By Elmer on February 7, 2010

In the web, those who gets first gets rewarded. The first website that breaks the news probably gets the lion’s share of visitor traffic. The first (and only) person or corporation who registered a popular domain name potentially deserves a cash windfall at some point. The first blogger who writes about a sensational and juicy post gets his or her share of fame.

In the case of Google, its plan to possibly pull out of China has generated mixed feelings: sadness for people who wish Google would continue to serve the Chinese community with more relevant search results (as opposed to Baidu’s), and opportunity for others who see themselves benefit from the possible Google demise in the mainland.

I have talked about the other side of the coin, so for now let’s focus on the humorous side. It’s not a secret that many Chinese brands are knock offs of the original Western brand. Therefore, when Chosun Ilbo of Korea reported that Goojje, a website which shamelessly copies Google’s appearance and functionality, I am not surprised at all.

Goojje opened up in Jan 14, just after Google made a surprising announcement (read: threat) to pull out its operations from China market after complaints of hacking attacks and censorship issues.

Withi its uncanny resemblance in name, appearance and function, Goojje attracted around 40,000 people over the next two weeks. But the comparison between the two doesn’t end there. Google’s last three letters can be pronounced similar to a big brother. Meanwhile, Goojje’s last three letters rhymes with the Chinese term for big sister.

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