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Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

Google hits 'terrible teenage' years; Mixed bag to celebrate

By | September 27, 2011, 4:30am PDT

Summary: Google celebrates its thirteenth birthday with a plasticine cake and global search dominance. But party guest Facebook threatens to derail the whole day.

Google celebrates its 13th birthday today with a low-key doodle, which can be found on display on the front page of the main search site.

The logo, transformed for one day only, falls in line with the search giant marking the day of anniversaries of births, deaths, inventions and public holidays. Its own birthday is no different; this year sporting a plasticine-filled room with a birthday cake and an exclamation point, which was once included in the original Google logo.

Now officially a teenager, expect a strop half way through the party, and a storming off moment as “everything is so unfair”, mostly because uninvited party guest Facebook is locked in bitter rivalry with the search giant.


(Source: Google)

While Google incorporated on 4th September 1998, and over a week later Google.com was registered, the search giant officially recognises its birthday today.

While comScore statistics show that U.S. web users spend more time on Facebook than any other website, Google still commands a 65 percent share of the global search market, according to StatCounter. But Microsoft’s integration of its Bing search engine in Facebook and Yahoo threatens the search dominance of Google.

Neilsen, however, suggests that Google has 90 percent of the search market. Either way, Google still reigns as the true winner of the search sphere.

But as with all teenage years, not just for high-school kids, the search giant has had its fair share of controversies and difficulties to face over the past few years. Even in the run-up to its relatively low-key anniversary, Google faces pressure from senators amid claims that the company ‘cooked’ links to favour its own products and services over competing others.

But amid the doom and gloom, today is a celebratory day for Google. Even with its recently opened-up Google+ social network, the company continues to enjoy growth by numbers, as the fastest growing social network the world has ever seen.

And before you ask, apparently there are thirteen candles on the cake, and not twelve.

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Topics

Zack Whittaker, a criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, Canterbury, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

Disclosure

Zack Whittaker

I worked briefly with Microsoft UK in 2006 but no longer have any connection with the company. Regardless, I remain impartial and unbiased in my views.

I don't hold any stock or shares, investments or industrial secrets in any company, but have signed confidentiality agreements with a number of UK and U.S. organisations, whose names I am not at liberty to disclose.

I was involved with Kent Union, the University of Kent's student union, undertaking voluntary, non-salaried, elected positions between early 2009 and mid-2010.

No other company, body, government department, non-governmental organisation or third sector organisation employs me or pays me a salary in any capacity whatsoever.

As a freelance journalist, whenever expenses are given and taken by a company that is not CBS Interactive, these will be disclosed in each relevant post to ensure transparency.

I currently work with a UK law enforcement unit, but this is an entirely separate position which bears no connection to other work.

(Updated: 23rd October 2011)

Biography

Zack Whittaker

Zack Whittaker, criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, UK, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

After studying criminology at university, though still in his early-20's, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.

He first had academic work published at the age of 22, then still an undergraduate, and has been cited by a wide range of publications: from CNN, the Huffington Post, AllThingsDigital, The Atlantic Wire and CBS News.

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hhnahwr 53 oro
bdfwekrdfe70-24378984735537571565517758138189 25th Nov
dnswxm,jnmqohmb43, zhvhc.
You're growing up kiddo!
0 Votes
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RE: Google hits 'terrible teenage' years; Mixed bag to celebrate
LoverockDavidson_-24231404894599612871915491754222 27th Sep
After 13 years they are still a one hit wonder.
@LoverockDavidson_ TROOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLL
How does goat taste, anyway??
0 Votes
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RE: Google hits 'terrible teenage' years; Mixed bag to celebrate
LoverockDavidson_-24231404894599612871915491754222 27th Sep
@jmwells21
huh?
@LoverockDavidson_

You heard him.
@LoverockDavidson_ Ah the UNIX way. Do one job, do it well. As opposed to doing many jobs rather poorly like another company we know. Jack of all trades, master of none (apart from Monopolising)?
Google has delivered a number of innovations. But it seems they no longer have the will to persevere. To take an innovative product and drive it to being the accepted standard like Google Search is. Look at the mess they are letting fester in the Android marketplace -- and even components at the core of Android like GMAIL no longer even get rapid responses -- have you looked at the Android marketplace comments on the latest version of the Android apps for GMAIL, Google Voice & Youtube. Should be an embarrassment.
@EasyDoesIt
I don't know where you are but for me Gmail still work as fast and as well as it ever was. As far as I'm concerned all the Google apps on my Motorola Atrix work superbly. And I don't think it's because of the network since we are not that well geared in Canada.
0 Votes
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ksohzih 14 sqv
cmakrejktt62-24379036019312324141372791261070 19th Nov
lidsou,fdkidavu08, ezhvv.
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totrfsa 21 vnk
cmakrejktt62-24379036019312324141372791261070 25th Nov
hccbun,bbskcucu49, pcrob.
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hhnahwr 53 oro
bdfwekrdfe70-24378984735537571565517758138189 25th Nov
dnswxm,jnmqohmb43, zhvhc.

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