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John Battelle
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The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture Paperback – Bargain Price, October 3, 2006

by John Battelle (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 159 ratings
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Excellent Book
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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Portfolio Trade
  4. Publication date
    October 3, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    5.54 x 0.92 x 8.42 inches
  6. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
159 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book enlightening, important, and well-researched. They describe it as well-written, articulate, and enjoyable to read. Readers also appreciate the information on the history and future of search.

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Educational valueReadabilityInformation value
17 customers mention "Educational value"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enlightening, important, and well-researched. They say it provides an interesting overview of the role of search. Readers also mention the book is good for beginners in Internet marketing and gives a thought-provoking discussion of how our brains work.

"...John Battelle does a great job at giving a detailed overview of the role of Search, which is especially helpful for a person like me, who has a..." Read more

"...However, these do not detract from an excellent coverage of the main subject. I highly recommend this book." Read more

"...Very engrossing reading. Highly recommended." Read more

"...While this book is a history of Google, it also gives a thought provoking discussion of how our brains work...." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"6 positive2 negative

Customers find the book well-written, intelligent, and enjoyable to read.

"...Battelle does all of the above with considerable aplomb. The man is a gifted writer and I can't wait for his next opus.Get. This. Book...." Read more

"...was very interesting and the book overall is very engaging and well written...." Read more

"Already outdated...Also, this book is not very well written and is slow to read." Read more

"...Search will do the same. Great story telling from a highly intelligent writer. Well researched with many insightful facts and predictitions...." Read more

7 customers mention "Information value"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly informative on the history and future of search. They say it provides an interesting history of Internet search technology with a heavy emphasis on relevant search results. Readers also mention the book is engaging and well-written.

"...It also highlights how search engines and the Internet have rapidly changed and offers insight into where search technology may be heading next...." Read more

"...tell interesting stories* leave me wanting moreBattelle does all of the above with considerable aplomb...." Read more

"...Search was never the same again. Now search results are ALWAYS relevant. In fact, Google always returns exactly the sites I look for...." Read more

"...As someone who has grown up with search, this is a great read of how search evolved and provides a great backbone for understanding the..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

H. Woo
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2008
Verified Purchase
The Search by John Battelle provides an interesting history of Internet search technology with a heavy emphasis on Google. It also highlights how search engines and the Internet have rapidly changed and offers insight into where search technology may be heading next. Although there is a heavy emphasis Google, the book ultimately aims at the bigger picture: the past, present, and future of search, in both the business and technology aspects.

John Battelle does a great job at giving a detailed overview of the role of Search, which is especially helpful for a person like me, who has a very limited knowledge of this topic. In addition, having a strong business and technical background, Battelle is even able to get a lot of insider information to further support his ideas. For example, he is able to incorporate his interviews with people like Brin and Page at Google, Bezos at Amazon, Yang and Filo at Yahoo, etc. Not to mention, he even brings the lesser known to the spotlight: Bill Gross, founder of GoTo.com, the first company to successfully provide an Internet search engine which relied upon sponsored search results and pay-per-click advertisements. It is these parts of the book that are most interesting, and enlightening. Not to mention, the book is a lot more credible with so many key figures of the Search industry being incorporated into the book.

Before reading this I thought that Search was just a box to enter in terms to search for. However, it is a rapidly growing field that morphs with many business ramifications: advertising, media, and sales to name a few. As we all know, Google makes the majority of their money off advertisements. In addition, many Internet users use the search engine to do their shopping as they are able to do some research on the item and find the best price before making their final purchase. Or, many also just do it because it allows for them to conveniently shop in the comforts of their own homes. The search engine's capabilities are endless. Many really novel ideas are and will continue to be coming out of the search engine/internet media industry. Already, we are thinking beyond text search queries and looking into visual queries. However, at the same time, agreeing with Battelle, we are definitely not far from search becoming like the voice of the Star Trek computer that even understands our verbal queries.
One person found this helpful
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Phil Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars Epic
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2012
Verified Purchase
A few weeks ago, I saw a list of the best business books of all time. I was a bit proud of myself that I had read most of them--at had at least heard of the rest. For whatever reason, though, one book had escape me over the years: The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture. I was more than five years late, but figured that I owed it to myself to give it a read.

