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Why Do Search Engines Lie?
By Robert Scoble
Expert Author
Article Date: 2006-02-09
Here, do a search for Memetrackers (Google, MSN, Yahoo). Now, why are none of their numbers accurate?
Google says there are 713 results, but can only display 62. MSN says there are 101, but only can display 100. Yahoo says there are 368, but only can display 44.
Why aren't there any truth in advertising laws for search engines?
Update: the numbers are changing. Google now says there are 699 results, but can only display 692 (this is after you tell it to display all duplicates).
Oh, and no engine can display more than about 1,000 results, so if they say there's 42,000,000 results there's no way to verify whether those numbers are accurate or not.
Update 2: Yahoo is actually accurate once you tell it to display all duplicates. It says 429 results and displays 429 results. So, Yahoo wins! (although I wish they'd all be a little clearer up front).
About the Author:
Robert Scoble is the founder of the famous Scobleizer blog. As an employee of Microsoft, Robert Scoble is recognized as the most prominent corporate blogger in the world.
Go to Scobleizer ...
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