Imagine if Google paid $1 for every search you performed – pretty cool, right? Now, Sharogle couldn’t afford nearly that rate, but it was, by all accounts, “a search engine that shares its revenue with users.” Emphasis on “was” – Google pulled its ads from the site, and Sharogle now faces an uncertain future.
Mashable’s Kristen Nicole explains how things used to work, noting that “Sharogle’s own primary source of revenue was Google ads,” and, “[u]nder its search use and referral system, users could partake in this rev-share deal by actively using the service and bringing more users to the site.”
But, as mentioned earlier, Google didn’t like this, and with its pullout, Sharogle was left stranded. New developments appear to be taking place, however – someone called “Molly” has appeared in the comments section of that Mashable article and a VentureBeat piece to say that Sharogle has found a different search engine to use.
The last post on Sharogle’s blog also hinted at this possibility, saying, “we have decided to look elsewhere, so we can continue with our business.” That post was written on July 11.
Whether a renewed Sharogle is a good or bad thing remains open to debate – that VentureBeat article generated quite a conversation. Also up in the air is Sharogle’s name – should the company switch to Sharahoo or something to match its new engine?
