October 1, 2005
October 1, 2005
Ask Jeeves Smart Search Makes Basic TV Program Reference Info a Click Away
When Ask Jeeves (aka Ask.com) launched a slew of new Smart Search options in August I briefly mentioned that info about tv programs was now part of the Smart Search service. However, it was just in the last day or two that I realized the number of tv programs AJ offers Smart Answer boxes for.
Smart Search boxes for television programs often contain a plot overview, link to the official site, episode guides, images, and links to purchase DVD's (if available). I've found Smart Answers for shows currently airing like The OC, 24, Law and Order and The Simpsons. A search for "The Office" shows Smart Answers for both the NBC and BBC versions. Nice. Classics programs including The Andy Griffith Show, Saturday Night Live, The Twilight Zone are Smart Search ready. Even cartoons like Speed Racer and The Flintstones are included.
Ask provides some of the show reference info from Zap2it.com and TV.com.
Let's hope Ask continues to develop this and other Smart Search research tools with more related links and in the case of tv, video clips.
Postscript: I even noticed Smart Answer boxes (on Ask.com) for UK tv classics like Fawlty Towers and Eastenders.
Postscript 2: I also spotted some tv-related Smart Answers on Ask Jeeves UK.
Posted by Gary Price on 11:52 PM | Permalink
How About Custom Search Tabs From Google & Yahoo
When running a Google web search from the Google home page or the Google Personalized home page, you can quickly rerun your search (no need to reenter your query terms) in another Google database by simply clicking one or more of the tabs labeled (Images, Groups, News, Froogle, Local, and Desktop (if available and installed). Easy to use, a possible time saver, and easy to explain to novice searchers. Nice!
However, as you know, Google offers many other databases that can be discovered by clicking another link that's visible on the Google home page labeled "more." Here you'll find access to Google Blog Search, Google Directory, Google Scholar, Google Print, and more. The problem, albeit a minor one, is that when you click "more" and then want to run your current query in one of these databases, you need to reenter the entire search string. Believe me, this is not a major issue. However, for allowing a user the chance to carry-over their query (let's say from a web search) to one or more of these databases would be useful.
Perhaps Google should consider providing what Yahoo currently offers on their clutter-free search.yahoo.com page. Here, the user (you don't need to login with a Yahoo ID) can customize which database tabs are visible on their home page. The other useful part (in addition to the customization) is that your search queries will carry over from one database to the next. Let's hope that if/when Yahoo releases their RSS/blog search tool, a tab will become available on the clutter-free page. Bow, note to Yahoo, how about adding Yahoo Audio Search tab option to the clutter-free interface?
I realize that many tools exist like FaganFinder and MrSapo, and Soople (to name only three) that allow you to move from one database to the next with great ease. However, I wanted this post to focus on what Google and Yahoo offer on their native interfaces.
Posted by Gary Price on 11:09 PM | Permalink
Add an A9 Customizable Search Box to Any Web Site
The A9 team has posted a new page with info and code to add customizable A9 search boxes to any web site. Currently available are boxes for A9.com Search and A9.com Yellow Pages search. More about other A9 services for webmasters and developers here.
Posted by Gary Price on 1:54 PM | Permalink
Google's "Playable Video" Search Option Disappears
Do you remember a Google Blog post from mid-July where Google Video's, Matthew Vosburgh, announced that two "radio buttons" were available allowing a searcher to limit their Google Video search to only playable video or both playable video and video clips where thumbmnail images were only available? Well, it appears that this useful search option is no longer available Why? What happened? Will Google bring it back? How about letting us know with an explanation on the Google Blog? Here's a cached copy of what the Google Video interface used to look like with the search options (via Gigablast cache).
However, it is still possible to limit your search to only "playable video" using this "hacked" interface or the syntax source:upload or playable:true in your query. More about both tools in this post.
Postscript: A reader correctly points out that in many but not all cases Google Video results now show playable video before non-playable video. Still, having an option without having to limit to a certain type of material without needing to use the syntax would be useful.
Posted by Gary Price on 1:07 PM | Permalink
Yahoo Testing Mobile Search Ads In Japan & Britain
Bloomberg News reports that Yahoo is testing paid ads on search result pages delivered to mobile phones and devices in Japan while also auctioning off ads on the Yahoo Mobile travel site in the UK.
"The way that Yahoo is going to stay relevant and essential is by extending our services beyond the PC browser to all devices that consumers use," Garland, who runs Yahoo's mobile group, said Wednesday in an interview at a conference in San Francisco. "There will be a paid search market that develops."
More in the article: Yahoo! is testing cell phone search ads.
In August, AOL Mobile Search began to show paid listings at the top of some pages.
The other day I posted a few thoughts about branding specific mobile search and answer tools as another way for search providers to make money in the mobile search space.
Posted by Gary Price on 12:33 AM | Permalink
