For the last couple of days, I've been wondering about the disappeared Advanced Search link on the Google homepage. At first I thought it was some kind of browser issue, so I refreshed it a few times, cleaned cache, cookies, history and all for good measure - nothing. So I've been looking and looking with my frustration mounting by the click and scroll.
Now two days later I find out that the link has been moved to the bottom of the page and it takes an extra click to get there. For a while now, I've had this feeling that Google is slowly losing its marbles - the ubiquitous + icon on websites absolutely creeps me out. There is nothing to "Like" about it as far as I am concerned. I hasten to check if Google is enforcing my endorsement of the website without my consent. Given the thing they pulled off with their launch of Buzz, I would certainly not put it past them.
Then there is this whole Hangout business that is as muddled in concept as it is in delivery. There is Google Offers trying to do be Groupon and I am sure there are many such bizarre experiments cooking in their labs that will sneak up on us when we least expect it. I could gripe a very long time about Google becoming disoriented and chaotic like Yahoo ; how this could be the beginning of the end but the advanced search link being moved to the bottom of page two is unconscionable unless it is some kind of perverse social experiment.
At any rate, I had switched over to Bing by this afternoon and was relieved to find the advanced search option clearly available where one might expect it. I think I will stay with Bing for a bit - the search results are much better than they were when I first checked it out. I don't much care for Google showing me my current location on the left when I am doing a search - I don't see why that is relevant, none of the other options make much sense either. There is sense of sophomoric and dysfunctional about all of the choices. Someone decided to throw in a bit of social and local into the mix - just because everyone else that's cool doing that stuff. Does not look like anyone is really driving this bus anymore - it has a life of its own. If that link does not return where it belongs, I don't think I am coming back to Google for search any time soon.
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