Comments on: RushmoreDrive – a search engine for black people?

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:04:08 +0000

So where does this lead us? Are we expected to use google to search for a suitable search engine that meets our needs? Will we eventually reach a stage where we have search engines to find the search engine our particular minority group should use. It’s a sales marketers dream as they can target specific interest groups. it also means that the user is never exposed to any ideas that are ‘outside their box’ – a scientologists dream…

By: Dwane

Dwane — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:54:08 +0000

I’m late with this posting because I just came across the article. All Americans are equally Americans. All information is pertinent in it’s own way. And all information is more pertinent to some Americans than to other Americans. A search engine that focuses on a specific demographic’s interests is only divisive if you feel that you are being shunned, left out, or your interests diminished by that web sites existence. ESPN is not just a web site, but also operates as a search engine for those interested in sports related information. Anything you can get from ESPN, you can get from Google, but ESPN filters out non sports related information that would appear using the same search words. No one considers ESPN to be divisive, even though they agree that some sports fan(atic)s live in a sub-culture with values and perspectives on life that differ from the majority of Americans. If you consider RushmoreDrive a filter for a specific demographic’s interests, then the racist aspect should not come into play.

I am lower middle class, but I’m not threatened by the existence of search engines geared toward the rich. I sometimes feel bad because they show the difference between their lives and mine, but they didn’t create those sites to make me feel bad, they did it to filter out information that does not pertain to their interests. Any bad feelings on my part are my issues, not theirs, and they should not be chastised for dealing with their lives that are distincly different from mine, even though we’re equally American. The same goes for those who have issue with RushmoreDrive.

By: Jah

Jah — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:45:24 +0000

I don’t see anything particularly wrong with it. Although I do think it is pretty weird. I am (half)black and use google <_<. It works fine for me. But I look at it no different than a search engine for kids for example.

By: Chip

Chip — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:11:06 +0000

I’m planning to release a new search engine targeted for Visigoths and Spiders.

(movie geek cred for spotting the allusion).

By: 2600

2600 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:46:48 +0000

This search engine is nothing more than an ethno-centric data-mining operation to collect as much information on what the black community is looking into.

By: TLP

TLP — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:32:02 +0000

Racist! Why are you forcing the african americans to use your white search engines (such as google?)

=)))

By: Tony Lawrence

Tony Lawrence — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:49:25 +0000

Sure.. and I’d like my search engine to concentrate on the things that interest me, sorting the most relevant to the top.

Right now though, neither my computer or Google have much idea of who I am and what I want. Someday they will, and everything becomes a highly skilled personal assistant who knows what I need to know and when I need to know it.

This is just the beginning.

By: Bob Deloyd

Bob Deloyd — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:11:18 +0000

If they came out with a White peoples Search I wouldn’t use that either! I went to Rushmoredrive, took forever to load, looks like more of a social type of thingy then a search engine. Did a search for “hair products” on it, and a Google search for “African hair products”, and found Google to be more comprehensive.
Just a marketing ploy is my take on it.
//bob

By: Jorge

Jorge — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:56:08 +0000

We are not talking “racism”. This is market targeting.

I think the idea is great. Now let’s see how it evolves. I checked the site ranking in Alexa and is faaar from good. So maybe it will end as a social experiment that simply didn’t work out.

Anyway, the idea is really good.

By: Jorge

Jorge — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:52:58 +0000

I agree. I would like a search engine for Latin. Or even better for Latin marketers.

By: Agthrad

Agthrad — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:29:20 +0000

Honestly I think this is great idea specially as people have mentioned before targeting audiences is great for both supplier and client. As I see it the problem here is how people are advertising it, take for example the title of the article “Beaming Online Services Toward Blacks” instead of something like “new marketing possibilities”, or something more creative :P. If there’s any racism in this it certainly doesn’t come from the search engine designers, then again this just my opinion.

By: Ran

Ran — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:24:28 +0000

You`re argument makes me think of the why do we have women`s studies, but not men`s studies in university issue. It`s because for the most part everything we learn is about men. Sorry to say it, but most of the media is geared to white people. So, it`s kind of the same thing.