Imagine...a walled Web

Imagine a scenario where walls will be erected across the web limiting not just what you could search but also how much you could search. As MSN launched its search service recently, the new fight has highlighted a new speciality of the high-tech industry. Specualtions are being raised on issues on not just the future of 'search' but also on who gains the most from the immense riches it promises.

According to Don Park, the web will be divided into areas searchable only through specialized search services, dominated in part by alliances and affiliates. For instance, MSDN could be looked up only through MSN, Blogger blogs only through Google, and, Amazon only through A9. All the ingredients of making the current web transform into a segregated network!

However, I do not see any such thing happening. The notion of such a walled web would simply defeat the very purpose of search. The simple reason being that what advantage would Google see in letting Blogger bogs be seached only through its search service, and why would Microsoft restrict other search services to list MSDN pages?

Comments

Anonymous said…

Reminds me of newspaper sites requiring registration to view their articles (even though it's free registration). Nothing more frustrating than finding a search result but then realizing you have to register before you can access the info. We definitely don't need any more walls on the net.

-Ken

6:42 AM

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