December 20, 2007

IBM introduces free smart email search software

While search engines still can’t help you find your missing car keys, prescription glasses or remote control, IBM Research has invented a “smart” email search solution that can figure out what you are trying to find, even when you aren’t so sure yourself.

And now, IBM is letting the rest of us get our hands on their secret decoder ring by making IBM OmniFind Personal Email Search (IOPES) for Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook available at no charge on alphaWorks.

IOPES is powered by advanced algorithms that can interpret incomplete queries and find information such as phone numbers, people, meetings, presentations, documents, images and more. The “smart” search software can help people find information buried in the vast personal database that e-mail has become by identifying the most relevant information in a search query and extrapolating what the user is trying to find.

Common concepts built into the system enable users to quickly locate, for example, a person’s telephone number, even if the words “telephone” and “number” aren’t in the text of the email. And it’s also easy to define more complex concepts – such as meeting requests and specific locations – on the fly because the technology returns more relevant results than simple keyword search can.

Okay, so the name IOPES doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily as iPhone. And I haven’t tested it myself, so I can’t tell you how IBM OmniFind Personal Email Search compares to Google Desktop Search or Desktop Search from Yahoo! and X1.

But I have to admit that it’s nice to see Lotus Notes mentioned in an announcement. I guess that I should disclose that I was the director of corporate communications for Lotus when we first publicly discussed Notes at the 1988 PC Forum. But I haven’t had a business or financial relationship with Lotus in close to 20 years.

I think I still have an old satin jacket with Lotus Week on the back. I wonder if IOPES can help me find it.

Posted by GregJarboe at 1:01 AM | Permalink

January 8, 2007

ChaCha Gets Big Boost in Funding in 2006

Lee Odden reported at Online Marketing Blog today that "Assisted-Search" provider ChaCha was funded with $6 Million in private funding organized by Bezos Expeditions in 2006. This story was also covered by Greg Sterling at Search Engine Land.

ChaCha has been the subject of an ongoing spirited discussion at the Search Engine Watch Forums. This has raised some interesting questions about the differences in search sophistication levels, and the availability of useful systems that can provide novice searchers with real-time human assistance not driven by marketing dollars and possible spyware incentives.

When ChaCha was first introduced to the forum, the initial response from Moderator David Wallace was something the majority of experienced searchers probably first felt when they learned of the system: why would someone want to wait while someone else searches for them when search engines can deliver results in nano seconds?

In fact, I also made a comment suggesting that maybe the product would be good for an older demographic, and that I would probably never use it. The idea that search engines could be better if someone was there to help find the answers may seem foreign to many that read online publications such as this one and the two mentioned in the introduction. We are all well beyond needing help searching, right?

Others have spoken of the disparity between expert and casual searchers. It exists within users of advanced Business Intelligence systems, as Google’s BI expert Matt Glotzbach points out: BI systems contain much valuable information about a company’s process, workflow, etc., but that information is untapped by the average employee. If you look at the traditional BI implementation, a very small number of users actually access the BI system and use its data, so the question becomes how to make this extremely valuable information accessible to the broader user base. (Source: Software Magazine )

Does this translate to Internet search? Many would think so. Perhaps familiarizing oneself with searching by using human help could lead to future ability to dig deeper and find the information that is behind the long tail keyword varieties that many advanced searchers perform within the first or second query.

Back to the SEW Forums thread, one of the next entrants into the discussion was a (somewhat self-painted) naïve evangelist who had recently begun performing the duties of being a guide for ChaCha, who claimed to get nervous while awaiting queries from unknown users of the system. This person provided a good glimpse at the supposed average profile of a ChaCha guide: someone who is interested in a topic and has gained some experience using the system in order to be able to help searchers find results for particular topics. It is a community in a way similar to DMOZ editorship, based on category familiarization, it would seem.

The rest of the thread is worth a read (although a warning that it is long and sometimes argumentative), as it delves into the overall usefulness of the search results provided by the guides. It also possibly helped to shape some of the ways that ChaCha could present itself in future forums, since the discussion got a little heated thanks to consistent pushing by one member in regards to its usefulness.

One thing that should probably worry ChaCha a little, however, is page 8 of the thread , which has been revived; partially it seems due to new affiliate arrangements for guides enticing them to receive compensation for Toolbar downloads. Understandably, this is a way to further monetize the system and help support it, but one Moderator makes some serious claims about the system’s download and possible attachments.

Hopefully ChaCha will stay committed to providing a useful and safe community for inexperienced searchers to learn how to make queries. Additionally, it would be nice if they disclosed clearly that some/many of the results presented are sponsored. Lastly, please get rid of any potentially malicious spyware in the download packet if that allegation is true!

(added 1/9: ChaChaInsider at SEW Forums denies that any sort of Spy/Malware is attached to the toolbar download - great news.) Hopefully anyone wishing to comment on this will do so in the referenced forum discussion.

