Searching for Good

There are a lot of search engines out there. I'm personally a devotee of Google — you know, unlike the other 128 million users giving it 65 percent market share of searches in June. Maybe I'm a creature of habit or maybe I've just never found a reason to search elsewhere (or, let's be honest, maybe because Google search is an easily accessible part of my browser). But today, I may have found a good reason to try out another site.

That site, DoGreatGood, is a new search engine that actually lets users support charitable causes while searching the Web. Run by Infospace, it's an expansion of Dogpile's Search and Rescue program, which raised money for various pet charities. When you use DoGreatGood, half of the net revenue generated on the site is donated by Infospace to charities. Early donations have benefited animal-related charities, but the program plans to expand to other causes, including health services, education and the environment. The site lists the charities it helps and asks users which other causes they should support.

The search engine combines results from Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Ask, all of which happen to be well-placed on the list of top search engines, according to comScore. I don't know enough about search technology to determine if that will necessarily give better or worse results, but knowing that you're doing good while you search should make it worth clicking through pages if need be (especially because every click will probably generate more donations).

So if you need a change from your old searching habits, give DoGreatGood a spin. I've already downloaded the toolbar to Firefox. What are you waiting for?

Logo courtesy of DoGreatGood.