Jun
10
2010
How Google Works: Explaining a Search Engine to a Baby Boomer
Yesterday I was talking to my dad on the phone, trying to help him with a computer problem he was having. Let me tell you, getting someone to explain to you, over the phone, what they’re seeing on their computer is a feat . Trying to translate what they’re saying into language that makes sense is a whole other can of worms (Dad: ” I double click on the ‘W’, the arrow goes away for a minute but the background turns white and the document window comes up, I put a slash in and everything goes away“), but I digress. So I was trying to explain to my father that one of the best ways to find a solution to your problem is to go to Google, type in a few words related to what you’re trying to do and hit enter. I told him, that’s what I do when I come across a problem that I don’t know how to fix. His response to that was, “I don’t want to send that information out there and get a whole bunch of people responding.” Hmmm, obviously we have a warped idea of what Google actually does, time for a lesson in internet searches. After a few unsuccessful attempts at explaining the wonders of Google I came up with (I think) a great analogy. I’m sure someone has come up with this before but I found it to be extremely useful in explaining how Google works.
I told my dad, think about when the internet wasn’t around and you needed information on a specific topic, say you wanted to learn how to change the oil in your car. If you had no access to a mechanic to ask you may go to the library. When you go to the library you can tell the librarian what you’re looking for and s/he will take you to the right area of the library where you can peruse books about car maintenance. At this point I made sure he understood what I was saying, if he didn’t understand the concept of a library I would have another can of worms on my hands. I told my dad, imagine the internet being a huge library with websites being the books and Google to being the librarian. You type into Google what you want information you want (like you’re asking the librarian), Google (the librarian) goes through all the websites (books) on the internet and gives you a list of sites that may be related to your topic of interest. Browse through these websites and I can almost guarantee you, you will find the solution to your problem.
Whenever I help my mom with a computer or electronic issue she asks me, where did you learn to do these things? I never really thought about it before but really I’ve obtained the majority of my knowledge about electronics, the internet, programming, gadgets, etc from the internet. I’ve also learned to use Google as a tool to help me find solutions to various problems. What “non computer” people don’t realize is that, sometimes, when you ask that computer saavy friend to help you with your machine they’re Googling the problem and finding a solution.
T
his is not to say that one should believe everything they read on the internet, nor should the internet be the sole method to gaining information about topics of interest. Also important to note, once you figure out how to fix a problem doesn’t necessarily make you qualified to fix the problem. For example, I figured out the reason one of my ethernet ports wasn’t working was because it wasn’t wired properly but that doesn’t mean I’m now going to go into my walls and mess with the wiring, sometimes you have to know when to leave it to the professionals. All that being said, I thought the analogy was a good one and one that may be helpful to others who know people who don’t quite grasp the concept of Google. So there you go, my method of explaining Google to a baby boomer.
How do you help your friends/family solve their tech problems? Have a better analogy? Let us know in the comments.
Related posts:
- Google Chrome OS Coming Soon to a Netbook Near You
- How to Find New Content with Google Reader
An article by Josie S.
Yesterday I was talking to my dad on the phone, trying to help him with a computer problem he was having. Let me tell you, getting someone to explain to you, over the phone, what they’re seeing on their computer is a feat . Trying to translate what they’re saying into language that makes sense is a whole other can of worms (Dad: ” I double click on the ‘W’, the arrow goes away for a minute but the background turns white and the document window comes up, I put a slash in and everything goes away“), but I digress. So I was trying to explain to my father that one of the best ways to find a solution to your problem is to go to Google, type in a few words related to what you’re trying to do and hit enter. I told him, that’s what I do when I come across a problem that I don’t know how to fix. His response to that was, “I don’t want to send that information out there and get a whole bunch of people responding.” Hmmm, obviously we have a warped idea of what Google actually does, time for a lesson in internet searches. After a few unsuccessful attempts at explaining the wonders of Google I came up with (I think) a great analogy. I’m sure someone has come up with this before but I found it to be extremely useful in explaining how Google works.
