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Google's Home Page Instructs: "This Space Intentionally Left Blank"

I am a bit in shock to see Google testing yet another messaging on their simplistic fading home page. First it was just a plain and simple search box and logo, with no instructions. Then Google had to add instructions to tell people they need to press enter to conduct a search. Now, Google is taking it one step further by explaining that the page is left empty on purpose.

Here is a screen capture:

Google "This space intentionally left blank"

Yes, this is the type of stuff you see on standardize tests or big legal documents. Now, you see this on Google's home page.

We have some people complaining about this in the forums.

Forum discussion at Google Web Search Help.



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posted rustybrick in Google Search Engine at November 2, 2009 8:54 AM Comments (27)

Comments

And of course the irony is that is was not left blank.

 

In an added bit of irony, trying to Sphinn this page results in a 404 error.

 

I think it's hilarious. Google has a subtle sense of humor (see their Halloween robots.txt this year, http://twitter.com/WebPieRat/status/5338509494) and perhaps we're taking them just a bit too seriously...

 

That's Halloween!!! Don't you scared that all Internet disappeared?

 

Hey I don't know about you people, but I'm running on Windows XP here, and my computer was crashed on Halloween, I just restored it yesterday... I've never gotten that "This space intentionally left blank" thing, I know though that if you move the cursor over the body of the page then it brings you to the normal buttons... It looks hillarious though how it's just like, left blank for no reason... BUT they should say it in like a suspicious way to make the google user laugh,
go to tunejuice.synthasite.com/zaplooks-html.php
Use that HTMl, it's for my search engine, Zaplook Search. I spend like an hour and a half creating it's HTML code, I wish I could do the "This space intentionally left blank" thing on it
I'm gonna get a MacBook soon

 

I'm pretty sure that it's just Google testing a new homepage design concept on a limited number of users. I've gotten the page before with just the Google logo and the search bar initially, and the rest fading into view once you mouseover anywhere on the page. It seems like their newest test has the "intentionally blank" message so people don't flip out at the redesign. On another computers, I just got the regular homepage, text and all, which leads me to my limited user test theory.

 

I hate this shit; I thought it was a virus!

 

I think its a sells pitch myself, but i could be wrong. I was wrong once before!

 

I think the words Droid should go there permanently, or at least for a while. That Motorola Droid looks and sounds the bomb, and a bomb for iphone.

 

>>I hate this shit; I thought it was a virus!
I think we should start using secure, reliable, hackproof, military grade OSes in the future...

 

noobs

 

I am glad that Google does not create their apps with users of the lowest denominator in mind. So many things are dumbing-down now, and it is both depressing and scary. In ten years, will there be instructions on cans of soda? Cigarettes? ... bathrooms?

 

well there is!!

 

well, at least it got us talking!

 

if i wanted to take over the world, thats what i would do!

 

Aha! - ...Took me all of 20 seconds to realise, but the space that's been left blank (intentionally) is there to type in a question - sort of like a search-thingy - genius!

 

its like those signs that say 'This sign is not in use'

And then you say. Well if it isn't how do I know? lol

 

I miss "Feeling Lucky"; no more luck for me. The new look sucks and it looks like a 3 year old designed it.

Oh and yea, we sure needed the instructions to figure that out i.e. "Enter" this...

Forrest

 

Did any one try moving their cursor back towards the Google Logo?
Every thing seems to be back to normal then. It's only when the cursor isn't in the web page area that the 'intentionally left blank' think appears.

 

this fading page is really annoying, especially when some one use it 20 times a day. Why Google doesn't try this new look at it's chrome browser? Check safari, firefox or chrome - no fading pages. Trying to make regular users to move to chrome or somewhere else, just not internet explorer?

 

Google have used this loads of times over the years when they are changing something on the homepage.
It's either them testing soemthing or them having a joke.
It's hardly the the most intrusive thing in the world, is it?

 

It is gay that they are putthing this here. It was bad enough that they celebrated sesame street for a frekain week.

I've had it with Google. Bung holes! I need to go elsewhere for a while. They have tons of competition. Bye Google. A-holes.

 

I see you all finally noticed that I hacked google.

 

All your google are belong to us!

 

:)) I see regent shane gettin a little too proud of himself. Anyway - it's Google's site - maybe they're fixing it - so lets wait until it's working. And as far as the comment about this not being on Firefox, and other browsers - I'm on Firefox and I've had my fair share of "this page intentionally left blank" this morning.

 

hahaha.
it made me laugh, which would be the general point of it
its google making a joke you crazy people;)

 

It would also be fun to start with a blank page that then changes to say "this page intentionally left blank' followed by Now you have broken it.

 

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