Posted by Chris Boggs at 4:29 PM | Permalink

November 15, 2006

PCNames Domain Search

The PCNames domain search engine does exactly what might be expected of it - it searches for domain names and returns results with details on their availability. It does this virtually instantaneously as well - when you being typing the engine offers details on .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz and .us. Ideally I would prefer to see a wider variety and from a British/European perspective the addition of .uk and .eu would be enormously helpful, but even without that, it's very useful.

Once a search has been run it is then possible to get WHOIS information to research the site, or if a site is available for registration the search engine provides a list of companies that can be used to register it. This is how the site makes money - not by direct reselling but from donations and commission from affiliates.

The benefits of the search engine are clear for those people who wish to register domain names. As a searcher the resource is also useful to quickly check not only to see if a domain is available or not, but to check on the ownership of the site - useful for authority checking, and as a quick way to locate a domain if you can't remember if a recently visited site was a .com or a .org for example.

The most impressive thing about this search engine is its speed; it really is lightening fast and will save you time immediately. There are also a variety of other tools available on the site as well, which are equally useful for web authors and searchers alike.

The Domain Suggestion function allows users to type in words, phrases or domains to get suggestions. I was impressed with some of the ideas that it came up with - based on the input of 'search engine watch' I got a number of interesting possible domain names to register, such as 'googlewatch.us' for example. In some instances I could also get more indepth suggestions, and pagerankwatch.net could be broken down to include .org, .info, .biz and .us.

The Word Search function allowed me to quickly see which domains were available, deleted or expired. I was astonished at the number of available domains that mentioned 'google' that hadn't been registered. Googlesite.org anyone?

Of less interest as a searcher, but still fascinating was the opportunity to see which 3 character and 4 letter domains were available; a surprisingly large number in fact.

The Dictionary tool showed available domains using names that could be found within a standard dictionary and Search and Replace allows searchers to replace one word with another to check availability of domain names.

All in all this is an excellent collection of niche resources focusing on domain names. While it is clearly aimed at individuals that wish to register domain names there are lots of ways in which an enterprising searcher could use the resources, both when training others and searching for themselves. This is certainly a site that I'll be adding to my own collection of well used resources.

Posted by Phil Bradley at 11:29 AM | Permalink

November 2, 2006

Yahoo Launches Yahoo Food

What is for breakfast this morning? Well, you can now go to Yahoo Food and find out. Yahoo launched food.yahoo.com that contains "recipes, advice from regional celebrity chefs, video cooking guides and easy-to-use Web tools." Reuters reports that in early 2007, Yahoo Food will expand to Australia, Britain and Canada, then expand into other global markets later.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 8:31 AM | Permalink

November 1, 2006

Zotspot Wants To Share The Search Wealth

One could plausibly argue that it's crazy to do anything in the general ("horizontal") search marketplace. But new engines continue to launch. The latest, having been in semi-stealth mode for the past several weeks, is Zotspot. Zotspot is a general-purpose engine that officially launched yesterday. Here's the press release.

Like a number of others before it, the idea here is to "reward" users for searching. It claims to be the first engine to "pay users in cash for their normal search behavior." If you don't want the cash you can donate it to one of numerous partner charities.

You essentially get paid for referrals in a "multi-level" fashion. Here's how Zotspot explains how users get paid. Search engine ChaCha doesn't reward its users, but has a comparable payment structure for its "guides."

The theme here is "share the wealth." The question is will that be incentive enough to get people off their G-Y-M habit? One wants to root for companies that have their eye on the larger social good, but Zotspot's results at a minimum have to be as good as Google's or no one will be swayed.

Posted by Greg Sterling at 10:07 AM | Permalink

Live Search Box Allows You To Add Live Search To Your Site

Microsoft's Live Search Blog informed us of a new feature where you can add the Windows Live Search box to your site. I have implemented the "Basic Search Box" on the Search Engine Roundtable, which means the box will display results on the Windows Live Search page. Below I will implement the "Advanced Search Box," which means the box displays results on this site. More details at http://search.live.com/siteowner.

var WLSearchBoxConfiguration= { "global":{ "serverDNS":"search.live.com" }, "appearance":{ "autoHideTopControl":false, "width":600, "height":400 }, "scopes":[ { "type":"web", "caption":"SEW & SER Test", "searchParam":"site:searchenginewatch.com OR site:seroundtable.com" } , { "type":"web", "caption":"Web", "searchParam":"" } ] }

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 8:38 AM | Permalink

October 12, 2006

How To Make Custom Search Engine With Live Search

The Live Search blog posted today tips on how to build a custom search engine that pulls pages back from sites you select. It seems very similar to when MSN Search added "Search Macros" at the end of March of this year. Yahoo Search Builder and Eureskter have similar offerings.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 9:08 AM | Permalink

October 2, 2006

Need A Costume For Halloween? Try The CostumeZee Costume Search Engine!

