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

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November 2, 2009

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:

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.

Posted by Lyndon Antcliff at November 2, 2009 10:32

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

Posted by carondelet at November 2, 2009 10:35

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...

Posted by jillkocher at November 2, 2009 14:02

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

Posted by Anatoli at November 2, 2009 15:24

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

Posted by Me Nick D at November 2, 2009 18:43

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.

Posted by Tareq at November 2, 2009 22:31

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

Posted by Art, MI. at November 3, 2009 23:54

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

Posted by tom at November 4, 2009 01:32

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.

Posted by tom at November 4, 2009 01:41

>>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...

Posted by albany at November 4, 2009 01:54

noobs

Posted by firenze at November 4, 2009 03:32

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?

Posted by Ash at November 5, 2009 17:01

well there is!!

Posted by jonathon at November 5, 2009 22:21

well, at least it got us talking!

Posted by tom at November 6, 2009 02:02

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

Posted by tom at November 6, 2009 02:09

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!

Posted by emily at November 6, 2009 12:33

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

Posted by tom at November 6, 2009 20:47

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

Posted by ForrForr at November 9, 2009 01:06

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.

Posted by Sriraj at November 9, 2009 01:26

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?

Posted by diane at November 10, 2009 01:13

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?

Posted by Matt at November 12, 2009 12:01

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.

Posted by Caligula at November 13, 2009 13:13

I see you all finally noticed that I hacked google.

Posted by regent shane at November 13, 2009 14:09

All your google are belong to us!

Posted by regent shane at November 13, 2009 14:10

:)) 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.

Posted by No Name at November 15, 2009 21:59

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

Posted by hahaha at November 16, 2009 02:20

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.

Posted by dbm at November 20, 2009 02:04