[LINK] and the web in the US election Re: Tanner eyes web 2.0 tools

[Lea de Groot]

On 05/11/2008, at 3:53 PM, Kim Davies wrote:

> Why would Google suggest anything unless you are entering the domain
> into a search engine rather than the address bar? It strikes me as
> curious to be typing domain names into Google at all.

I always thought that too, then I found that users would type an  
address in the google search field for at least 2 reasons:
1. it gives them error correction - if they type the domain name  
slightly wrong, google will probably say 'did you mean...' and point  
them at the right place
2. protection - google will mark possibly hacked websites with "This  
site may harm your computer." so they know not to go there.
I think Jo(e) Public is learning to use Google as a type in, because  
of the above.
I think there are high odds they start doing it because they have made  
google their homepage and accidently type in the input field in the  
big clear white space (which, incidentally, takes focus  
automatically), and find the result is better than trying it  
themselves in the browser bar.

But *I* don't do it.

Lea
-- 
Lea de Groot
Brisbane, .au