This is an entirely commercial operation, but with Halloween looming on the horizon, one that may prove useful. CostumeZee is a search engine that enables searchers to locate costumes for particular events, such as Halloween, or themes such as Pirates. Costumes for both children and adults are available, as well as appropriate accessories. The links do all seem to take searchers to American based sites however, so if you're outside the US, order early and cross your fingers.

Posted by Phil Bradley at 10:11 AM | Permalink

September 4, 2006

Bringo Click To Call Service Attempts To Help Consumers Foil Voice Response Systems

If you're a credit card issuer, a cell phone carrier or an airline you use IVR (interactive voice response) phone trees to resolve calls and avoid sending what you deem to be unnecessary calls to your call center. Live agents are expensive. But almost every consumer hates dealing with IVR systems. They're often frustrating, don't resolve issues and delay what consumers ultimately want, which is to talk to a live customer service agent.

Now comes a deliciously subversive "click to call" service called Bringo. You select the category and then the company you're trying to contact, enter your phone number and they'll connect the call when the service has bypassed the phone tree and reached a live agent.

I tried two calls: one to Sprint and a second to Chase (credit cards). Each took about 35 seconds to connect and I was connected to a live agent. One thing I didn't test is whether the agent was the right one for any particular issue since I was just testing the system and not actually calling with a problem. (Corporate reps would tell you IVR helps them route calls properly.)

This service would be especially valuable in a mobile context, when there's even less tolerance for waiting and phone trees. Regardless it seems to be effective in connecting calls to live agents.

And now to the inevitable: "what's the business model?" I didn't speak to company representatives so I don't know their plan. One could imagine (beyond AdSense) that advertisers might want to be in front of consumers with alternative offers (e.g., Verizon seeking to get Sprint users to switch, etc.). If there was enough traffic to the site there might be some monetization potential here.

Accordingly, I wanted to find out what the annual volumes were of customer service calls in the US but could not find it on Google, Yahoo or MSN and so I went to ask ChaCha's human guides but the site appears to be having technical problems and I couldn't get through to anyone . . .

Posted by Greg Sterling at 11:21 AM | Permalink

August 23, 2006

Yahoo Adds Coupon Shortcut, Making Finding Coupons Easy

Adam Viener of ReveNews.com discovered a Yahoo! Shortcut which gives searchers quick and easy access to coupon codes.

Adam highlighted a search for kodak gallery coupon codes. Here are some other examples: circuit city coupon, vistaprint coupon, netflix coupon code, and dell coupon code.

This is a great service for consumers who are spared the trouble of weeding through creatively written sponsored listings and pages of organic listings claiming to have the best coupons and then returning out of date deals. This is also a potential win for Yahoo! as affiliate revenue can add up pretty quickly.

The comments on Adam's post seem to indicate that the coupons are sourced through a third party called Coupon Cabin, but there's no confirmation of that. Last year Yahoo! tested out a different partner for coupons on Yahoo! Shopping.

Posted by Brian Smith at 2:44 AM | Permalink

August 7, 2006

Yahoo Launches Search Builder

During the Social Search Overview session, Tim Mayer of Yahoo announced the launch of Yahoo Search Builder. I haven't had much time to play with it yet, and probably won't until next week. But the Yahoo Search blog has a nice overview of the new product. Keep in mind, this seems very similar to Eurekster, based on my quick quick quick read of it. More on this later.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 1:02 PM | Permalink

July 21, 2006

More 3D Maps, an iTunes Video Podcast Directory, .CA Goes Mobile & Wildfires Database: Specialty Search Wrap Up

This weeks specialty search wrap up from Resource Shelf includes more 3D mapping tools, a iTunes video podcast directory, the Canadian government mobile edition, a resource for locating primary sources with international news and a wildfires and forest fire real time database.

  1. Loving 3D satellite mapping tools? Want to spot more North Korean Missiles & Chinese Helicopters? Gary posted a roundup of free open source 3D satellite and aerial imagery. You can even check out images of places outside of this world, seriously! More details at Resource Shelf.

  2. Like to watch videos on your iPod or on iTunes? Well, Gary has the details on Search For Video adding a method of searching for videos that can be downloaded directly to your iPod and iTunes. To view the directory listing of these videos go to Podcast Video portion of the directory. More details here.

  3. Oh Canada on your mobile phone! Do you have a love for the Canadian government? Are you on the road a lot? If so, you can now get your fix at the Mobile Canada Site. You can learn more at http://canada.gc.ca/mobile/wireless_e.html or at Resource Shelf.

  4. Do you hate getting your international news via second hand sources? Gary writes about Diplomacy Monitor, a site that gives you access to "primary documents and news releases from various governments and government agencies."

