After reading Casey Newton’s post on Google playing catch up with AI via Bard I’ve been prompted to complete some thoughts I’ve had brewing about search.

When I want to research a new product I no longer go to Google. The clickbait and ill-informed reviews of products are a waste of my time. They reveal almost nothing to me if they’re on the top sites in results. Yes there are some good sites talking about apps, and some talking about products, but most of the sites are clickbait garbage.

The only useful place I find currently is YouTube. Run a search for a new controller for my Steam Deck and I’ll be presented with dozens of reviews of the product. Some are from professionals that review gaming stuff all the time, and some are of marginal video quality, but are from regular people talking about the product.

YouTube is far superior to Google Search for finding out about products.

Another hack I’ve found is to search Reddit for real user feedback instead of getting stuck on content farms. Yes, Reddit has some community problems, but it’s also just users talking about things that interest them. I’m most often interested in what some regular person has to say about some product I’m looking at.

It’s sad that AI didn’t light a fire under Google to downgrade poor content, they’re going to dive in on AI as well and just be part of the problem. They’re simply doubling down on AI being labor automation.

Getting Started with Zettelkasten

If you’ve been wondering about what Zettelkasten is and how to start organizing your notes with this excellent system then this course is for you. I’ll cover the basics of choosing which tool to use, how to take notes, how to deal with linking your notes, and much more. You can also become a member to get all my courses.

$99 USD (30-day guarantee)

Get the Course