Top Search Result for "Condescending:" New Search Engine Aimed At Users Aged 50+

Boomer / senior site Eons has launched "Cranky," a search engine for users over fifty. But its key feature is somewhat ... depressing: Cranky only returns four search results per query, so that those older users don't get overwhelmed.

The Los Angeles Times quotes Eons founder Jeff Taylor: ""Our research found that people 50 and over are confused about searching on the Web ... It's hard for them to understand all the results."

Ouch. Was insulting Eons' customers in the business plan?

In a press release, Taylor is quoted saying "We’ve discovered that, universally, the Eons Generation doesn’t like to wade through millions of search results."

As opposed to people in their forties, who do it for fun.

One gets the sense that Cranky's launch was masterminded by someone in their twenties.

On the positive side, Cranky is a "vertical search" engine that only looks at sites that have proven to be relevant to older users. And there's a social networking component as well: users rate the usefulness of the sites, which in turn influences later search results.

Cranky may have real value. But Eons shouldn't market it as if their 50+ target market has diminished mental capacity.