Crenk

Searching is big business. Those listings on the right side of any Google search are there because someone paid money to advertise there. Same goes with the top 2 or 3 links. Google makes a lot of money off of these paid placements, which are there based on their dynamic search technology. Google has also come under fire for the way in which it ranks sites, called Page Rank, it is a top secret way they calculate what search results should be at the top for any given term, based on their algorithm that, some have suggested, is based on the number of in-bound and out-bound links from other sites.

Google is the killer app of this decade, no one is doubting that. It is so popular it has become a verb, people just say, “Can you Google this for me?” which is almost impossible to do with anything anymore. So what if a new search engine comes along and tries to flatten the playing field?

That is exactly what Cuil (pronounced Cool) is trying to do. They claim to index three times the number of sites Google does and display them in a three-across pattern. That alone is kind of unique for searches, as they have always gone vertically. They have also implemented tab searches, a kind of, well maybe if you were looking for camera you might also want to look for digital camera. The search engine works, that really isn’t a question, but why should I use it?

Google does so many things now, like simple and complex math problems, fast weather look-up, package tracking from UPS and other services, all the way to stock quotes and word definitions. For me, it has eliminated the need to go to specialized sites if I can just put a special query in the Google search bar in Firefox. Cuil is also missing an image search function, something even Microsoft and Yahoo have worked into their site.

Cuil has some cool features, like roll overs, drill-down menu’s and the tabbed feature mentioned earlier. They are taking on the proverbial 800 pound gorilla by going after Google too. My two cents say that Cuil will have a small cult following for a while but ultimately, this will only make Google stronger.

Chacha is a mobile service that is trying to enter the competitive market of mobile search. Mobile search is currently thought of as an online product, so Google or Yahoo search for example, but mobile search can also mean that you get the answers without having to go online. How does that work? Well in the case of Chacha all you have to do is send them a text message with a question and they response seconds later with the answer.

Simply text your question to 242242™ (spells ‘ChaCha’) or call 1-800-2ChaCha™ (800-224-2242) from your mobile phone to ask any question and you will receive the answer as a text message. If you have a web browser on your phone, just click on the short website link that’s also included with your answer to see a reference website with more information. Since ChaCha uses human guides, you can easily reply with follow-on questions as if you are exchanging messages with a friend.

Out of Russia comes one of the best alternative search engines in the market today. Quintura provides visual searching via tag clouds in with basic text search results. The service currently pulls its search results from some of the leading search engines, such as Yahoo!, MSN, Google and Technorati.

Quintura seems to be quite a basic concept that is still in development, but it seems to be making search a little more visual and fun. Im not totally sure about the idea  and where this product is really headed, mainly because I havent spent enough time using the product, but I can see its benefits. Using the tag cloud can offer quicker searches, different ideas about what to search and also related search possibilities.

Quintura seems to be quite a noval idea and is definitely still a work in progress. They have just recently launched an affiliate program that seems to be an interesting idea, it is based by using one of their search widgets on your site. The program seems to be a different way to get their name about in the marketplace, and im sure it would be worth a try. That all being said I would like to find out more about where the company is heading and what the product is going to evolve into. Quintura.com check it out today.

Following on from the Firefox 3 RC1 post the other day, I thought I would write another article about Firefox Add-ons. Here is a list put together showing 7 Firefox add-ons to browse the web anonymously.

Anonymization Toolbar – This special tool will enable you to stay more anonymous while browsing the internet through Firefox. There are one click options that allow you to delete your browsing history, cache and cookies.

FoxTor – This program will help hide your computer behind different proxies, changing your IP address as you surf different websites on the internet.

FoxyProxy - Gives you complete control over the proxy configuration. Can be used to browse anonymously.

ProxySel - Add-on that allows you to choose a proxy from a drop down list and also to import proxies from proxy lists

BrowseAtWork - Add-on ideal for viewing webpages blocked by many corporate or school filters.

SwitchProxy - This add-on allows you to easily switch between proxy configurations and keep your surfing more anonymous.

Torbutton - Add-on for enabling and disabling Firefox’s use of Tor for safer surfing.

Powerset launches their service with a Wikipedia Search tool. For a long time now Powerset has been ridiculously over hyped and has produced nothing, until now. As I mentioned the search engine is based around Wikipedia at present, but im sure will be moving into other sites in the near future. Powerset allows users to search via topic, phrase or question and it uses its own algorithm to work through key words and find the best matches. Powerset is first applying its natural language processing to search, aiming to improve the way we find information by unlocking the meaning encoded in ordinary human language.