  5. Is your house burning down? I hope not! This is the season for wildfires and forest fire and Gary has compiled a listings of database that offer real time information and reports. Check them out at Resource Shelf.

That is our specialty search roundup for this week.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 11:12 AM | Permalink

More 3D Maps, an iTunes Video Podcast Directory, .CA Goes Mobile & Wildfires Database: Specialty Search Wrap Up

This weeks specialty search wrap up from Resource Shelf includes more 3D mapping tools, a iTunes video podcast directory, the Canadian government mobile edition, a resource for locating primary sources with international news and a wildfires and forest fire real time database.

  1. Loving 3D satellite mapping tools? Want to spot more North Korean Missiles & Chinese Helicopters? Gary posted a roundup of free open source 3D satellite and aerial imagery. You can even check out images of places outside of this world, seriously! More details at Resource Shelf.

  2. Like to watch videos on your iPod or on iTunes? Well, Gary has the details on Search For Video adding a method of searching for videos that can be downloaded directly to your iPod and iTunes. To view the directory listing of these videos go to Podcast Video portion of the directory. More details here.

  3. Oh Canada on your mobile phone! Do you have a love for the Canadian government? Are you on the road a lot? If so, you can now get your fix at the Mobile Canada Site. You can learn more at http://canada.gc.ca/mobile/wireless_e.html or at Resource Shelf.

  4. Do you hate getting your international news via second hand sources? Gary writes about Diplomacy Monitor, a site that gives you access to "primary documents and news releases from various governments and government agencies."

  5. Is your house burning down? I hope not! This is the season for wildfires and forest fire and Gary has compiled a listings of database that offer real time information and reports. Check them out at Resource Shelf.

That is our specialty search roundup for this week.

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:12 AM | Permalink

More 3D Maps, an iTunes Video Podcast Directory, .CA Goes Mobile & Wildfires Database: Specialty Search Wrap Up

This weeks specialty search wrap up from Resource Shelf includes more 3D mapping tools, a iTunes video podcast directory, the Canadian government mobile edition, a resource for locating primary sources with international news and a wildfires and forest fire real time database.

  1. Loving 3D satellite mapping tools? Want to spot more North Korean Missiles & Chinese Helicopters? Gary posted a roundup of free open source 3D satellite and aerial imagery. You can even check out images of places outside of this world, seriously! More details at Resource Shelf.

  2. Like to watch videos on your iPod or on iTunes? Well, Gary has the details on Search For Video adding a method of searching for videos that can be downloaded directly to your iPod and iTunes. To view the directory listing of these videos go to Podcast Video portion of the directory. More details here.

  3. Oh Canada on your mobile phone! Do you have a love for the Canadian government? Are you on the road a lot? If so, you can now get your fix at the Mobile Canada Site. You can learn more at http://canada.gc.ca/mobile/wireless_e.html or at Resource Shelf.

  4. Do you hate getting your international news via second hand sources? Gary writes about Diplomacy Monitor, a site that gives you access to "primary documents and news releases from various governments and government agencies."

  5. Is your house burning down? I hope not! This is the season for wildfires and forest fire and Gary has compiled a listings of database that offer real time information and reports. Check them out at Resource Shelf.

That is our specialty search roundup for this week.

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:12 AM | Permalink

More 3D Maps, an iTunes Video Podcast Directory, .CA Goes Mobile & Wildfires Database: Specialty Search Wrap Up

This weeks specialty search wrap up from Resource Shelf includes more 3D mapping tools, a iTunes video podcast directory, the Canadian government mobile edition, a resource for locating primary sources with international news and a wildfires and forest fire real time database.

  1. Loving 3D satellite mapping tools? Want to spot more North Korean Missiles & Chinese Helicopters? Gary posted a roundup of free open source 3D satellite and aerial imagery. You can even check out images of places outside of this world, seriously! More details at Resource Shelf.

  2. Like to watch videos on your iPod or on iTunes? Well, Gary has the details on Search For Video adding a method of searching for videos that can be downloaded directly to your iPod and iTunes. To view the directory listing of these videos go to Podcast Video portion of the directory. More details here.

  3. Oh Canada on your mobile phone! Do you have a love for the Canadian government? Are you on the road a lot? If so, you can now get your fix at the Mobile Canada Site. You can learn more at http://canada.gc.ca/mobile/wireless_e.html or at Resource Shelf.

  4. Do you hate getting your international news via second hand sources? Gary writes about Diplomacy Monitor, a site that gives you access to "primary documents and news releases from various governments and government agencies."

  5. Is your house burning down? I hope not! This is the season for wildfires and forest fire and Gary has compiled a listings of database that offer real time information and reports. Check them out at Resource Shelf.

That is our specialty search roundup for this week.

