Saturday, July 31, 2010

Bye-bye Google? (Day 17)

Like Vanessa, I am on the computer constantly searching stuff - new recipes, green tips, how to fix things, great deals on kids' clothes - you get the picture.  So I thought it was really neat that Vanessa had discovered this search engine called GoodSearch (www.goodsearch.com).

It is powered by Yahoo!, so the search quality should be good.  The company also donates money to an American charity of your choice, every time you type in a search.  (I tried to find a Canadian charity but did not have any luck, so I chose Greg Mortensen's Central Asia Institute).  I like the idea that I can search the Internet and help fund a worthy cause at the same time.

According to Vanessa's blog, "GoodSearch donates 50% of its advertising revenue to the charities and schools selected by its users. They estimate that only about one cent from each click goes to the cause, so you really need to search for a whole lot of stuff for it to make a difference".  

Several readers commented on her blog that the quality isn't the best, but I think I'll give it a try. 

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this. I'm going to check it out :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've tried it a few times in the past couple of days, and I think it's ok. Maybe not quite as far reaching as Google, but so far, the hits I have been getting are good.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had never thought of this - great idea! I do tons of search work daily, and I like the donation idea.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, it works pretty well. I like the donation idea as well - it's great that a little Internet search enables your charity of choice to earn a little cash.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love, love , love the Good Search idea, but got frustrated at the speed and less far-reaching database. I am a web desginer when I'm not working on my own eco-blog and need to look up stuff *quickly*, especially when I'm on the clock for a client or looking up information on obscure coding issues. So- I've reverted to Google at work but am continuing to use Good Search at home. I figure splitting the difference is better than nothing. Maybe I will start a letter campaign to Google and suggest they have some sort of "green" option

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey I like that idea! Let me know if you get any response - I would be happy to write a letter.

    ReplyDelete