The power of Google

Google started in 1998 as an alternative to the big players, and over a space of just a few years has become the major player on the web. Its mission statement is “to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

Google receives about a billion search requests per day. Popular websites estimate that 80% of searches are coming through Google. Google's revenue comes largely from advertising. AdWords enables advertisers to display advertisements in Google's search results and the Google Content Network, through either a cost-per-click or cost-per-view scheme. Adsense enables other websites to display an advertisement on their own site, and earn money every time it is clicked.


Some Google websites

Google Guide: a guide to using Google effectively: www.googleguide.com

Google Weblog: An unofficial blog about Google: http://google.blogspace.com

GoogleWatch: As Google’s power and influence on the web grow, this website reports on the public interest issues that this raises. www.google-watch.org

Scroogle: A way of Googling developed by GoogleWatch so that the search cannot traced back to your internet address: www.scroogle.org

Elgoog: “Elgoog” is “Google” spelt backwards, and the site provides information on Google and on-line gaming. www.elgoog.nl

GoogleWhack: Enter two words of between 4 and 30 characters and search on Google. You get a “GoogleWhack” if the search produces just one result. www.googlewhack.com

Search the internet

Search the internet, and generate money for charity

The Internet has become a large marketplace where companies pay to have customers visit their websites. The companies pay a few pennies when visitors to their website click on text and image links. The total revenue generated from this adds up to around $14 billion per year.

A number of services have been designed to direct some of this revenue to charity. Some benefit a pre-selected list of charities. Others generate money for any charity – which can include yours if you register, the amount you receive being based on the amount of clicking undertaken by you and your supporters.

Select a Search Engine which offers this service, sign up and then start surfing. Choose the service by how will the Search Engine will work for you and whether you want to support your own charity or just pick one from a list or support the “charity of the month”.

The Search Engine collects its share the of the advertising pennies generated, and redirects a proportion to charities. Over a year and with lots of your supporters doing it, the amount you raise can really add up.

Take action
Sign up and start searching. Do a bit more to change the world – without it costing you a penny.

In the USA
GoodSearch uses a Yahoo search engine, and you can direct the money to any charity or school you choose.
www.goodsearch.com

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Jikolp uses Google, and has a monthly charity. December’s charity was Greenpeace’s “Stop Climate Change”.
http://jikolp.com

GoodTree combines results from Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask, and has a list of causes and charities that you can choose from.
www.goodtree.com

In the UK
Everyclick is a search engine based on Ask. Half the revenue generated is given to charity. Each participating charity receives a proportion to the site income depending on how many searches its supporters make. If a site user does not select a specific charity to benefit, the income generated is used to benefit all charities registered with Everyclick on a pro rata basis. www.everyclick.com

Magic Taxi is based on Yahoo, and supports 18 national charities in the UK with 50% of its net revenue. Each day a different charity is featured as beneficiary, or you can choose your favourite from amongst the 18. www.magictaxi.co.uk



GoodSearch estimates that each search will generate around 1 US Cent for the designated charity or school. They give this as an example of how much an organisation can earn:
A small charity, with 100 supporters making an average of 2 clicks per day will generate an estimated $730 per annum.
A medium charity, with 1000 supporters making an average of 2 clicks per day will generate an estimated $7,300 per annum.
A large charity, with 10,000 supporters making an average of 2 clicks per day will generate an estimated $73,000 per annum.”