Web Savvy Seniors Get Cranky

Baby boomers and seniors can now use a new search engine that returns suitable site suggestions.

by Helen Leggatt

Eons is the media company responsible for Cranky.com, a new search engine geared towards the 50+ market. The company was started by Jeff Taylor, founder and former chairman of Monster.com.

Research, carried out with Compete , determined which 5,000 websites were the most popular according to a group of web users aged 45 and older.

What is different about the site is that it limits search results so that the aged user isn’t bombarded with millions of choices, the premise being that elderly aren’t as search savvy as their grandchildren. It all sounds a bit stereotypical and whether coddling rather than educating users is the way forward remains to be seen.

"We've discovered that, universally, the Eons Generation doesn't like to wade through millions of search results. So, we created Cranky.com to engage this energetic group of Web explorers who embrace technology, including those who may not be as well-versed at Boolean searches and complex narrowing techniques as younger generations who grew up on the Web,” said Taylor in a recent press release.

Cranky.com™ allows registered users to rate and review sites and receive tips on getting the most out of the internet.

The current top three searches on Cranky.com are “brain builders”, “Stephen King” and “Body Mass Index” compared with the top Google searches which are, at the time of writing, “new year 2007”, “saddam hanging” and “spa”.

If you weren’t feeling old before you entered the 50+ site, there’s also an obituary section so you can check out who died recently.