Comedian Dave Gorman shares “the exhilarating story of one man, a search engine, and some of the strangest people in the world” in this 2004 book, Googlewhack Adventure. It wasn’t until earlier this year (2013) that I picked this up and until then, had never heard of the term “Googlewhack” – have you?
As a social media specialist, anything with the word Google tends to get my attention and I quite enjoyed this surreal journey around the world in pursuit of Googlewhacks – when two words are entered into Google and come back with just one hit. Back when the novel was written, this was a challenge in itself, and I imagine is near impossible now – and I don’t really have the inclination to even try! There were rules involved and a number of challenges he faced and I was surprised to see that he even ended up in my native country of Australia (as he’s based in the UK).
In researching this review, I discovered that alongside the book, Dave Gorman also has a DVD of the same name and performed around the world, even in my home city, Brisbane! Here’s a short extract I found on YouTube:
As someone who balances business and family, it’s hard for me to imagine a life where someone could travel around the world on a whim, meeting those who have assisted him in finding a Googlewhack and looking for a lead to the next. So I suppose that’s why spending a few hours reading a book is a good substitute!
He is an entertaining author and many of his stories brought a smile. Towards the end, I was keen for him to finish his journey though and there seems to be a blur between fact and fiction – I wasn’t sure most of the time if I was reading a funny novel or an outlandish non-fiction. Either way, I guess it doesn’t really matter and would recommend a read.
Though not strictly a business book, I am including it in this series of business book reviews as it relates to social media with Google being the main theme! (and hey, who doesn’t need some comedy now and then)
Have you already read Googlewhack Adventure? Would you like to? Have you ever discovered a Googlewhack – or are you inclined to try? I’d love your comments below.
Zestee 