So you and your friend are on the phone tag teaming a search for a restaurant, play or tickets. You both enter the same search string, you both get different results. Enter the paradigm that is Google. A paradigm is the set of experiences, knowledge and cognitive ability which you employ in your normal habit of reasoning. For example, if you are a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail. So what does this have to do with the internet, search engines and you? Everything.

For some time it has been true that search results are based on your browsing history, preferences, geo location, demography and a multiple set of qualifiers. Your “individuality” results in different search results than for anyone else. Why would you want a search return for a promo offer in Boston if you are in Denver? I.P. targeting is accepted by most of us because it’s convenient, saves time and is as we think it should be. This simple, seemingly harmless and convenient filter is only the beginning.

Enter the green door. The mega browsers along with the top Social Media sites show you the internet they decide you need to see. No one uses the browser bar anymore; you simply pull up your favorite search engine, browse the returns and click your way through the links until you get to the destination that requires the security key on the back of your credit card. What about the other 600 billion web sites that you don’t see? Your ‘peephole’ to the internet is tailored to you, and controlled by Google. Daily, Google extracts 3 dollars for every man, woman and child on earth in advertising revenue. As a result, you are going to get the results that they want you to see.

None of the Search Engines, Social Media sites or Electronic Media Ad firms will admit to behavioral targeting. “It’s Keywords!” they protest, only keywords. The ads you see to the right of your email are keyword prompted, not based on your online behavior. Yeah, right. The reality is that there is a lot more personalization to your search results than you could imagine.


There are some alternatives in search engines to give you a broader view of the internet landscape, or you could try using the browser bar. If not, the internet you see will be Google’s tailored version for your eyes only. Try a search keyword in several browsers and compare the results to see another side of the internet that you may have missed. Here are a few links: AllTheWeb, AltaVista, Inktomi and Teoma. Or you can use free comparison sites like Search3 http://www.search3.com/ to see how your search compares on various engines.

The FTC, after meeting with top execs from Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and others recently in D.C. is weighing their options to regulate behavioral targeting. Even going so far as to suggest an ‘FDA’ style stamp on websites to inform consumers about the ‘cookies’ they will encounter while on that site. With $25 billion dollars in online advertising at stake, expect lobbying to be far reaching.

Jim Smith is a consultant For B2B, B2C and P2B Social Media engagement. This includes inbound marketing, social media reputation management and Social Media Marketing.

Jim Smith blogs at http://sodotMe.com

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