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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is clickstream data so important to search engines?

2. How long does Schmidt take before understanding the place of a search engine and agreeing with Battelle?

3. Who becomes the first CEO of Google?

4. Why was AltaVista.com groundbreaking?

5. What does "URL" stand for?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do some believe that clickstream analysis technology could potentially be dangerous?

2. Prior to using the pay-per-click system, how was Google running its advertising?

3. How do search engines determine the relevance of the websites they include in the search engine return pages?

4. Explain the origin of the "Google" name and why it was chosen.

5. What was significant about AltaVista.com when it was released in 1995?

6. What is the A,B,C,D model of hiring, and how does Google avoid it?

7. How does the huge success of Google's pay-per-click campaign lead to a negative reaction from its advertisers?

8. Briefly describe the Database of Intentions.

9. Briefly explain the benefits of a parallel computing system and how it is applied to Google.

10. What is the concept behind "paid search?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Government regulation becomes an issue as Internet users begin to worry about their privacy and the type of information that is now available. Describe the problems they are having with email and security. How does negative information factor in? Is all information useful in some way, or should certain types be kept private? Do you think the government's role in Internet regulation should be limited or expanded? In what ways? Explain the positive and negative uses of information found online. Use examples from the book and your own experiences if applicable.

Essay Topic 2

The pay-per-click advertising system revolutionized the way search engines generated income. Bill Gross is the person credited for bringing it to the online forum.

1) First, break down Bill Gross' business model from the basic concept to its specific application to online search engines. Include all data from the book as necessary. What made it a natural fit for the Internet? How did Gross build GoTo.com, what is his original intention with it, and how did that lead to one of the most important advertising schemes in the history of Internet search?

2) Examine how Page and Brin use Gross' model to create AdWords and take their search engine to new levels. Explain in detail what three elements were brought together to make Google the biggest and most successful search engine. Was this a tribute to their ability to piece everything together, or did they just take Gross' plan and run with it as some believe?

3) Describe Page and Brin's decision to reject pay-per-click when Gross first approaches them. Were they correct to do so? Why did they reject it? What does it say about them and the plan itself that they adopted it one year later? Also mention the lawsuit and whether you think Page and Brin got away with paying less than they should have considering what pay-per-click did for Google as a company.

Essay Topic 3

The importance of customer service is brought to the forefront of the Google story as a miscalculation costs their advertisers a substantial amount of business. Explain why Google made the miscalculation, what it was, and the devastating results of it. Why was timing an issue? Also, do you prefer a faster and automated approach to doing business, or a more traditional one focusing on client interaction? Does the business or product make a difference? Be sure to use specific examples to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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