Did you know that twenty years ago the world ended?

Just Ask Jeeves about it.*

The news media flooded the airwaves and cable with world-ending predictions that failed to come true. The over-hyped Y2K bug controversy fizzled-out quicker than a firecracker in a thunderstorm. As it turned out, despite the Chicken Little press’s best efforts, the Y2K programming bug was barely an inconvenience.*

I mention this failed prophetic vision of doomsday to act as a narrative hook. I hope it is working. What I want to focus on is the power of search engines, how this power drives business; and how search engines have changed marketing.