What is a search engine? It is a computer-coded, web site that combines copyrighted math and language combinations that permit a searcher to find something on either specific or other computers. To clarify, some hosts the name for a computer attached to a computer have specific limited databases that are pretty rigid and fixed, searchable by "search engines” and other hosts are purely designed to provide data from a data-base that changes hourly. Thus, a limited database will have the same data from day one till the day the computer is taken off-line. The other data base has up-to-the-minute new entries.
In a public library one finds literature by reviewing the indexing system known popularly as the Dewey Decimal System, where this literature, with numbers on its jacket, is placed on shelves according to numbers that coincide with the Dewey system.
Thus, if one enters the library building and seeks a book on non-fiction writing and another on the business of writing, the searcher can seek the directory of the Dewey System and then find the applicable numbers.
The shelves in the library are enumerated according to the Dewey system. One finds each book by seeking out the Dewey number.
Since most libraries carry many books with the same category numbers, as the title changes slightly, such as learning to fly or learning to fly twin engine airplanes, and each of these slightly changed titles will cause extension to the Dewey numbers; 671 could be the first book and 671.5 could be the second.
When the first computer search engines were created, they were financed by side of the page advertising. Being so financed, the search engine database handlers were able to accept alphabetically, all submissions submitted by anyone with connection to the internet.
I am emphasizing alphabetically for a critical reason. This author, like millions before and after him, visited connection services 1995-1999 on the internet used to list his web sites with search engines. There were four of these services and for no cost, one listed the data being placed into the different search engine databases and within one or two days, one"s private web site was made publicly available when the web site owner went to specific search engines [pre Google] and sought his own web site's listing.
Thus, all web sites around the world were discovered by both topic/category and via the alphabet. Thus, for a few years, the internet search engines logically [and critically] mimicked library categorizing systems.
Since all web sites -both individual private sites and huge corporate sites-were listed with search engines using the same “hook up” system, everyone was on a level playing field. During a search for your favorite restaurant, or auto repair facility, as long as those two businesses [or other listing directories had carried them] used the same connection service connecting them to search engines, one could find one's web site quickly and easily based on an alphabetical search of that category. NOT anymore!
Google's founders felt they could modify the approach to search engines' revenue generators by not only seeking side-of-the-page advertisers, but by also charging for data [web site] sub-missions.
Thus, if a lowly start-up IT firm wished to be listed in the Google system and have customers find them via Google but did not have a “placement” budget, Google would not carry their new business data. So be it.
This, however, leads to “unintended” consequences. Reiterating, when search engines were pre-, created, pre-Google, all submitters could post their firms or web sites at no cost-thus creating an unbiased, fully encompassing directory and search engine. This gave legitimacy to all searches.
Let's find out what would happen, conversely, if one used the “paid to list” approach in a library:
In this example, sticking to the true Dewey System, these book authors do not have the budget to pay the library for listing their books. The library got the books on donation. YOU visit two categories: writing books and selling your books. YOU do not find either book. YOU know the library obtained them. YOU give up and begin to leave the library with your nephew.
Your young nephew likes books on animals and is pondering the books under the category “zoo.” As you pick up the nephew and he points out his choice of books for his next visit, you notice next to this book, two books that seem out of place; one on Writing books and another on Selling your writing. You wonder why they are placed next to a book on zoos. Of course the answer is, there are no more books in the non-fiction categories so the non-listing fee books are dumped at the end. Each day you visit the library, you notice all the books in the library that fall under specific categories are where they should be but you also notice more and more books just sitting at the end of the letter Z and category Zoos. These book authors cannot afford to have the Dewey System number printed on their jackets, thus, they are casually dumped at the end of the non-fiction lists. If poor cities across the nation read this article this could happen and categorizing books could change libraries forever.
In How to Win the Race Between Search Engines and Search Engine Optimizers, Cyberspacific of Australia feels the war is math-based. I claim the war is fairness.
The search engine's purpose is to provide useful, high quality and relevant information for any search term. There is a real war between the search engines' methods and algorithms and search engine optimizers. The result must be the user's satisfaction.
I recommend that a new search engine be created and it revert to either foundation financing to permit database creation or side-of-page ads and inform all listers that beside their listing will be the statement “non-paid listing.”
It is presumed that any company paying a competitor for a listing would not permit a copycat type statement “non-paid listing.” Thus, search engines using this listing stipulation could return to an equal playing field and allow all posters to post.