For the last 6 months or more the word around the valley seems to be Semantic. Im simply just sick of hearing about semantic search and how it is going to change the search industry. It seems to be time now for some actual results, so can Powerset provide this?

Powerset Demo Video from officialpowerset on Vimeo.

Have a look at who else has been talking about Powerset:

Rev2, Lifehacker, Marketing Pilgrim, VentureBeat, Webware, Inquisitr and Techcrunch.

For a long time now there has been a search engine that has been totally forgotten about, that search engine is Dogpile. Dogpile is a meta-search engine that is currently owned by Infospace. I was browsing the site this afternoon and suddenly noticed that there werent any search ads in the results. Im so used to seeing search ads on Yahoo, Google, etc, but nothing on Dogpile. Why is this? Why would they have a search engine that is obviously not getting huge amounts of traffic, but is still getting something, so why not at the very least create a partnership with Google and get some money for those search ads?

This is probably not a good example, but im really sick of seeing Silicon Valley companies who get funding or whatever, but havent actually developed a real business model. Prime example lately was Sonific. Sonific was a great idea, but they never really had an affective business model that could go with their high class product. That is the main reason why I like seeing startups like Techmeme do so well, because they are bootstrapped with no money at all, but they have a real aim and a business model that can pull it all together.

Update: There was a misprint which stated that Dogpile was owned by IAC, which its not. Dogpile is owned by Infospace.

Yesterday I was sent a very interesting link and it lead me to BuddyFetch. BuddyFetch is a unique search engine that allows users to search for fellow IM, social networking and even online dating users. The itself is very simple to use and has a nice layout, but im still not too sure if it is actually worth using. The user inputs some keywords into the search tool and then a list of people appears below. From the search results you can find out their gender, age, location and which network they are on.

BuddyFetch is search some of the largest social networks out there such as, Myspace, Bebo, Hi5, Meetup, Youtube, Friendster, Facebook, PlentyofFish and more.

The idea is a very simple one, but quite effective. I cant say im the type of person who is desperate enough to spend even 10 min on this tool to try to find a  date, but you never know it might even find you a date!

The soap opera that is Microsoft bid for Yahoo is continuing. Firstly it is reported by the WSJ that Yahoo is closing in on a merger with AOL. If the deal goes through, the two companies would combine their web and internet based services. Yahoo! would reportedly use some of the revenue from a merger with Time Warner/AOL to buy back a whole bunch of stock which woudl help the company fend off any further unwanted advances from Microsoft.

While at the same time it is reported that Yahoo has begun testing out Search Ads from Google. Then Microsoft hit back with the following statement about the search testing:

From Brad Smith, Microsoft’s General Counsel:

“Any definitive agreement between Yahoo! and Google would consolidate over 90% of the search advertising market in Google’s hands. This would make the market far less competitive, in sharp contrast to our own proposal to acquire Yahoo! We will assess closely all of our options. Our proposal remains the only alternative put forward that offers Yahoo! shareholders full and fair value for their shares, gives every shareholder a vote on the future of the company, and enhances choice for content creators, advertisers, and consumers.”

Well, what can I see happening? I expect that AOL and Yahoo will potentially merge, but this it might happen in about 6 months time. In terms of search advertising between Google and Yahoo, im sure this cant continue because of the amount of marketshare they will have between them. Finally, Microsoft have no chance of purchasing Yahoo, I cant see it happening because Yahoo shareholders and directors would have already agreed if there was something that was going to happen.

More news from around the world.

I came across a very interested search engine the other day, OrganizedWisdom. OrganizedWisdom is a human powered health search engine. The site itself talks about all major health issues from Depression to Cancer, and also includes information about drugs, foundations and even physicians.

OrganizedWisdom looks very professional and includes a simple yet effective search tool, and allows everyone to see example of the most popular searches on the home page. This is a website that you dont necessarily want to have to use, but at some point or another everyone will go through something OrganizedWisdom covers.

The blogoscope has noticed that the Yahoo home page has a new shape about it. The design now has the Yahoo logo at the top of the page and placing more of a presence on the search feature of Yahoo. Is this a sign of the site slowly moving away from being a full portal?