Internet Searching as a Charitable Act

I recently read a book on Google about how internet search ads work. Each time you search, advertisers are competing to be on the side or near the top of the page so they can get business when you click on their advertisement. Companies pay from a few pennies to close to 30 dollars to Google for top billing for words (such as mesolothemia).


I've been a big fan of the Google search engine but Yahoo search has opened a charitable wing of their search engine that is about as accurate and effective as Google. My friend Stacy tipped me off on GoodSearch. The great thing about this search engine is that the searcher gets to select where part of the advertising profits go from the search. GoodSearch donates a little over a penny for each search to the non-profit of your choice. I find this idea very appealing because I can now wander through the internet searching for such trivia as how does "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" end, brush up on what Buddhism is all about so I can sound educated when I talk with one of my co-workers, or search for the weather and bam!, three cents to charity.




I've usually select LDS Philanthropies as my designated charity, and enjoy checking daily as the change builds up as peoples searches benefit that charity. Last month eight bucks were generated off 800 searches by people who use GoodSearch. Nice to know that you can generate for the Perpetual Education Fund or Humanitarian Aid without breaking a sweat. And just think how much could be generated if a lot of people were doing it, instead of the few people that are searching now. You can set GoodSearch as your homepage and put a browser up on your internet browser. There are hundreds of other Chairties you can select to generate for if you want to save animals, trees, children, or Darfur. Read more about the details here. I still use Google for Maps and a few more intricate searches, but recommend you give GoodSearch a try.