Google Life
 By: Lisa McDough

The Internet Giant Google Expands...Again

 

Internet giant Google, whose stock went public last August, has continued to expand their corporation to possibly a fault. Google started in 1999 as an internet search engine much like MSN or Yahoo. Over the years Google has expanded to include an online shopping guide, e-mail, phone book, map search, Google answers, blogs and a cell phone application.

Most recently though, Google has added Google Earth, which brings satellite imagery to your home computer, Google library, where Google is working with libraries to make offline information available online, and most notably, Google has begun buying up or investing in other companies. Recently, Google board members invested $16 million in the online market place Zazzle. In March Google purchased San Diego based software company Urchin. In late 2004 Google obtained Keyhole Corp, a digital mapping company. What all this expansion means for investors in Google is more money more money more money. When Google went public in August of 2004, the stock started at $85 a share, the stock peaked at $317 this past year, and is currently hovering around $300.

Some have speculated that Google becoming an online empire might not be in the public’s interest. While nobody is questioning Google’s intentions with any of their many useful online tools, the extent of their product leaves some worried about other people’s intentions. With Google having such a variety of applications, the concern is that there is a stockpile of information about individuals out there, from whom they email to what stores they shop at, and this information could become a target for hackers and the like.  With any luck this is merely speculation and hopefully Google has taken the necessary precautions to ensure this is not the case.