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:12 AM | Permalink

July 20, 2006

Google Labs Launches Accessible Web Search

Google has launched Google Accessible Search, a stripped down version of the Google search results page that also serves up results to sites deemed more accessible to those who are visually impaired.

The design was created to make it easier and more effective for the blind and visually impaired. The results are a bit different, tailored to the visually impaired, to show more accessible pages in the results. Google told me how this actually works:

Google Accessible Search looks at a number of signals by examining the HTML markup found on a web page. It tends to favor pages that degrade gracefullypages with few visual distractions and pages that are likely to render well with images turned off. Google Accessible Search is built on Google Co-op's technology, which improves search results based on specialized interests.

It is also important to note that Google Accessible Search is currently ad free, conduct a search for ipod and you'll see no ads.

Matt Bailey has his take on this new Google product at his Accessibility Blog. Postscript From Danny: While I love the new offering, it's still disappointing that Google didn't provide an easy way to increase font sizes in the way that Big.com does.

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 1:09 PM | Permalink

Google Labs Launches Accessible Web Search

Google has launched Google Accessible Search, a stripped down version of the Google search results page that also serves up results to sites deemed more accessible to those who are visually impaired.

The design was created to make it easier and more effective for the blind and visually impaired. The results are a bit different, tailored to the visually impaired, to show more accessible pages in the results. Google told me how this actually works:

Google Accessible Search looks at a number of signals by examining the HTML markup found on a web page. It tends to favor pages that degrade gracefullypages with few visual distractions and pages that are likely to render well with images turned off. Google Accessible Search is built on Google Co-op's technology, which improves search results based on specialized interests.

It is also important to note that Google Accessible Search is currently ad free, conduct a search for ipod and you'll see no ads.

Matt Bailey has his take on this new Google product at his Accessibility Blog. Postscript From Danny: While I love the new offering, it's still disappointing that Google didn't provide an easy way to increase font sizes in the way that Big.com does.

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 1:09 PM | Permalink

Google Labs Launches Accessible Web Search

Google has launched Google Accessible Search, a stripped down version of the Google search results page that also serves up results to sites deemed more accessible to those who are visually impaired.

The design was created to make it easier and more effective for the blind and visually impaired. The results are a bit different, tailored to the visually impaired, to show more accessible pages in the results. Google told me how this actually works:

Google Accessible Search looks at a number of signals by examining the HTML markup found on a web page. It tends to favor pages that degrade gracefullypages with few visual distractions and pages that are likely to render well with images turned off. Google Accessible Search is built on Google Co-op's technology, which improves search results based on specialized interests.

It is also important to note that Google Accessible Search is currently ad free, conduct a search for ipod and you'll see no ads.

Matt Bailey has his take on this new Google product at his Accessibility Blog. Postscript From Danny: While I love the new offering, it's still disappointing that Google didn't provide an easy way to increase font sizes in the way that Big.com does.

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 1:09 PM | Permalink

Google Labs Launches Accessible Web Search

Google has launched Google Accessible Search, a stripped down version of the Google search results page that also serves up results to sites deemed more accessible to those who are visually impaired.

The design was created to make it easier and more effective for the blind and visually impaired. The results are a bit different, tailored to the visually impaired, to show more accessible pages in the results. Google told me how this actually works:

Google Accessible Search looks at a number of signals by examining the HTML markup found on a web page. It tends to favor pages that degrade gracefullypages with few visual distractions and pages that are likely to render well with images turned off. Google Accessible Search is built on Google Co-op's technology, which improves search results based on specialized interests.

It is also important to note that Google Accessible Search is currently ad free, conduct a search for ipod and you'll see no ads.

Matt Bailey has his take on this new Google product at his Accessibility Blog. Postscript From Danny: While I love the new offering, it's still disappointing that Google didn't provide an easy way to increase font sizes in the way that Big.com does.

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 1:09 PM | Permalink

July 14, 2006

Specialty Search Roundup #7

Another week and another set of specialty databases and research tools that were posted on ResourceShelf during the past week or so.

  • Art Museums: A Collection of Searchable Databases This is the first in a series (more soon) of posts that review databases from some of the great art museums around the world. In all cases these databases offer searchable access to part or all of these museums collections while offering you the chance to search using a variety of criteria.
  • UKs Resource Discovery Network Now Known as Intute Yesterday, I posted about the new NOODP tag from Google. While DMOZ/ODP doesn't have the same stature that it once did. However, researchers shouldn't forget the value of non-commercial/searchable/general purpose web directories where quality of the underlying resources trumps overall size. Intute is an excellent example of this. Be ready to spend some time here. Also, make sure to look at the Virtual Training Suite and Internet Detective, two of Intute's many parts.
  • New Look for The Gateway to Educational Materials Database Primarily cosmetic changes but it's a good excuse to make a mention of it. If you're looking for high quality materials for educational purposes this database is a "must" bookmark. It's also worth pointing out that "The Gateway" is powered by faceted search technology from Siderean. Bow, this same technology will soon be available from the Librarians' Internet Index, another essential non-commercial/searchable/general purpose web directory.
  • Database: A Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory "While not comprehensive, this inventory gives the public the best available look at the 200+ nanotechnology-based consumer products currently on the market. Prior to this inventory, the figure most often cited by the U.S. government was that approximately 80 consumer products containing nanomaterials were being sold. Please feel free to explore the inventory by browsing the products, or perform an advanced search."

