Googling Google

I use Google almost every day to search for everything from guitar tabs, upcoming concerts, to information on new video games, and new movies. I also use it to search for videos on YouTube as it is generally more convenient. When I am working on homework, I like to use Google to check the spelling of words, look for synonyms, and check grammar rules. 

So does Google have too much power in our lives? No, not really. I could use another search engine instead but I choose to use Google just because it's in a list of bookmarks that I can access quickly. I use an iPhone and a Mac Book, so Google is the default search engine when searching for things too. 

Do I think we are addicted to Google? Probably not. I think it's just Google's popularity as a search engine that has led it to become a much larger company. With its growth, it has been able to create more services that enhance our everyday lives. If people to choose to use Google over Bing or Yahoo, so what? Trying to blame Google for making us stupid, is stupid. I think Google simply serves as a gateway to information for most people, rather than an addiction of Googling just for the sake of it. People love to learn new things and be entertained, so as long as there is a balance between the two then I see nothing wrong with Google. I would only start to worry if U.S. government or Google tried to use its power to control the information we have access to. 

Blog About Bloggers Blogging

In the article, Bloggers About Blogging by Rebecca Blood, Fred First talks about how he had started his blog, Fragments of Floyd, when he had began blogging in March 2002. He mentions how it didn't really become a blog until June, after he had lost his job; a reader had responded to one of Fred's post and explained how his words had given him hope. With this connection, he wanted to spend more time writing and creating a sense of community on the web. First says, "I think that this was my core need— to listen to others and to be heard, and to make a difference, to be a part of something."


Fred is also a photographer and uses that experience as a way to help him write. He originally started by posting one of his photographs and then would write about whatever was on his mind. Since then, his format has hardly changed as his writing focuses primarily on the small everyday events of life that are overlooked by most people. His love for the pace, place, and pleasures of simple country living continue to influence him as he writes.


I found the interview with Fred First to be inspiring as I start my own blog. I like that he has tried to stay away from the political and current events areas of blogging because of the unnecessary drama it creates in the blogosphere. I really like how his blogs pertain to his personal life, everyday life, and how they include his photography.