amen to that. I really think you may be on to something. Nowadays, people just say 'go Google it' and everything... Google is almost second nature to us... we're becoming dependent on Google. MACHINES RULE THE WORLD.
I actually find this an interesting topic (as somebody else said, Google was fighting against Yahoo! when it started and probably lots of people told the creators "just forget it") Anyway, my idea is that the future of SE will be a shift toward a more humanized algo - that is, a network of thousands of people browsing and tagging web sites (it's already happening, BTW). Google strength - their algo - is also their weakness: look how many MFA websites are created every minute, and how easy it is to trick the big G: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=97090
I recently started a Google coop, and am now looking into starting up a few other Google apps. I have a lot to learn...but once I learn them the fine folks on my site will be introduced to the Borg technologies of the Google Machine. I'd have to re-think my entire online experience if the big "G" ever fell...I'd need to learn how to use Yahoo or something....but I already use Yahoo a bit, and I simply can not stand the interface and functionality of it. I started on Dmoz, then moved to MetaCrawler. Now I'd not suggest either to anyone, but even when I was using them I rarely gave testimonials of how much I liked them, but look at me now praising the "machine". Heck, I don't even care about google reading my mail! In fact, I have all my accounts forwarded to my Gmail account so I can give them even more of my personal information. I've added the Google toolbar, and have the Google Desktop. Resistance is Futile! I know that all good things come to an end, and that when the might fall, they crash...I just wonder if it does crumble how many people will fall with it. I know I will... Q
The big Y! used to be the biggest. Then Google tranced along in and beat them big time. Somebody should do that to Google lol