RushmoreDrive: We need a black Google

min0 lee · 08-20-2008, 04:25 PM

RushmoreDrive: We need a black Google | Technology | Los Angeles Times

Is Google too white? No, we're not talking about the white home page that's so bright it motivates some people to change its appearance to save energy. We're wondering if it is too white, as in Caucasian, because so many white people use Google that it returns results that alienate the rest of the population.
Johnny C. Taylor thinks so. In April he launched RushmoreDrive, a search engine that returns results more targeted at the black community (it's named after the North Carolina street where its offices are).
"Someone said to me, 'We don't have a white Google, why do you need a black Google?'" he said during a visit to the Times today. "And I said, 'Of course you do -- It's called Google.'"
By way of example, he said that a black person searching for "whitney," for instance, probably wouldn't be looking for the Whitney Museum of Art, which comes up first on Google, or Whitney Bank, which comes up second. Instead, Taylor said, the searcher would likely be looking for Whitney Houston, who doesn't come up in Google until No. 4. That's why a search for "Whitney" on RushmoreDrive, which is part of Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp conglomerate, turns up the vocalist as its first result.
How does a website know what black people want? RushmoreDrive did ...

... a whole lot of research, watching where Web surfers who lived in certain areas with large black populations, such as Atlanta, were going online. The site's creators made note of what black users were clicking on and developed an algorithm that gives "black" links more weight. A search for "diabetes," for example, shows the American Diabetes Assn. as the first result on both Google and RushmoreDrive. But RushmoreDrive shows "statistics about African-Americans and Diabetes" as its second result and a link to the diabetes section on blackhealthcare.com as its fifth.
"It's a blend," Taylor said. "Results that otherwise would be much lower are elevated."
Search engines return results based on pages that they crawl through, but they can't crawl through every page on the Internet. RushmoreDrive also digs deeper into pages it thinks black people might visit more, such as soul food site chitterlings.com, Taylor said.
The search engine has already picked up advertisers such as Coca-Cola and General Motors and had nearly 800,000 unique visitors in June. Taylor says RushmoreDrive is a new kind of search engine that he says focuses on "identity search." In other words, it guesses what people are looking for based on the group they identify with.
Since search engines learn from what people are clicking on, RushmoreDrive had a small problem immediately after its launch: So many white members of the media were visiting the site that the results became skewed and turned up more "white" results, Taylor said. That's why the company is embarking on a big publicity campaign now, making appearances on the Tavis Smiley and Steve Harvey shows and sponsoring a 10-city gospel tour featuring Regina Belle.
RushmoreDrive also has jobs and news sites, as well as its own version of Google's Hot Trends, which shows what people have been searching for lately. Is it a black version of popular site Stuff White People Like? Well, no, there already is one, Stuff Black People Love. But in case you're curious about what RushmoreDrive users are searching for now, the top terms include actress LisaRaye, as well as Superheroines and Bernie Mac.
If you're not black, and you're jealous that now there's a search engine just for that community, start lobbying IAC for one of your own. Taylor says it plans to launch a new "identity search" site in the second quarter of 2009.
-- Alana Semuels
Semuels, a Times staff writer, covers wireless, marketing and the L.A. tech scene

NeilPearson · 08-20-2008, 05:32 PM

So stupid... Google returns links. It deals in information. Information is not white or black.

I can look up civil rights or fried chicken recipes and it will return links to that information.

NeilPearson · 08-20-2008, 05:36 PM

If you are looking up Whitney Houston, how about you just search for "Whitney Houston"?

If I do a search for Paul McCartney and just put in "Paul", Paul the Apostle comes up first. I'm not accusing Google of trying to push religion on me....

DaMayor · 08-20-2008, 06:02 PM

Will Ebonics be the primary language used?

Where's DOMS when you need him?

PreMier · 08-21-2008, 12:28 AM

another classic example of a black person keeping racism alive.

maniclion · 08-21-2008, 04:31 AM

Whitney turns up the museum first, the Bank second and third and then Whitney Houston as the 4th and 5th link.....is he saying black people are too lazy to look down 4 or 5 links? I find that very predjudicial of my 1/8th's heritage....

