iGuiders – More Narrowed Search Tool

On the web, most people these days start at a search engine to begin their quest for information. The standard model for search is Google; you type a term into a search box and then you must sort page by page for your results. Now iGuiders, a local Cleveland area start-up, has a streamlined way of performing an Internet search. I like to think of iGuiders as more of a hand-holding approach to search or tree building way to get to results.

How iGuiders Works

1. You select from a preselected group of categories.
   • Statutory, Legal, Regulatory, Compliance, and Standards
   • Internal Business Requirements
   • Protect Information
   • Threats and Breaches
   • Customers/Partner
2. Then you select a subgroup out the first category you’ve selected
3. Then choose your question you’re interested in
4. Then it will use a popular search engine to find your answer

IGuiders says, “The problem with searching on the internet is that you get too many results. You need the right words to get you precise results. This sites enables you to research topics without having to figure out what words to use in a search engine. It takes you deep into a topic to help focus your search.”

Right now the “beta” site has limited categories, but try it out for yourself and tell us what you think?
http://www.iguiders.com

LeapFish: Search Engine 2.0?

Over the weekend, I read an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer showcasing a new search engine called LeapFish, which is being haled as the next best thing. TechCrunch didn’t give the website a great review, but Behnam Behrouzi, the creator of LeapFish, is bound to prove them wrong.

This search engine is considered the next generation of engines because it is “multidimensional in the world of metasearch aggregators.” What does this mean? Basically LeapFish goes out and searches a bunch of engines at the same time and delivers them back to you on their site.  You are searching Google, MSN, Yahoo, YouTube, Amazon and even eBay at the same time.

LeapFish features:

• “Just Type It” search results – the moment you start typing, your results happen.
• Homepage content – the front page is laid out with news, videos, stock market and weather
• Unique search results – the engine not only looks at the top sites like Google, but it even searches Amazon and eBay
• Interesting advertising model – you can buy the rights to keywords on their site, then sell them back when they become popular

http://www.leapfish.com

What do you think of the engine? Would you use LeapFish again?

Have you ever tried Zoink?

Zoink.com is a web portal and search engine dedicated to games, shopping and social networking. If you are looking for another to way pass your time, then try Zoink!

http://www.zoink.com

The Original Search Engine?

WebCrawler was one of the first, and is still one of the fastest search engines on the web. If you haven’t tried it, the search engine uses Google, Yahoo, MSN Live and Ask at the same time to deliver you comprehensive results.

According to Wikipedia, WebCrawler was the first Web search engine to provide full text search. It went live on April 20, 1994 and was created by Brian Pinkerton at the University of Washington. It was bought by America Online on June 1, 1995 and sold to Excite on April 1, 1997.

So will you switch to WebCrawler instead of using Google?
http://www.webcrawler.com/

A Wine Search Engine?

Are you looking for that perfect bottle of vino to accompany your next dinner? I recently stumbled upon an actual search engine for wine. You can search by year, type of wine or location of winery. Scroll through the website ratings to find a vintage wine to make your holiday party sizzle.

http://www.snooth.com/

What are the Hottest Searches?

Have your wondered what the most popular searches for the day are? Google launched “Trends” to give you a summary of the hottest trends in searches. Yahoo puts the top searches on their homepage.

http://www.yahoo.com/
http://www.google.com/trends

Google Chrome, the Next Giant?

As you may know, the first web browser Netscape invented by Marc Andreessen was retired last year. However in its wake, there has been a recent boom of new web browsers including Firefox, Opera and now Chrome by Google. This new browser is the synthesis of the best features from Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Opera. Google has generated a strong web browser that is bound to only get better.

Chrome Main Features:

• Main Address Bar – Pullls up most the popular sites as you type.
• New Tab Page – Opens a new tab to see the most visited page. This is a feature straight from Opera and Cuil. Every time you open a new tab, you will see a three column visual layout of your most visited sites and see a search history of recently visted tabs.
• Application shortcuts – Use Google web apps without opening your browser.
• Dynamic Tabs – Drag tabs out of the browser to create new windows, gather multiple tabs into one window or arrange your tabs however you want.
• Crash Control – You can see memory use per tab. Each tab is run independently in the browser, so if one crashes it won’t take the whole browser down. This has been an issue with Firefox.
• Incognito Mode – Your personal information will not be saved by Google. Ask has a feature like this.
• Safe Browsing – Lets you know visually if the website has bad intent.
• Instant Bookmarks – Click star in address bar to access your favorites from any page.
• Import Settings – Move favorites from other browsers with one click.
• Simpler Downloads – Progress meter built in browser so you can drag and move onto desktop to launch when completed.

Download Google Chrome
http://www.google.com/chrome

What do you think? Will Google now take over the world of web browsing?

Job Search Engine? Indeed!

The other day I hosted a learning event over at the Cleveland Institute of Art entitled How to Improve Your Online Search Results. During the presentation led by Todd Packer, I realized how many different search engines really are out there. Thus, I started a list of search engines on Leading Hands.

A new one that a friend just forwarded me was Indeed, which is a search for you job seekers. There are two simple fields you are prompted to fill out on the homepage: “what” type of job you are looking for and “where” are you looking. The results seem to be organized in the typical list format (aka Google), with a big blue link at the top of each discovery with the description listed below it.

Do you like Indeed? Is it better than CareerBoard?
http://www.indeed.com/

Yureekah

Keeping the search engine theme going this week, I recently came across one called Yureekah. This is the first search engine that addresses competitive analysis of online advertising. Do a search on Yureekah for breakfast cereal and you’ll see the banner ads of Kellogg’s and General Mills. The engine’s most distinct feature is that it can identify regional advertising. This is extremely helpful if companies are only in a few markets.

Do tools like Yureekah give too much power to marketers? Are consumers being targeted like a laser beam that our privacy is being invaded?

Is Yureekah a valuable tool or a just a flash in a pan?
http://yureekah.com/

Scour

Have you heard about Scour? It is a next generation search engine with Google/Yahoo/MSN results and user comments all on one page. Best of all you get paid for using it by earning points with every search, comment and vote. The points can be redeemed for Visa gift cards. It’s like earning credit card or airline points just for searching! The downside of the engine is that it has to go out to a few search engines, thus it does take a bit to get the results back.

A friend of mine used it and got his gift card the other day. Thanks to David Bardwell for the tip on the service.

Have you tried this search engine? What do you think of it?
http://scour.com/