Staple, Rob.
sta·ple2 n
2. a principal or continually recurring ingredient or feature of something.

ty·po
(tī'pō)
n. Informal., pl. -pos.

A typographical error.

- RP

It might not be a search engine per se, but for lots of things, I now check wikipedia first. I often get pointed in the right direction quicker there.

For word-specific searching, Altavista still is my top pick.

Call me old fashioned, but if I need to avoid the barrage of advertising described, I will go to investigate via the library. The restrictive nature of database software (LexisNexis anyone?) tends to cull out the more unbiased info.

A VPN now even lets me do this from outside the library - very convenient!

Is it me, or does anyone else not even notice the ads in Google? When I'm googling, I'm looking for answers and I pretty much ignore everything else. Same with wpost.com, I'm pretty much blind to all the flashing banner ads,etc. Never look at them, let alone click on them.

I have learned to look closely at the url's in the Google results to 1) make sure they're not from an irrelevant foreign country or 2) a retailer. Just bought a digital camera and had no problems finding pertinent reviews through Google.

So what's the big deal?

I use Yahoo! and Google, depending on the task.

I find Google the most useful for general search, including keywords, news and image searches. I also use Google when I need to search a site with bad search engine (using Google's site:abc.com feature) and when looking for certain file types. (filetype:abc)

I use Yahoo! for others - typically much more targeted. Yahoo! Finance is the best for stock market information. When I am actually shopping and want to locate a product (shopping.yahoo.com), I find it much better than Google. Yahoo! Maps new Web 2.0 interface is awesome. Also use My Yahoo! as my home page, especially for aggregating news and RSS feeds (Faster Forward included.)

personally I use Google as my home page and I am very satisfied with it. If I cant find what I am looking for, I go to Ask.com but I just dont care for the way they are set up. I rarely use any of the others. Incidentally thanks for running my story where they sold my home for 1.63. All these sites had it splashed every where especially Google Thanks, Dolores Atwood

I've set the default search to Google in IE7 but I also use the Windows Live toolbar which has a search window for Windows Live search. So I can use either as the mood moves me. I prefer Google though. Interestingly, after typing something into the IE7 search box and initiating the search, the term is replicated in the Live toolbar search box making it easy to search for it again in Windows Live search.

Just remembered my middle school students' favorite search engine, www.dogpile.com! I know they like it for the name, but it is a metasearch engine, so you get the best of all of those search engines, Rob, plus the name factor.....

Yes, Dogpile is of great use. It combines several search engines, including Google. The whole is at leat equal to the sum of its parts.

I use Dogpile search engine and would not use any other. I discovered it when looking for an alternative to Google back in December 2004, when I first went on line. It gives you a whole host of search engine choices (metasearch) plus it's got a charming name and as an animal lover, it's got Arfie.

http://www.kartoo.com/

Is a completely different kettle of fish.

" KartOO is a metasearch engine with visual display interfaces. When you click on OK, KartOO launches the query to a set of search engines, gathers the results, compiles them and represents them in a series of interactive maps through a proprietary algorithm"

I still also tend to use Altavista 1st. It has a nice simple interface, no adds. I also often use dogpile, but unlike those posters above, I often find that it doesn't give me what I'm looking for compared to Altavista. I also use Yahoo!, Ask, and others just to mix it up. I try not to use google, simply to rebel in my old age, as I search rather than Google.

Microsoft's Live Search is surprisingly a lot better than Google at searching for images.

So far, I'm sticking to Google, but once in a while I'll use Dogpile. I remember once searching for +Mexico +marriage +laws and Google kept bring up New Mexico, even after I did a -New and a -"New Mexico". Dogpile got it immediately. But only rarely will Google not find sufficient reference sources for my admittedly non-esoteric searches. As a matter of principal I try to avoid Microsoft programs, and really dislike IE7 and all its bells-and-whistles.

Good article that touched upon a serious weakness of the Internet and potential security issue that affects us all.

"But, I also found some things that Google could improve. I also realized that all of these sites still have problems figuring out when I'm browsing the Web as just a reader--not a buyer."

A growing number of unscrupulous websites could care less about anyone's priorities being different than theirs (browser or reader vs buyer)... hence the opt-in is boiling over as opt-out is trying the hardest in becoming the web norm. The consumer takes it where the sun don't shine due to this in many cases. The unsuspecting web browser is lured onto a website deceptively and then tricked again with confusing or NO opt-out policy.

The opt-in controversy would be a good column to dissect by itself.

And very few web sites publish a comprehensive privacy policy today with fewer still adhering to theirs if they have on.

The web user privacy issue is similar to the current corporate atmosphere regarding employee pensions - employees have become throw-aways due to overseas out-sourcing as strongly recommended by many of big accounting firms eager to profit from showing the way overseas -few mans land... and much harder to observe and regulate for the consumer until it is too late.

Web browser beware as web site spoofing is now one of the leading security issues swirling around ID theft and privacy hacks.
Much of which is centered around privacy policies or lack there of.

I use Google, but hate the way it just places all the "I gotta sell you this!" links up front.

I use Google as my browser's default search site both because of its uncluttered interface and it's clear marking of sponsored sites versus search results. I am blind and use speech to listen to search results. I have to listen to everything that appears on a page and don't have the option of visually glancing past ads and flash movies. I want my info fast and without a bunch of irrelevant links and frames to listen to. I would use Google even if it cost me something to use their service because of its speed. I haven't used Yahoo or MSN search in over five years because of its clutter, showing me ads for things that have nothing to do with my search. The only way either engine could get me back as a user is... to become Google.

Another vote for Dogpile. I've been using it for years, although I occasionally use
Google, Yahoo, and Ask.

Altavista comes first. Especially when one's looking for more serious, and not superficial stuff.

Usually I search Google through Scroogle because Scroogle relays requests anonymously to Google and has no ads on its return pages. I prefer anonymity because Google is spyware at heart, and I never trust the heart of a multibillion dollar corporate giant.

I am almost always satisfied with Scroogle's results, but when I am not, I use Dogpile. I've gone directly through Google maybe once in the last six months.

I use microsoft live and google. i find that live if correct is a lot better than google. if not correct, google gets you closer...