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 8:07 AM | Permalink

Specialty Search Roundup #7

Another week and another set of specialty databases and research tools that were posted on ResourceShelf during the past week or so.

  • Art Museums: A Collection of Searchable Databases This is the first in a series (more soon) of posts that review databases from some of the great art museums around the world. In all cases these databases offer searchable access to part or all of these museums collections while offering you the chance to search using a variety of criteria.
  • UKs Resource Discovery Network Now Known as Intute Yesterday, I posted about the new NOODP tag from Google. While DMOZ/ODP doesn't have the same stature that it once did. However, researchers shouldn't forget the value of non-commercial/searchable/general purpose web directories where quality of the underlying resources trumps overall size. Intute is an excellent example of this. Be ready to spend some time here. Also, make sure to look at the Virtual Training Suite and Internet Detective, two of Intute's many parts.
  • New Look for The Gateway to Educational Materials Database Primarily cosmetic changes but it's a good excuse to make a mention of it. If you're looking for high quality materials for educational purposes this database is a "must" bookmark. It's also worth pointing out that "The Gateway" is powered by faceted search technology from Siderean. Bow, this same technology will soon be available from the Librarians' Internet Index, another essential non-commercial/searchable/general purpose web directory.
  • Database: A Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory "While not comprehensive, this inventory gives the public the best available look at the 200+ nanotechnology-based consumer products currently on the market. Prior to this inventory, the figure most often cited by the U.S. government was that approximately 80 consumer products containing nanomaterials were being sold. Please feel free to explore the inventory by browsing the products, or perform an advanced search."

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:07 AM | Permalink

Specialty Search Roundup #7

Another week and another set of specialty databases and research tools that were posted on ResourceShelf during the past week or so.

  • Art Museums: A Collection of Searchable Databases This is the first in a series (more soon) of posts that review databases from some of the great art museums around the world. In all cases these databases offer searchable access to part or all of these museums collections while offering you the chance to search using a variety of criteria.
  • UKs Resource Discovery Network Now Known as Intute Yesterday, I posted about the new NOODP tag from Google. While DMOZ/ODP doesn't have the same stature that it once did. However, researchers shouldn't forget the value of non-commercial/searchable/general purpose web directories where quality of the underlying resources trumps overall size. Intute is an excellent example of this. Be ready to spend some time here. Also, make sure to look at the Virtual Training Suite and Internet Detective, two of Intute's many parts.
  • New Look for The Gateway to Educational Materials Database Primarily cosmetic changes but it's a good excuse to make a mention of it. If you're looking for high quality materials for educational purposes this database is a "must" bookmark. It's also worth pointing out that "The Gateway" is powered by faceted search technology from Siderean. Bow, this same technology will soon be available from the Librarians' Internet Index, another essential non-commercial/searchable/general purpose web directory.
  • Database: A Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory "While not comprehensive, this inventory gives the public the best available look at the 200+ nanotechnology-based consumer products currently on the market. Prior to this inventory, the figure most often cited by the U.S. government was that approximately 80 consumer products containing nanomaterials were being sold. Please feel free to explore the inventory by browsing the products, or perform an advanced search."

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:07 AM | Permalink

Specialty Search Roundup #7

Another week and another set of specialty databases and research tools that were posted on ResourceShelf during the past week or so.

  • Art Museums: A Collection of Searchable Databases This is the first in a series (more soon) of posts that review databases from some of the great art museums around the world. In all cases these databases offer searchable access to part or all of these museums collections while offering you the chance to search using a variety of criteria.
  • UKs Resource Discovery Network Now Known as Intute Yesterday, I posted about the new NOODP tag from Google. While DMOZ/ODP doesn't have the same stature that it once did. However, researchers shouldn't forget the value of non-commercial/searchable/general purpose web directories where quality of the underlying resources trumps overall size. Intute is an excellent example of this. Be ready to spend some time here. Also, make sure to look at the Virtual Training Suite and Internet Detective, two of Intute's many parts.
  • New Look for The Gateway to Educational Materials Database Primarily cosmetic changes but it's a good excuse to make a mention of it. If you're looking for high quality materials for educational purposes this database is a "must" bookmark. It's also worth pointing out that "The Gateway" is powered by faceted search technology from Siderean. Bow, this same technology will soon be available from the Librarians' Internet Index, another essential non-commercial/searchable/general purpose web directory.
  • Database: A Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory "While not comprehensive, this inventory gives the public the best available look at the 200+ nanotechnology-based consumer products currently on the market. Prior to this inventory, the figure most often cited by the U.S. government was that approximately 80 consumer products containing nanomaterials were being sold. Please feel free to explore the inventory by browsing the products, or perform an advanced search."

