A Week without Google – My Bing Journal

A Week without Google – My Bing Journal

A few weeks ago, I was in Seattle listening to Dr. Qi Lu wax poetics about his new work-baby, Bing, the world’s first Decision Engine.  There was skepticism brewing as I listened to how this engine would function in the Google-lovin’ life I lead; how would Bing, ultimately, become something I NEED?

That is, in fact, why I think Google has had the success it’s had: we, its users, NEED it.  It started as a search engine; a plain white box of possibility.  It added all the other little accessories later (i.e. Gmail, Google docs, Reader).  Bing, conversely, is starting full-throttle before a backdrop of Live Search and MSN.  To me, it seems too muddy when compared to Google’s pure beginnings.

[Disclaimer: I know Google isn’t perfect; my touting is only for comparative effect.]

This fact is not lost on Bing; they’ve set a five-year timeline to be the second most popular engine (they’re not even fooling themselves that they may ever take Google’s market share lead), and they commenced a $80 to $100 million advertising campaign.  Bing, it seems, is Microsoft’s last ditch effort with search.

My sentiment before starting this week of Google-free search?  Bing will fail.  And Santa Claus isn’t real.

 

  • Wednesday, 1:33 PM –

So my boss just emailed the company with instructions to switch from Google to Bing for a week for our online search needs.  After I stopped throwing up, my journey into the wilderness began as I installed the add-on to change my default engine to Bing.  So far the sky hasn’t fallen in on me, but there’s a strange little lower-case “b” where the strong and reliable upper-case “G” used to be.  I won’t lie: there is fear.  Secretly, I’m stowing canned goods just in case.

 

  • Wednesday, 2:20 PM –

We’ve been instructed to put on ‘Bing’-folds and search the abyss using nothing but our gut instincts.  I’m fearful of hitting trees with my face and being attacked by raccoons.  The relief is palpable as I realize, in all actuality, we’re to complete ten searches using this handy dandy trickster of a Web site.  It displays search results from Bing, Google, and Yahoo, but doesn’t tell you which are which until you’ve selected the most appealing ten blue links.  We then document which engines we chose for each query and send it back to our boss (where he will undoubtedly complete more psychological testing on his minions).

My results?  I chose Google and Yahoo each four times, and Bing twice.

 

  • Wednesday, 5:38 PM –

I just attempted to find Rocky’s blog, which I like to read from time to time for a healthy dose of wit.  I don’t know the URL exactly, nor do I have it bookmarked; my ability to find it, therefore, relies on searching with the query vicarious rocky.

This works like a charm in Google.  In Bing?  Not so much.  I started searching with vicarious rocky…nothing; vicarious rocky blog…mmm nothing; vicarious rocky lewis blogspot…nothing?  For real?  That tail won’t grow any longer, Bing.  That’s all you get.

Finally, I found Sage’s blog that mentioned Rocky’s blog, which is now effectively bookmarked because you can’t find it for crap in Bing because Bing sucks it hard right now.

 

  • Friday, 12:33 PM –

This morning and afternoon is devoted to updating information in Google.  To get to the appropriate page, I’ve effectively Binged Google Business Center about ten times.  Google’s in the shower now, scrubBing off the shame.

 

  • Sunday, 6:31 PM –

At present, I am rifling through images held for the query beautiful old houses, because I enjoy looking at things I want and can’t afford.  While I do not believe Bing and I are soul mates, I admit Bing’s image search is superior to that of Google.  First, scanning image results does not require me to travel to pages 2, 3, 4, or 358, for that matter; I need only to scroll downwards.  Second, it is possible to mouse-over an image and have it expand for easier viewing prior to following the link; this also displays the file size, image size, and destination URL.  Finally, the left-hand side of the results pages allows me to filter by size, layout, color, style, and people-properties.  Not too shabby, Bing.  Not too shabby at all.

 

  • Tuesday, 9:34 AM –

My first foray into Bing maps.  Bing, buddy, your maps suck.  Navigating from a destination query to a final map view is unintuitive and elicits a semi-complete list of potential destinations.

The query used was TGIF Fridays Akron Ohio (please, no judgments; I just needed to know, OKAY).  This pulled the top three results, accompanying a link to full results.  On the full results pages, listings A, B, and C are sponsored listings from YellowPages, with the remaining numerically identified listings below.

Side note: I wonder how these results display on a search placement report; it would feel odd to tell a client they’ve ranked A for their top terms.

So there’s the map with the numbers and letters marking locations; I click on one, expecting to move to a larger view on a click-and-drag-able interface.  Ho ho!  Noooo.  Instead I go to YellowPages.com and their little page about this particular restaurant.

Okay, Bing?  Yeah, I wanted a MAP and you gave me WEB SITE.  So if you could just stop doing that from now on, that’d be great.  Thanks a bunch!

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A week later…

Dear Bing,

This past week has been interesting, and I really feel as though I’ve given you a fair shake for the moment.  Maybe in time we’ll be better suited for each other, but you’re just not ready.

Look, it’s not me, it’s you.  You have no sense of direction (your map interface is atrocious), you never give me what I want (only what you think I want), and I’m just not finding what I’m looking for from you.

We can still see each other from time to time (for image searches), but I’m afraid my heart belongs to Google.

Love,

Joanna

Original photo “Moleskine a quadretti e grafite” by hummyhummy on Flickr.

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