Creepy But Cool Google Site

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Here's a page that every data nerd and eTailer should bookmark (I already did it). Google, which is less of a search engine and more of an aggregate engine, is offering up its Internet Stats page.

The Internet Stats page is a searchable database of facts and stats from think tanks, universities and marketing research firms allover the world.

Some of the facts make for arcane cocktail party chit chat:

In May 2009, Google had over 4.0 billion search page views in the UK

20 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. - YouTube, May 2009

Much of it, however, for the right business will find gold in this data mine:

In January 2009, JP Morgan estimated that 2008 worldwide retail eCommerce spending, excluding travel, totaled $438 billion - of which one third ($152m) was in Europe. JP Morgan, January 2009

Searches for health insurance increased by 165% over the quarter. Hitwise, January - March 2009

41% of shoppers use search engines to identify new websites. Verdict Research, May 2009

Over 90% of online merchants are planning to add rich media and social networking functions in 2009. Internet Retailing, February 2009

They are like data Ruffles aren't they? Nobody can eat just one!

The creepy part to me is that its a further sign that Google clearly has some nefarious plot to ultimately be the great brain of all information from scanning in all the world's books to a snapshot of everyone's front yard.

What happens when they decide to stop sharing for free?

Renee Oricchio

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987.