps, uses existing sources of good links, such as del.icio.us and Digg).

]]> by: Josh http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-60 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:00:13 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-60 http://del.icio.us/popular/ gets me focussed results of fantastic quality and is remarkably versatile these days. http://del.icio.us/popular/ gets me focussed results of fantastic quality and is remarkably versatile these days.

]]> by: losdemas http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-59 Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:01:02 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-59 Google’s results tend to be getting worse by the month Couldn't agree more. I too have been getting totally fed up with Google recently - as have several of my clients. The relatively new method of 'punishing' UK-based websites (and every other non-US country locale?) that use a dotcom domain, when restricting results to 'UK only' is getting very tiresome. The effect seems to be worsened if the site is hosted overseas. E.g. I have a client whose main domain is xxx.com. Their xxx.co.uk address points to xxx.com and their site is hosted in the USA for economic reasons, (it's cheaper!). Their keywords do well on google.co.uk, but restrict those results to 'UK only' and they drop off the map. My clients cannot afford to run two (or more) country-specific websites in order to pander to a search engine. These in any case would have to contain sufficiently distinct content/layout so as not to be seen to be spamming the engine). However, they *are* reliant (perhaps too much so), in a big way on the results that Google (specifically) returns. When combined with the current woes at DMOZ (don't even start me up on that one!), the life of a tadpole web-designer feels particularly stressful. Google definitely seems to be getting too big for it's boots and needs a good kick up the backside - before they turn into Microsoft, and forget that there is a public out there who use their products and make them what they are. There are more and more moans daily about Google. When small businesses, (who put a lot of money into the adwords programs [sic] that are so important to Google), start to suffer as a direct result of their placement policies, then hopefully the giant will start to feel it from the ground up, and do something about it before it gets toppled. The bigger they are.... As for your original poser - I too believe that Yahoo is the best alternative right now. I am sure that something good is around the corner though. It could be tiny? There's just something in the air... Google’s results tend to be getting worse by the month

Couldn’t agree more. I too have been getting totally fed up with Google recently - as have several of my clients. The relatively new method of ‘punishing’ UK-based websites (and every other non-US country locale?) that use a dotcom domain, when restricting results to ‘UK only’ is getting very tiresome. The effect seems to be worsened if the site is hosted overseas.

E.g. I have a client whose main domain is xxx.com. Their xxx.co.uk address points to xxx.com and their site is hosted in the USA for economic reasons, (it’s cheaper!). Their keywords do well on google.co.uk, but restrict those results to ‘UK only’ and they drop off the map. My clients cannot afford to run two (or more) country-specific websites in order to pander to a search engine. These in any case would have to contain sufficiently distinct content/layout so as not to be seen to be spamming the engine). However, they *are* reliant (perhaps too much so), in a big way on the results that Google (specifically) returns. When combined with the current woes at DMOZ (don’t even start me up on that one!), the life of a tadpole web-designer feels particularly stressful.

Google definitely seems to be getting too big for it’s boots and needs a good kick up the backside - before they turn into Microsoft, and forget that there is a public out there who use their products and make them what they are.

There are more and more moans daily about Google. When small businesses, (who put a lot of money into the adwords programs [sic] that are so important to Google), start to suffer as a direct result of their placement policies, then hopefully the giant will start to feel it from the ground up, and do something about it before it gets toppled. The bigger they are….

As for your original poser - I too believe that Yahoo is the best alternative right now. I am sure that something good is around the corner though. It could be tiny? There’s just something in the air…

]]> by: Ed http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-58 Tue, 19 Dec 2006 22:30:13 +0000 http://www.petercooper.co.uk/any-good-alternatives-to-google-18.html#comment-58 "It’s almost enough to drive me into creating a search startup." Go on. I dare you. I'll even help you! ;-) “It’s almost enough to drive me into creating a search startup.”
Go on. I dare you. I’ll even help you! ;-)

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