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March 29, 2008

The Black Google Homepage

Google's homepage is black for the users from United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and Denmark to promote Earth Hour, an event that encourages energy conservation. "On Saturday, March 29, 2008, Earth Hour invites people around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – from 8:00pm to 9:00pm in their local time zone. (...) Given our company's commitment to environmental awareness and energy efficiency, we strongly support the Earth Hour campaign, and have darkened our homepage today to help spread awareness of what we hope will be a highly successful global event," explains Google in a special page created for the event. Earth Hour started last year in Sydney, but this year many cities from all over the world joined the event.

The purpose of the black homepage is not to save energy, but to raise the awareness of the world's environmental problems. Most people will be surprised to see Google's homepage so radically different and will start to wonder if it's a good idea to imitate Google's blackout. Sometimes small actions make a difference, but in this case the key is elsewhere.



{ Thanks, Michael McGovern. }

45 comments:

  1. What is the big deal about Earth Hour? Notice it's happening on a Saturday, so it won't hurt corporations and businesses, since their lights will be off anyway. It's just "feel good" nonsense that won't change our energy usage habits, or promote cleaner energies, which governments clearly are not interested in.

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  2. I thought it was funny that over in google trends that one of the top search queries was why is google black when it so plainly states why on the homepage.

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  3. why just these google homepage?
    why not all?

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  4. Probably Google changed the homepage only for the countries that support this event. Most of the supporting cities (cache) are in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, UK and US. A better idea would've been to geo-target the black homepage at the city level.

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  5. Create a theme may be a definitive solution, 'cause is also a cool theme.

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  6. Besides raising awareness, the theme looks awesome. Now if I could get this theme for iGoogle or just the regular Google, that would be great. Once again Thank You Google for your awesome work.

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  7. @#1 (Annonymous) Change happens due from action *and* symbolic action both.

    Having said that, it would be nice to know if the top execs will be giving up their 727, with it's unnecessarily overly-wasteful carbon footprint anytime soon.

    I bet Google is doing some things to promote green energy -- I remember hearing about a couple vaguely. Would like to hear more, minus any "greenwashing" that corporate America usually indulges in (like oil companies telling us what huge environmentalists they are).

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  8. It's a great idea. Most of my friends are involved with Earth Hour now. While I'm in a supporting city, I don't think doing it at city level would have been good... Earth hour invites us all to take part, even if you're not in a partner city.

    (Btw, sorry for sending that into you when it was already on the Google Blogoscoped forums... I'm a new subscriber to G/B and I didn't know they had a forum to be perfectly honest... I do now though!)

    Will anyone here be doing Earth Hour?

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  9. Im glad its only for an hour tonight from 8pm to 9 pm because Louisville is playing in the sweet 16 at 9pm alos Obama is a muslum..

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  10. anonymous (last post) wrote:

    "alos Obama is a muslum.."

    This little fart of hate says a lot about the anti-Obama energy in the U.S. today. Karl Rove's anonymous illiterate trolls are on the march -- it's only gonna get uglier.

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  11. There are a number of dark versions of Google out there - Google's stance today is symbolic and useful, but temporary.

    http:searchgreener.com is a dark search engine everyday, using less power for your everyday searching.

    Every time you use it for your normal searching you'll create less emissions but more importantly than colour just today, you'll make a difference everyday.

    searchgreener.com uses ALL money made to buy carbonoffsets and so if you use it everyday you'll make a difference daily. Use a green search engine.

    EA

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  12. A bit dissapointed this didn't happen in Aus (at least iGoogle didn't change) given that Earth Hour started in Sydney.

    A lot of people here had earth hour parties; ie party in the dark.
    I don't get the obsession with candles though. They're less energy efficient than normal lightbulbs. Can't people just deal with starlight for an hour?

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  13. I hate it. It's off-brand. Google is white and simple -- always.

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  14. Every time Google does something like this, it kind of lets me down.
    It's SAD because it is due to marketing reasons that they did this in a sense that

    1. They get lots of attentions and more publicity for free; and
    2. "Google" brand recovers somewhat from all the evils they've done in the past.

