Note: Google’s logo does not show up using internet archive for some reason. But you get the idea…
2001 - The Big Blue Mess
Nickelback was on top of the charts with This is How you Remind Me. Baidu’s design for that year was equally ridiculous.
Google, keeping it simple. Advanced search, preferences, not much need for anything else.
2002 - Out with the Blue, in with Yahoo!
A bit of a sobering-up year for Baidu. Magic 8-ball says “Yahoo-style content portal is where it’s at!”
Google still chillin’.
2003 - Out with Yahoo-style, lets get Googly!
Baidu finally jumps on the Google-train. The “Logo-on-top-of-Main-Menu-on-top-of-Search-Bar-on-top-of-Paris-Hilton -on-top-of-Secondary-Links” formula seemed all the rage that year.
Baidu also brought in Advanced search, just to the right of the search bar.
2004 - Fix that Menu bar!
Baidu, after many board meetings, decides that their menu bar’s color scheme is just not Googly enough.
Google, after many board meetings, decides to still chill some more.
2005 - Menu Bars are so 2004!
Google ditches the Menu Bar in favor of text links.
Baidu searches junk drawer for Menu Bar receipt, in the hopes that maybe they can get a refund or at least a nice gift certificate..
This reminds me of the time when I bought a hypercolor shirt just when they were not so cool anymore. Such a bummer…
2006 - Just Chillin’
Google still chillin’…
Baidu calls a meeting, decides thay they too will also chill.
2007 - Well, I never liked Menu Bars anyway!
Baidu finally finds Menu Bar receipt in the cushions of the couch. Brings back menu bar and exchanges it for cool new Googly text links!
2008 - So who’s lacking innovative spirit?
You tell me…
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4 Responses
Chinkerfly
March 9th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
1Hahaha… it’s funny and sad at the very same time. What really scares me is that I know some really artistic Chinese people in web design but when it comes time to design a new page the first thing they do is go and get a screenshot of someone else’s website who’s done it before.
Is it laziness? At first glance all the copying seems like it might be for the sake of efficiency, but I’ve observed first hand that it actually takes More work, not less, to copy someone else’s web design instead of starting from a blank slate. So why do they do it?
I have a theory that Chinese people copy because they have “4000 years of history” and at a certain point the general population threw up their hands and said everything good has already been done so time was better spent imitating the masters instead of challenging them. I think it coincided with the time Confucius became all the rage. Respect those ancestors and all that.
Alex
March 9th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
2And then there’s the eye tracking study, showing mainland Chinese people find what they want faster and higher up with Google.
Both are established search engines. There’s no point marketing to one, even if it seems like a nice gimmick. Bullshit does indeed baffle brains.
Google wins in an often overlook statistic - which search engine do higher income earners prefer, compared to incomeless students who go for Baidu far more.
In the end competition is good and Ask have the best English language results.
Rick
March 9th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
3I don’t mean to poop on Baidu, but this kinda stuff doesn’t do much to dissuade me thinking their only advantage over google is mp3 search.
The Baidu Basics webinar thingy is tomw, so hopefully I’ll be proven otherwise.
Chinkerfly
March 10th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
4When I was in the US the mp3 search function did not work. Is that because they don’t want people outside of China to see that they’re enabling pirated music?
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