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:07 AM | Permalink

July 7, 2006

Specialty Search Roundup #6

Another week and another set of specialty databases and "research" news for your review. These items have been posted to ResourceShelf during the past week or so. They have also tossed in non-searchable but useful (and fun) reference newsletter and a link to a new mobile version of Reuters for the U.S. Finally, don't forget that The World eBook Fair is now underway offering free, full text and downloadable access (PDF files) to more than 300,000 titles. Why now? This summer Project Gutenberg celebrates its 35th anniversary. The World eBook Fair lasts through August 4th.

  • Foreign Language Test Database "The Foreign Language Test Database is a searchable database of secondary and college level tests in languages other than English."

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 6:17 PM | Permalink

Specialty Search Roundup #6

Another week and another set of specialty databases and "research" news for your review. These items have been posted to ResourceShelf during the past week or so. They have also tossed in non-searchable but useful (and fun) reference newsletter and a link to a new mobile version of Reuters for the U.S. Finally, don't forget that The World eBook Fair is now underway offering free, full text and downloadable access (PDF files) to more than 300,000 titles. Why now? This summer Project Gutenberg celebrates its 35th anniversary. The World eBook Fair lasts through August 4th.

  • Foreign Language Test Database "The Foreign Language Test Database is a searchable database of secondary and college level tests in languages other than English."

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:17 PM | Permalink

Specialty Search Roundup #6

Another week and another set of specialty databases and "research" news for your review. These items have been posted to ResourceShelf during the past week or so. They have also tossed in non-searchable but useful (and fun) reference newsletter and a link to a new mobile version of Reuters for the U.S. Finally, don't forget that The World eBook Fair is now underway offering free, full text and downloadable access (PDF files) to more than 300,000 titles. Why now? This summer Project Gutenberg celebrates its 35th anniversary. The World eBook Fair lasts through August 4th.

  • Foreign Language Test Database "The Foreign Language Test Database is a searchable database of secondary and college level tests in languages other than English."

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:17 PM | Permalink

Specialty Search Roundup #6

Another week and another set of specialty databases and "research" news for your review. These items have been posted to ResourceShelf during the past week or so. They have also tossed in non-searchable but useful (and fun) reference newsletter and a link to a new mobile version of Reuters for the U.S. Finally, don't forget that The World eBook Fair is now underway offering free, full text and downloadable access (PDF files) to more than 300,000 titles. Why now? This summer Project Gutenberg celebrates its 35th anniversary. The World eBook Fair lasts through August 4th.

  • Foreign Language Test Database "The Foreign Language Test Database is a searchable database of secondary and college level tests in languages other than English."

Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:17 PM | Permalink

June 30, 2006

Specialty Search Roundup #5

Another week has passed which means it's time for a look at a few new or updated specialty search tools that they have posted about on ResourceShelf. Btw, ResourceShelf has a new RSS feed URL. They are now at: http://www.resourceshelf.com/feed

  • In a post about Vivisimo clustering technology now being made available for mobile searchers in Japan, we include links to a few other tools (all free) powered by Vivisimo including: + BiometaCluster (Life Sciences Meta Search and Clustering) + ClusterMed (Dynamic Clustering of PubMed) and a few others.
  • Although these presentations and materials are aimed at librarians, these presentations about metadata might be of interest to some of you. We also include a link to the book (full text) Introduction to Metadata: Pathways to Digital Information (Version 2.1) from Getty.
  • A new exhibit looking at the last 100 years of UK newspapers is now open at the British Library in London. The web version of the exhibit includes access to a database with a complete digitised archive of the Penny Illustrated Paper from 1861 to 1913.

  • Our ResourceShelf post builds on the News.com profile of Brewster Kahle of The Internet Archive with links to several other archives of web content that often get overlooked. Here are a few examples.

    In January, NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), with the help of the IA, released the 2004 Presidential Term Web Harvest containing over 75 million archived pages. In March 2006, this archive became keyword searchable using Nutch technology.