    So there is no reason for them not to do this. In fact, I bet you they want to do this sort of cracks every day considering all the benefits they'd get.

    Google fan boys should dare looking at the real "dark" side of Google for once.

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  15. It is just a good fantasy to express people's concern on energy and environment, but i don't think it will make sense. Because everybody knows the importance and effect of these issues more or less, all they really care is to see how to solve the problem but not just hollow words, who should make the movement, governemnt? industry? organization? economist? and what is our expectation to them?

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  16. Black is Beautiful !!
    in Google too.

    Nice gesture and effort to promote awareness to the masses. There will always be the ignorant, skeptical, polemic American attitude to events not originating in the United States. But to hell with them.

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  17. I dont even remember when I last visited the Google Home Page.

    Ctrl+E does the job, or else even when i type google, it defaults to igoogle.

    I so miss all those doodles and themes!

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  18. Nice idea lets turn off google for a day.

    Just think of the energy saved if Google shut down their search engine 1 day a year.

    Save energy so the wealthy can build more monster homes.

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  19. Also happened in Colombia...

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  20. If the idea is to raise awareness in the whole WORLD why the limitations on the countries where we can see this? Do the other countries not exist?

    Sorry but for me this takes points AWAY from Google...

    Bad Google, bad!

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  21. I probably said this here before, but here it is again. A site which has offered search in various background colors, including black, is www.searchincolor.com

    I love the green on white and the blue on white...or reverse, very nice.

    Sanjay

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  22. http://personal.stcable.co.yu/~davidkovacs/gpowered look this :P

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  23. I use the built-in Google toolbar on Firefox so I barely notice anything new on the Google homepage. Firefox users probably do the same.

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  24. Why did oogle stop allowing searches on daroogle?

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  25. Guys, you can save energy..
    Try this..

    http://www.jabago.com/

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  26. There are around 15 different versions of "black google" online. The best one I've found is www.cleanblack.com. Cleanblack is the only version that allows you to change the text colors of the google search results. Try it yourself by going to www.cleanblack.com/theme/

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  27. Black does not help save energy on the screen.

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  28. Black back screen may or may not, but the point is to raise people awareness about global warming.
    Black may also mean turn off your light and computers when you leave the office in the afternoon.
    Try this link www.labundi.com for another black Google

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  29. I'm using www.blackoogle.us, it's kind of neat and anyway I'm still on a CRT monitor, so I'm saving a little

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  30. then is a new black chrome them for version 1.0.154.59 that i edited please leave a comment in my email if it is any good. junelorde@gmail.com

    Junelorde is the source, remember that.
    this is the link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q6ZFI8WS

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  31. You can use a google custom black search engine like www.darksearchengine.com and then you can be more energy conscious everyday.. I think it also helps to use this at night or when you are trying not to disturb someone by the bright lights of the normal google

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  32. I use http://bsaves.com as my black google.

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  33. John, I checked out the black google at bSaves.com and it does have a tight logo. It's my new homepage :)

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  34. I think that the 'Black Google' is a brilliant search enjine for kids and adluts too. The 'Black Google' is a more stylish way to use your computer for searching for unusual/uncommon words and this search enjine is probably one of the best there is yet.

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  35. Wow i never knew there was an energy saving google thank you so much for your post i'll be using this search engine from now on!

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  36. just use www.blackle.com it actualy saves energy

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  37. niceeeeeeeeeee yo cant ity be smthing more 4 africans like me

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  38. Go Green go to www.blackle.com

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  39. It does not matter if the screen is yellow for the sun blue for water or green for the forest preserve, if your computer is on and you can see the screen then you are not conserving energy. I agree withtthe previous comment if Google real wants to make a Earthy difference. Shut off the search engine for 1 dat

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  40. damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn CONGRESS

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  41. Another blackout to Google, this time its logo only, occurred on January 18,2012, when Congress did most of the blame on adopting the SOPA and PIPA. Ouch!

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  42. Check out Black Google Mobile at http://bGoog.com

    It loads the fastest and has a black image search too.

    I use it on my phone and laptop...

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