Broback's Blog

Google Suggests is a handy enhancement to the world’s most popular search engine. One of their many top-secret algorithms includes one that tries to anticipate what you’re searching for, and I think most who’ve seen it in action are impressed by it’s ability to anticipate what you’re really after.

Salon called it “powerful stuff” and apparently it’s powerful enough that a lawsuit claiming defamation was filed against Google for the (largely accurate, but a little too honest) results they were presenting.

I did a few quick tests on local destinations and was not at all surprised by the results. In fact, they largely validated my own impressions gained from being a lifelong King County resident.

I currently live in Woodinville, and pretty much think of it as a wine town. Apparently so do most other Google searchers:

Hmmm. Bellevue? First thing that comes to my mind is shopping.

Bingo.

Belltown? It’s where I enjoyed having an office for years, but it’s now largely a destination I dread going to. What does Google think of it? Why drinking and getting shot of course:

Okay, okay. Let’s be fair. A couple things. Right up there with “shootings” in my mind is “parking nightmare” so either one could have been at the top of my list, but parking is not suggested. So I guess I was wrong on that one. Also, we don’t know specifically what their algorithm factors in, but it must contain information about other searches. Just because many people search for “belltown shootings” does not by definition mean that Belltown is any more dangerous than Mercer Island.