Google- Ryan Danger Stefani

Just by skimming through some classmates' posts I think I'm about in the middle when it comes to how alike we are to Dan Firger. Some, like Andrew, for example, are apparently very dependent on Google. Others, like Ryan and Spencer, use Google for some of their computer needs but not others. I recently switched to Gmail because the UNI email system is HORRENDOUS. They don't have enough storage space for your inbox and deleting mail is the opposite of user friendly, you can't easily see sent mail, and they make you change your password all the time. I guess where I'm going with this is that as a result of other, lesser sites' inability to satisfy user needs, Google has a competitive advantage in that it has the latest innovative technologies at its disposal to satisfy more users' needs. This is where I find myself falling into habits like Firger's and becoming dependent on Google.

Google is aptocratic in the sense that it, as the reading indicated, clearly sees each rung of the ladder it needs to climb on its way to the top. The makers of Google have a good grasp on where the world is heading, and know how to adapt their business model and advertising to fit the world's changing needs. For instance, Google made itself more desirable and extended its reach by acquiring YouTube. YouTube is an excellent way for Google to spread its roots even further and reach more people with their advertisements, thereby making more money and making more people depend on them.

Google vs Yahoo!! I'm glad this came up as a topic for discussion on the blog because it's something I've been pondering for a while. I don't really know what happened to Yahoo, but I distinctly remember my reason for preferring Google: the home page. Yahoo's home page was riddled with advertisements, making it obnoxiously crowded and irritating to conduct a search. Google's home screen is spotless, with the nice, organized Google letters all perfectly aligned, with hardly anything else but the search bar. Now, I have no clue as to whether this had enough of an impact on other people like it did on me to get us to the point where we are today, which is with Google dominating former competitors like Yahoo, but that's my input.