One of my family’s favorite activities when I was a kid was playing the board game Monopoly. Like an episode of Gilligan’s Island, we always began to play optimistically in complete denial of how the tale was scripted to end. By the end of the game my father usually bought up half the board, loaded it with hotels, and my younger sister then naively landed on his property unable to pay the consequences discouragingly exited the dining room in a flood of tears.

Google plays board games similar to my dad. Yahoo and Microsoft sit in a smoky room with cigars and hash it out with Google and Rich Uncle Pennybags to see if who can roll doubles the most. Google at the helm of a tiny pewter battleship glides past Go and buys up the most properties nearly every round. With Yahoo and microsoft hot on the battleship’s wake it seems like they are always one roll behind some of the best real estate. Seeming to negotiate nearly ridiculous deals, Google doesn’t just make investments, it invests defensively.

Purchasing Double Click at nearly 10 times its revenue may seem like a reckless buy on Google’s part, but I believe its more of a statement than a venture. Google is in it to win it, and they are making no bones about it. My curiousity lies in Yahoo, what will happen to one who plays the game slowly but surely? With solid investments like UpComing.org, Del.licio.us. and Flickr they have a fairly valuable corner of the board. When the others land on their property they may not be getting hotel values, but they have a steady cash flow that prays on those who roll solid numbers.

During my childhood The possibility of embarking upon game of monopoly was daunting. The challenge to overtake a superpower was thrilling, but watching tiny Toni leave the room in shambles was heart-wrenching. Sometimes people get tired of never winning. They give up and go onto playing games like UNO and Jenga. Other times, it only toughens them up to win more. At the age of 23 my sister will mercilessly kick some ass in monopoly, but it took her getting wooped for years to make it happen. With Yahoos tough skin, I am interested to see if the outcome will be similar.

There are different levels of expertise when it comes to the Google Search.

The E-creeper. This is the uber- advanced Googler who can find your X-girlfriends Wedding Photos and tell you the current street address of your third grade teacher. They usually are savvy enough to know how to track the IPs of those who come to their myspace account, so dare not to outsmart them. While this sounds like a sketchy MO, its good to know an E-creeper in desperate situations. Never date one, they have the possibility of making your life sheer hell.

Advanced Searcher. Track down a photo? Find that campaign mentioned in a blog? No problem for this smart search engine explorer. Finding relevant information is what this person excels at… using quotation marks and search engine commands when seeking answers. They have a solid awareness of how the web works and often can take control of their own destiny by using search engine optimization on their personal web ventures.

Basic Finder. These people are thinking big and getting big unfiltered results. Like using an atomic weapon to solve a rat problem, you are going to find what you searched for but hit everything else in the process. Most people fit here, using google as a tool, but really having no idea the magnitude of power they can leverage from its enormous capabilities.

You can Google that? These people are completely oblivious to the fact that a search engine can provide many of the answers to life’s mysteries. Sure they use the internet, but they would never consider leveraging its power. The ignorant and lazy often fall into this category, not realizing they can get the answers all on their own. It frightens the crap out of me how many people I encounter who are on this level.

So why does it matter what category you fit in. You may not even know what you don’t know, and that is exceptionally dangerous. As a designer, developer, internet professional, or human being it is your duty to become involved in the world of interactive media. There sits this fantastically wide ocean of pure knowledge. It is littered with static, garbage, and porn, but when you are capable of diving in and pulling out that gem of information you will become that much smarter than you were before. Search engines are your guide. Get to know your guide on a more personal level and they will show you where all the locals hang out. The Locals always know where the best Fish tacos are. And what is a successful trip to the sea of knowledge without some good-ass fish tacos?

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