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...GOTO Goto means five islands in Japanese, but this archipelago is actually made up of more than 150. For centuries it was home to Japan's "hidden Christians," who practiced their faith despite an imperial ban. Today, Christianity is still practiced, and freely. Local villagers concentrate on farming and fishing, but tourism is growing. Take the four-hour ferry ride from Ohata terminal in Nagasaki to sample sandy beaches, scuba diving, hot springs and golf courses...
TOURIST TAKE This government-sponsored website offers practical information about hotels and transportation, a cultural and historical overview and sightseeing tips for all of Nagasaki prefecture, including the Shimabara peninsula and the Goto Islands...
Gross insists that his impetus for creating GoTo wasn't ad money--it was improving searches. Too often, he says, websites are loaded with commonly sought words in order to score better on search results. (Hide the word "motherhood" 1,000 times on your site, and on some search engines you'll be No. 1.) The result: bad sites gamed their way to the top. Gross figured this kind of manipulation would be impossible if sites paid for rankings. He argues that as a rule, the sites that have the most to offer Internet users will pay the most...
Critics of sponsored searches say the process perverts the quest for information online--that it's like having a reference librarian recommend books based on how much she is paid by the publishers. Gross argues that GoTo is more like a Yellow Pages; users understand that the advertisers who pay the most get the best placement. He notes that GoTo's site states clearly how much each site has paid. But on some search engines powered by GoTo, it can be hard to figure out who has paid...
...even for information. The system may work for rent-a-car companies--but museums and libraries? The results of Gross's handiwork can have a mercenary feel. The first site Google brings up in a search for "motherhood" is the nonprofit "Safe Motherhood Home Page." The first site on GoTo: "Nursing Apparel and Bras--Free Shipping...