Wait he might be onto something I google imaged Michael Jackson and it came up with some white woman....oh wait never mind that's the artist who used to be an african-american my bad......

They should have called it jiggaboogle.com....yuk yuk yuk

**Dale Mabry** · 08-21-2008, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PreMier

another classic example of a black person keeping racism alive.

And trying to make money off of it.

Witmaster · 08-21-2008, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

And trying to make money off of it.

No shit.

I'm surprized Al Sharpton hasn't called for a boycott of Google.

KungFu · 08-21-2008, 07:35 AM

Foo dis iz wack

BulkMeUp · 08-21-2008, 09:19 AM

soooo.... will they have white text on a black background???

mcguin · 08-21-2008, 09:26 AM

I am outraggggged! Notttttt!!!!!

fufu · 08-21-2008, 11:32 AM

oh
my
fucking
lord

KelJu · 08-21-2008, 11:41 AM

Someone kill Johnny C. Taylor please.

Witmaster · 08-21-2008, 12:01 PM

I did a search for "kill whitey" on both Google and RushmoreDrive and they both came up with identical results

fufu · 08-21-2008, 01:33 PM

JailHouse · 08-21-2008, 06:18 PM

Next thing is gunna be a black IM.

maniclion · 08-21-2008, 07:03 PM

What next a black eBay? eBling maybe nothing but fake gold chains with hub cap sized medallions, toof grills, oversized jeans, and other crap...

DaMayor · 08-21-2008, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JailHouse

Next thing is gunna be a black IM.

Danny81 would be the first to apply as a moderator, no doubt.

Yo Yo, beeeotch! What flava uv gear you be needlin' over thar, Yo?

08-20-2008, 04:25 PM	#1
min0 lee Senior Member Elite Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: The Bronx, NYC Posts: 38,792 Photos: 542	RushmoreDrive: We need a black Google RushmoreDrive: We need a black Google \| Technology \| Los Angeles Times Is Google too white? No, we're not talking about the white home page that's so bright it motivates some people to change its appearance to save energy. We're wondering if it is too white, as in Caucasian, because so many white people use Google that it returns results that alienate the rest of the population. Johnny C. Taylor thinks so. In April he launched RushmoreDrive, a search engine that returns results more targeted at the black community (it's named after the North Carolina street where its offices are). "Someone said to me, 'We don't have a white Google, why do you need a black Google?'" he said during a visit to the Times today. "And I said, 'Of course you do -- It's called Google.'" By way of example, he said that a black person searching for "whitney," for instance, probably wouldn't be looking for the Whitney Museum of Art, which comes up first on Google, or Whitney Bank, which comes up second. Instead, Taylor said, the searcher would likely be looking for Whitney Houston, who doesn't come up in Google until No. 4. That's why a search for "Whitney" on RushmoreDrive, which is part of Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp conglomerate, turns up the vocalist as its first result. How does a website know what black people want? RushmoreDrive did ... ... a whole lot of research, watching where Web surfers who lived in certain areas with large black populations, such as Atlanta, were going online. The site's creators made note of what black users were clicking on and developed an algorithm that gives "black" links more weight. A search for "diabetes," for example, shows the American Diabetes Assn. as the first result on both Google and RushmoreDrive. But RushmoreDrive shows "statistics about African-Americans and Diabetes" as its second result and a link to the diabetes section on blackhealthcare.com as its fifth. "It's a blend," Taylor said. "Results that otherwise would be much lower are elevated." Search engines return results based on pages that they crawl through, but they can't crawl through every page on the Internet. RushmoreDrive also digs deeper into pages it thinks black people might visit more, such as soul food site chitterlings.com, Taylor said. The search engine has already picked up advertisers such as Coca-Cola and General Motors and had nearly 800,000 unique visitors in June. Taylor says RushmoreDrive is a new kind of search engine that he says focuses on "identity search." In other words, it guesses what people are looking for based on the group they identify with. Since search engines learn from what people are clicking on, RushmoreDrive had a small problem immediately after its launch: So many white members of the media were visiting the site that the results became skewed and turned up more "white" results, Taylor said. That's why the company is embarking on a big publicity campaign now, making appearances on the Tavis Smiley and Steve Harvey shows and sponsoring a 10-city gospel tour featuring Regina Belle. RushmoreDrive also has jobs and news sites, as well as its own version of Google's Hot Trends, which shows what people have been searching for lately. Is it a black version of popular site Stuff White People Like? Well, no, there already is one, Stuff Black People Love. But in case you're curious about what RushmoreDrive users are searching for now, the top terms include actress LisaRaye, as well as Superheroines and Bernie Mac. If you're not black, and you're jealous that now there's a search engine just for that community, start lobbying IAC for one of your own. Taylor says it plans to launch a new "identity search" site in the second quarter of 2009. -- Alana Semuels Semuels, a Times staff writer, covers wireless, marketing and the L.A. tech scene How To Do The Perfect Bench Press Rep Bodybuilding and Lifting Weights, the Difference ironmagazine-frapper

