Well its official, The verb Google was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on June 15, 2006.
The verb to Google, or to Google, depending on the dictionary, means "to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet."
Think about it. A business name is commonly used as a verb , and now they've added it to the Oxford dictionary. To me, this clearly puts Google in front as the most influential brand on the internet.
Since the advent of the internet there has been several companies that have really stood apart from the rest. In order to be part of this group the company would need to have changed our day to day lives or how we used the internet.
My list is as follows:
Amazon - Amazon stands apart because it made me buy more books. Once you become a user of Amazon - it begins to track your buying history and will notify you of new books that, based on your history, might interest you. These notifications made me aware of books that I normally wouldn't have known about and therefore caused me to purchase more books. This led to me reading a bit more which officially makes Amazon a company that changed my life.
EBay - EBay is another good one. EBay makes it possible to put you in contact with buyers all over the world and makes it possible to find a buyer for anything. If you have a Stock car stereo from a 2001 ford f250 put it on EBay and you will have bids within hours. Prior to EBay that car stereo would have been junk. I personally have used EBay to sell things that would normally be kept in my garage indefinitely. So EBay earns a spot on the list.
Google - Google is my newest addition. Unlike the other two, Google's services (at least for me) don't involve any money. Instead, Google offers services that make your life easier. Things like Google Image, Google maps, Gmail, and even Google docs are all so easy to use and so readily available that using them has become part of my life. Imagine life without Google maps? of course you could use mapquest or even a map, but that would suck. And Google Earth? how cool is Google Earth?
So next time you Google something or tell a friend to Google something think about how that small search engine from Mountain View , Ca has become a household verb.
