I swear, sometimes it’s like google is reading my mind. almost every tweek or change i’ve wished for over the last year or so, has eventually come true. To think, just one year prior to that, i was joking with a few friends that Gmail was like some kind of secret cult. At the time, you could only get in by Beta Invite. Oooh. Then, once you tried it, you never went back. What’s more, you found that you couldn’t stop telling other people about it, “converting” them, so to speak.

Today, i use Gmail, Calendar, Spreadsheets, Docs, Reader, Notebook, Groups, Trends, Adsense, Analytics, Adwords, Alerts, and now Co-op.

I’ve always liked custom search engines like Wink and Rollyo. But, even though i’ve enjoyed many of the social aspects that these sites had to offer, somehow they all still seemed quite lacking. it always bothered me that Rollyo puts a limit on the number of sites you can add per topic. And Wink has a “Sync with Del.icio.us” tool which would kick ass if i could get it to work (apparently my 3 week old sync task is still queued somewhere in cyber-hell).

Google Co-op seems to satisfy at least part of the concerns that i had (regarding time wasted and revenue sharing) and so i couldn’t resist creating a couple of my own custom search engines for you all to try out and hopefully help build. I haven’t had a chance to style them yet, but there are a ton of excellent sites in each one already so the results for searchs should be pretty interesting.

I’ll be creating a more permanent place for all of these custom search engines as soon as i figure out where – more will likely come soon – so you can keep an eye out for them or just bookmark this page for later reference. the good thing is, wherever i put them, i can always manage them from one place.

in the meantime, go ahead and try one out.
Dont’ forget to let me know what you think. Enjoy!

i guess..

but yesterday i stumbled onto something new. it represented a change in the way we have been made to think about search engines. it wasn’t focused on the usual stuff like rankings, and popularity which often overshadow things like relevence and useful content. but most importantly, it promises to give more power to the users..

they said it was an “Intent-driven Search Engine”.
they said more things like, “search sorted the way you like it”.
the project is called Yahoo! Mindset, by the way.

Although it is still in beta, the search engine is already quite functional. what it does first is give you the standard yahoo results page based on your search. but you also get a slider that you can drag to the left or right depending on your intent. right now, you can apparently only have 2 intentions, either commercial or informational. but still, it’s something..

ads.. no ads.. ads.. no ads..

also, because it uses what Yahoo calls “machine learning” technology, it will be getting smarter all the time. that is to say, right now, it is not very smart. you’re more likely to get something like:

ads.. less adds.. ads.. less adds.

to be fair though, using this search engine without moving the slider gives you the same results as a standard yahoo search. so i’d say it is safe to give it a try. and if i used the original Yahoo! search engine on a regular basis, i’d definitely switch to Yahoo! Mindset. but i don’t so..

well i’m still going to keep my eye on this one.

What makes it so smart (in my opinion)

1. it’s a new way to search, not just a new type of search
2. it uses a slider (who doesn’t like sliders?)
3. anything that gives me more ways to filter is ok in my books (ie: google’s advanced search needs to be more advanced)
4. it uses AJAX technology, always good to see new applications of this technique
5. there are no page refreshes (i think this i one of the biggest advantages of using AJAX, and i like the way it is used here)

For more information on AJAX, and it’s various implementations read » AJAX: A Closer look

In an attempt to wade through all the junk sites that pretend to talk about search engine optimization, i’ve started a small list of sites that actually discuss the topic in an intelligent way, contributing something valuable to the debate, and don’t just try to sell you something. I will try to keep this list short, and up to date, so check back occationally.

• Search Engine Roundtable
• Organic SEO Wiki
• WebmasterWorld
• Digital Point Forum (thanks Martin)
• HighRankings Forum
• Search Engine Watch
• Google Summaries ( Vaughn Aubuchon )

Most of these sites just monitor current trends, overall activity, and marketing theories. They tend to look at the bigger search engines like google, yahoo, and msn and their associated technologies. Many experienced (resisted the urge to say ’seasoned’) SEO experts cluster around these sites, which makes their forum sections especially valuable for learning about the topic in general.

Additional articles and information:
These sites were once in the “little list” but have fallen from grace..
They remain here mostly because they still have something useful to add, but may not be as completely dedicated to the subject.

• Internet Search Engine Database (ISEDB)
• Google Page Rank – Tips and Tricks
• Singapore Web Hosting Blog – Category: SEO
• Tracking Organic SEO Benefits
• Search Engine News Review
• HReal SEO.net
• Search Visibility Report
• SEO / SEM Blogs