Colin's Corner

Google Search Engine

Google co-op has evolved into Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) which allows sites to develop a vertical search engine using Google technologies. IDG has already implemented this vertical search capacity at Macworld and we've replaced the Macworld internal search with CSE.

Macworld.com experimented with Google Co-Op after it debuted, says Jason Snell, VP and editorial director of Mac Publishing. "We looked at it as a way to better define our content and to improve our traffic," he says.

Upon discovering that his colleagues frequently used Google in conjunction with the "site:" operator to search their own site (rather than using the built-in search engine), Snell says his publication jumped at the chance to create a CSE as a replacement for Macworld.com's unsatisfactory search capabilities. The fact that his company was already a participant in Google's AdSense program made the decision easier.

A critical distinction between Google Co-Op and CSE is control. "Co-Op was really a part of Google," Snell says. "This is controlled by us."

We plan to announce further developments shortly. Check out the tags - news, reviews, blogs, tips etc. Search is now filtered to improve the results. Google has been trying to improve the quality of their results - Google's Custom Search Engine is a step in the right direction.

Information Week Coverage

Vertical Search Roundtable

DeSilva Phillips has published an edited summary of the “Can Vertical Search Prosper in the Age of GYM (Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft)?” panel held at the DeSilva + Phillips 2006 Media Dealmakers Summit on February 6, 2006 in New York. My co-panelists were Eric Shanfelt , VP eMedia Stretegy at Pention and Mitch Rouda, president e-Media for Hanley Wood.

The goal [of Vertical Search] is to pull together the content from your editors and from your vendors, and most importantly from your knowledgeable user base. So if you’re looking for a product, you do your research but then you ask people who have perhaps bought that product in the past to give you their advice. This deep type of involvement in special-interest areas is not something the general search  engines can offer.

An afterword on search

John Battelle, under a certain amount of pressure from his publisher is updating his book on search by writing an “afterword” for the paperback version which is due in the fall of 2006. On his site, John starts to outline some of his takes on the evolution of search over the last year.

John’s book on Search is an excellent read and I suggest taking advantage of the bundle deal available at Amazon and also buying David Vise’s The Google Story

John’s asked for suggestions on anything he may have missed out .

I just hope he and the publisher make the afterword available as a pdf – perhaps via Google Books !

Is Google manipulating organic search ?

According to Search Engine News, Google has started to experiment with manipulating the organic results listings in order to find ways to earn additional revenue, as well as expand their service offerings to their users.

This article is well worth reading as if true, the implications for Google as a "trusted source" are immense. Its conclusion

Google needs to stop playing games with people’s heads and be totally up-front about their need to change user experience in order to grow revenue. It is important to remember that since Google’s stock jumped up to a bloated, unrealistic $300.00 per share, the value of shares would need to rise $30.00 to earn 10% growth.

This is not something easily accomplished when you allow statements to be tossed about that “of course money is not involved” and you then turn around a day or two later, and admit that money is indeed somewhat involved.

For a very long time, people felt Google would never touch the look of the ten organic listings that make up each page of their results pages. However it is now very apparent that things have changed since going public. The control at the top has switched hands to those obsessed with generating revenues and profits. They have to meet stockholders' expectations of growth as well as maintain an image that they are trying to help the stockholders.

KnowIT

Knowledge Storm has announced a cross IT vertical search, KnowIT.com that claims to search thousands of technology related web site. However from an initial review, content from the main technology content sites, IDG, CMP, CNET and ZD etc seems to be absent. LIke another emerging vertical search engine in the Infromation Technology space, IT.com quality independent editorial content seems very sparse.