by Susan Quilty

Created on: July 20, 2009   Last Updated: August 13, 2010

Google's I'm Feeling Lucky button is a symbol of the company's basic philosophy and ultimate goal.

"The perfect search engine," says Google co-founder Larry Page, "would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want."

The I'm Feeling Lucky button puts that dream to the test. Clicking this button, instead of the Search button, will take you directly to the first page found in the search results. In addition to being a reminder of the founders' original vision, the I'm Feeling Lucky button also reminds users that Google began in a garage, and the company still has a sense of fun.

Enter Google bombing.

For nearly as long as Google has been in business, there have been those who exploit the I'm Feeling Lucky button. "Google bombing" refers to the practice of creating a phrase (Google bomb) that, when searched with the I'm Feeling Lucky button, will take you to a particular site chosen as a joke or political prank. This is done by creating multiple links to that site with the chosen phrase.

Microsoft was one of the early targets of a Google bomb. If you typed "more evil than satan himself" and clicked the I'm Feeling Lucky button, you would be sent to Microsoft's home page. More recently, typing "weapons of mass destruction" would take you to a prank 404 error page. Typing "miserable failure" would take you to George W. Bush's bio.

For many years, Google did not take action against these Google bombs. However, controversy rose as people feared that Google bombing would push legitimate sites out of the spotlight. Also, despite Google's protests, many people linked Google to the political messages behind the Google bombs. In 2007, Google decided it was time to step in and created an algorithm that would minimize the impact of these Google bombs.

Yet the I'm Feeling Lucky button remains a fixture on Google's minimalist home page. It can be used for finding quick information whenever you want to take a chance on the top search result. There are some lesser known I'm Feeling Lucky tricks as well.

Try using the I'm Feeling Lucky button on each of the following to find full working search engines in some interesting languages:

1. xx-klingon

2. xx-piglatin

3. xx-elmer

4. xx-hacker

5. xx-bork

To access Google's custom designed functional search engines, type the following phrases and use the I'm Feeling Lucky button:

1. google bsd

2. google linux

3. google firefox

4. google easter egg

Though not created by Google, another fun search engine can be found by typing "elgoog" and clicking the I'm Feeling Lucky button.

Google's I'm Feeling Lucky button may not always find the exact results you need, but it is a symbol of Google's vision, goals, and sense of fun. Google's quirky personality is part of what has made it the world's most popular search engine. The I'm Feeling Lucky button is another Google innovation that has become part of our culture, and it is here to stay.

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