Apr 21 2008
Convergence of Search
Convergence. There I said it. Yes, I used a horrible buzzword. Sometimes convergence is bad. Ever been to a Long John Silvers & KFC fast-food restaurant? If you have, then you know why fish sticks and the colonel’s chicken should never converge. In other cases, convergence is VERY good.
When we think of Google, we think of www.google.com. You go online, search for something, and Google returns results. In the absence of a Google chip for your brain, the good folks at Google have given us two great FREE search options for when we’re away from our computers: GOOG-411 and Google SMS. Both of these are great options for those of you who are sans iPhone.
GOOG-411 is a free 411-phone service. You simple dial 1-800-GOOG-411 and tell the voice-automated system what you are looking for and where. Google then gives you the answer. The days of paying a $1.00 or more service fee for using a 411 service on your cel phone are over.
Google SMS allows you to text message your search query to 466453 (’GOOGLE’ on most devices) and Google returns you a text message back results. For example, try movies 55402 and be wowed.
So why does this matter? Search is taking place beyond the browser. This opens up new opportunities for our clients and us. These search methods are only as good as the data they rely on. Making sure our data is up to date and easily accessible is critical. This has serious implications for clients like Erbert and Gerbert’s. Consumers should be able to find E&G stores from online search, phone, and text. We have more to think about than just the browser.
