Google has added themes to their customized search page. You can read about it here. I just tried it and I’m digging it.
One thing I love about Google is that they are always surprising me with cool stuff. They are always improving what they already have AND they’re constantly rolling new services out.
I think they have built a very healthy culture of experimentation in their organization. I know that each employee is required to spend a certain percentage of time each week just playing around with some project that isn’t directly related to their main job responsibilities. It’s that commitment to innovation, and experimentation, that really makes Google shine.
Beyond that, they aren’t afraid to admit a mistake. For instance, they recently updated how the image search results were displayed. I thought it was a huge step backwards when I saw it. It just didn’t work for me and it was the first time that I felt that Google had failed me in some way. Well, evidently, I wasn’t the only one that felt that way because a week later the view was switched back. In other words, they realized their mistake and acted on it quickly.
At C3 this year, Craig Groeschel said that at his church their motto is “mistakes are mandatory” because they push their folks to try new things all the time. I love that thought and I find myself wondering what I can do to foster more experimentation and innovation in my own life, as well as at Mill Creek.