Just google it...

The first time I heard about google was in 2000 from my husband's friend who was doing a research with Stanford University.

At that time, google was unheard of. So, when he used google as his main search engine, I questioned him why he chose to use not-so-popular search engine with a weird name and a boring homepage. He told me that google was just a search engine. Though it looked super simple, it used a very good search algorithm and even ranked the results so it's easier for you to see which result match your query best. He particularly liked the "I'm feeling lucky" button.

Oh well, I just laughed at his explanation. Inside my heart I still did not believe that google would successfully take over Yahoo's popularity for the search engine.

But quitely, I tried to use google. At first, I did not like it because I was not used to it. Slowly, I found out that although the homepage looked so boring (with just 1 textbox and 2 buttons), this search engine was very efficient and gave me the exact result to my query, not just some websites with missing links that relate to my queries. Since then, I understood my husband's friend explanation about the power of google. I 'demoted' Yahoo and 'promoted' google as my main search engine. I even used google more than my husband whom at that time got so used to Yahoo as his main search engine and reluctant to use something that he was not familiar with. Soon, the phrase 'just google it' (at that time people still thought I just didn't know the english word for 'search engine') became my favourite phrase.

When I moved out of Sillicon Valley to continue my study, I continued spreading the news about this powerful search engine. Until one day in 2004, I read a news about this company going public and offering an IPO of USD85 a share. I was very surprised because I thought USD85 for an IPO was a very expensive price. I doubted (again) that the stock price was going to go up much higher because it already started at a very expensive price.

But then, just 2 years after google's IPO, the stock price has gone up not just triple but 'multiple' from USD85 (a quick checked on Yahoo finance showed the price is at USD484.11 per share now). Google has become a successful company and has been offering more than just a search engine now. Even the word google has made it to the dictionary as an official word.

I shouldn't have doubted it in the beginning when I first found out how powerful their search engine algorithm was. Until now I still use google alot and I also use other products from it. So far I am quite satisfied though I'm a bit disappointed when I can't attach my program files (though they don't have .exe extention) to my gmail.

One thing I regret so much up to now is that I didn't buy the stock at the IPO price. Now, I can't afford it anymore... :-(

Oh well, it shows that I am only human who has no power to tell the future. What I can do is keep on saying my favourite phrase "just google it" and do the action too.