I'm glad that I did.

I had seen Battelle on Bloomberg West and he was particularly smart and articulate. My one initial hesitation with The Search: I had already read many books about Google. (I count Ken Auletta's book among my very favorites.) Did I really need to read yet another book about Larry and Sergey's company?

But here's the rub: Battelle's book is hardly Google-specific. Rather, it's about the vast implications of being able to find an increasing amount of information within seconds, a trend that shows no signs of abating. Now, to be sure, you can't write a book about the history of search without delving into Google, but this is a book about so much more than one company. For instance, I learned a great deal about the role of Bill Gross and GoTo.com, a precursor to Google and the guy who cracked the nut on paid placements. I hadn't realized that Larry and Sergey modified Gross' central idea.

A Glimpse of What's Beyond

While I probably should have read this excellent text when it was released, in a way I'm happy that I stumbled upon it now. Sure, AOL and Yahoo! are not nearly as relevant today as they were when Battelle was hammering away on his Mac. But reading books like this years after their release allows you to assess the author's predictions ex post facto. Battelle's vision of then then-future in 2006 is, for the most part, panning out.

On a general level, my very favorite business books do the following:

* advance a big idea
* teach me something new (not that easy to do, since I read many non-fiction, business, and technology books)
* tell interesting stories
* leave me wanting more

Battelle does all of the above with considerable aplomb. The man is a gifted writer and I can't wait for his next opus.

Get. This. Book. Now.
7 people found this helpful
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Jay C. Hardin
4.0 out of 5 stars How Do Search Engines Work?
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2007
Verified Purchase
I had long been intrigued by the ability of search engines to quickly lay the world's knowledge at our fingertips and wanted to know how they worked. This book well explained the intricacies of search as well as the economics, ethics and future of the field. Certain computer terminolgy is never explained for the uninitiated--a glossary would have been useful. However, these do not detract from an excellent coverage of the main subject. I highly recommend this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Paulo Castro
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! 👏👏👏
Reviewed in Brazil on October 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
Excellent book that tells the story of search before Google's era. It's about internet, the tech worlf and the act of search.
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VV981
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in India on July 2, 2015
Verified Purchase
Not much insights. Dated stiry
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Aaron Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars Really interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is a really interesting book into the history of how Google came to become the biggest search engine on the planet. It covers the how competitive the search market actually is.

Very interesting, definitely worth a read if you interested in this kind of book.
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Mans Art
5.0 out of 5 stars Heute schon gegoogelt?
Reviewed in Germany on August 19, 2012
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Kaum ein Unternehmen zuvor hat die Welt so rasant verändert wie Google. Doch was steckt dahinter, was trieb die Gründer Larry Page und Sergey Brin an? Wie kam es zu diesem gewaltigen Umbruch der sich auch im Denken der Menschen manifestiert hat? Heute sind ganze Wirtschaftszweige auf der Suche nach neuen Geschäftsfeldern und sie nutzen die Infrastruktur und Technologie von Google. John Battelle beleuchtet die Anfänge als auch die Gegenwart, er nimmt zukünftige Entwicklungen vorweg und beäugt ebenso kritisch Google's Credo - Don't be evil
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在星猫
5.0 out of 5 stars 検索業界史と裏話を
Reviewed in Japan on April 27, 2007
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　検索業界史と裏話を業界に詳しいジャーナリストのジョーン・バトルが描いた本書は、当然ながらGoogleの設立から株式の公開、そして将来への展望を中心に「検索」が技術的また産業として成り立つまでを中心の課題としている。その中でGoogleのライバル達である、Yahoo,Microsoft等との競争についても語られている。

　もうひとつのキーワードが「意思」。検索が単なる語句の収集から検索者の意思の痕跡を積み上げていくものになった時にビジネス・モデルができあがったという点である。この見方からの検索ビジネスの将来についての著者の見通しはスピードの速いIT産業の中でも特にスピードの速い検索サービス業界の将来を見据えるのに役立つものであると思う。
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