08-21-2008, 12:28 AM	#5
PreMier happy sumo Elite Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 21,962 Photos: 2	another classic example of a black person keeping racism alive. P-side Inc. "the post-workout high is more profound than any drug-induced rush imaginable." -Dante B.

08-21-2008, 04:31 AM	#6
maniclion Cartographer of the Mind Elite Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Mens Incognita Posts: 20,435 Photos: 10	Whitney turns up the museum first, the Bank second and third and then Whitney Houston as the 4th and 5th link.....is he saying black people are too lazy to look down 4 or 5 links? I find that very predjudicial of my 1/8th's heritage.... Wait he might be onto something I google imaged Michael Jackson and it came up with some white woman....oh wait never mind that's the artist who used to be an african-american my bad...... They should have called it jiggaboogle.com....yuk yuk yuk "We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Natures inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." Thomas Edison: In conversation with Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone

08-21-2008, 11:32 AM	#12
fufu fiendish thingy Elite Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,731 Photos: 8	oh my fucking lord fufu's 1337 Journal Your diet will set you free.

08-21-2008, 12:01 PM	#14
Witmaster Esprit de Corps Elite Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,995 Photos: 6	I did a search for "kill whitey" on both Google and RushmoreDrive and they both came up with identical results NEVER write a check with your mouth that you can't cash with your ASS!! I can run faster mad than you can scared "All right brain... I don't like you and you don't like me. So let's just do this and I'll get back to killing you with beer" ~ Homer Simpson

08-20-2008, 05:32 PM	#2
NeilPearson Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 2,518	So stupid... Google returns links. It deals in information. Information is not white or black. I can look up civil rights or fried chicken recipes and it will return links to that information.

08-20-2008, 05:36 PM	#3
NeilPearson Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 2,518	If you are looking up Whitney Houston, how about you just search for "Whitney Houston"? If I do a search for Paul McCartney and just put in "Paul", Paul the Apostle comes up first. I'm not accusing Google of trying to push religion on me....

08-20-2008, 06:02 PM	#4
DaMayor On a Perpetual Bulk Elite Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: ... Posts: 6,145	Will Ebonics be the primary language used? Where's DOMS when you need him?

08-21-2008, 07:35 AM	#9
KungFu Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 170	Foo dis iz wack

08-21-2008, 09:19 AM	#10
BulkMeUp ..is bulking up! Elite Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Cana-dah Posts: 5,636	soooo.... will they have white text on a black background???

08-21-2008, 09:26 AM	#11
mcguin "It's not a tooma!" Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: US Posts: 358	I am outraggggged! Notttttt!!!!!

08-21-2008, 11:41 AM	#13
KelJu Thats Dr. Keke to you! Elite Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: In my imagination. Posts: 10,159 Photos: 2	Someone kill Johnny C. Taylor please.

08-21-2008, 01:33 PM	#15
fufu fiendish thingy Elite Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,731 Photos: 8	fufu's 1337 Journal Your diet will set you free.

08-21-2008, 06:18 PM	#16
JailHouse Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,600 Photos: 3	Next thing is gunna be a black IM. Jailhouse Journal

08-21-2008, 07:03 PM	#17
maniclion Cartographer of the Mind Elite Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Mens Incognita Posts: 20,435 Photos: 10	What next a black eBay? eBling maybe nothing but fake gold chains with hub cap sized medallions, toof grills, oversized jeans, and other crap... "We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Natures inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." Thomas Edison: In conversation with Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone

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