    + New Archive: National Government Statistical Websites + Latin American Governments Document Archive + Archive of Venezuelan Political Discourse + North Carolina State Government Web Site Archive + Canadian Political Parties And Political Interest Groups + Canadian Labour Unions

    • Posted by Barry Schwartz at 11:16 AM | Permalink

    Specialty Search Roundup #5

    Another week has passed which means it's time for a look at a few new or updated specialty search tools that they have posted about on ResourceShelf. Btw, ResourceShelf has a new RSS feed URL. They are now at: http://www.resourceshelf.com/feed

    • In a post about Vivisimo clustering technology now being made available for mobile searchers in Japan, we include links to a few other tools (all free) powered by Vivisimo including: + BiometaCluster (Life Sciences Meta Search and Clustering) + ClusterMed (Dynamic Clustering of PubMed) and a few others.
    • Although these presentations and materials are aimed at librarians, these presentations about metadata might be of interest to some of you. We also include a link to the book (full text) Introduction to Metadata: Pathways to Digital Information (Version 2.1) from Getty.
    • A new exhibit looking at the last 100 years of UK newspapers is now open at the British Library in London. The web version of the exhibit includes access to a database with a complete digitised archive of the Penny Illustrated Paper from 1861 to 1913.

  • Our ResourceShelf post builds on the News.com profile of Brewster Kahle of The Internet Archive with links to several other archives of web content that often get overlooked. Here are a few examples.

    In January, NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), with the help of the IA, released the 2004 Presidential Term Web Harvest containing over 75 million archived pages. In March 2006, this archive became keyword searchable using Nutch technology.

    + New Archive: National Government Statistical Websites + Latin American Governments Document Archive + Archive of Venezuelan Political Discourse + North Carolina State Government Web Site Archive + Canadian Political Parties And Political Interest Groups + Canadian Labour Unions

    • Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:16 AM | Permalink

    Specialty Search Roundup #5

    Another week has passed which means it's time for a look at a few new or updated specialty search tools that they have posted about on ResourceShelf. Btw, ResourceShelf has a new RSS feed URL. They are now at: http://www.resourceshelf.com/feed

    • In a post about Vivisimo clustering technology now being made available for mobile searchers in Japan, we include links to a few other tools (all free) powered by Vivisimo including: + BiometaCluster (Life Sciences Meta Search and Clustering) + ClusterMed (Dynamic Clustering of PubMed) and a few others.
    • Although these presentations and materials are aimed at librarians, these presentations about metadata might be of interest to some of you. We also include a link to the book (full text) Introduction to Metadata: Pathways to Digital Information (Version 2.1) from Getty.
    • A new exhibit looking at the last 100 years of UK newspapers is now open at the British Library in London. The web version of the exhibit includes access to a database with a complete digitised archive of the Penny Illustrated Paper from 1861 to 1913.

  • Our ResourceShelf post builds on the News.com profile of Brewster Kahle of The Internet Archive with links to several other archives of web content that often get overlooked. Here are a few examples.

    In January, NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), with the help of the IA, released the 2004 Presidential Term Web Harvest containing over 75 million archived pages. In March 2006, this archive became keyword searchable using Nutch technology.

    + New Archive: National Government Statistical Websites + Latin American Governments Document Archive + Archive of Venezuelan Political Discourse + North Carolina State Government Web Site Archive + Canadian Political Parties And Political Interest Groups + Canadian Labour Unions

    • Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:16 AM | Permalink

    Specialty Search Roundup #5

    Another week has passed which means it's time for a look at a few new or updated specialty search tools that they have posted about on ResourceShelf. Btw, ResourceShelf has a new RSS feed URL. They are now at: http://www.resourceshelf.com/feed

    • In a post about Vivisimo clustering technology now being made available for mobile searchers in Japan, we include links to a few other tools (all free) powered by Vivisimo including: + BiometaCluster (Life Sciences Meta Search and Clustering) + ClusterMed (Dynamic Clustering of PubMed) and a few others.
    • Although these presentations and materials are aimed at librarians, these presentations about metadata might be of interest to some of you. We also include a link to the book (full text) Introduction to Metadata: Pathways to Digital Information (Version 2.1) from Getty.
    • A new exhibit looking at the last 100 years of UK newspapers is now open at the British Library in London. The web version of the exhibit includes access to a database with a complete digitised archive of the Penny Illustrated Paper from 1861 to 1913.

  • Our ResourceShelf post builds on the News.com profile of Brewster Kahle of The Internet Archive with links to several other archives of web content that often get overlooked. Here are a few examples.

    In January, NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), with the help of the IA, released the 2004 Presidential Term Web Harvest containing over 75 million archived pages. In March 2006, this archive became keyword searchable using Nutch technology.

    + New Archive: National Government Statistical Websites + Latin American Governments Document Archive + Archive of Venezuelan Political Discourse + North Carolina State Government Web Site Archive + Canadian Political Parties And Political Interest Groups + Canadian Labour Unions

    • Posted by Kevin Heisler at 11:16 AM | Permalink

    June 22, 2006

    Specialty Search Roundup #4

    Another week has gone by and the world of databases of special interest to the web researcher have appeared on ResourceShelf. Here's a look at a few of them along with a couple of database news items via ResourceShelf. By the way, the ResourceShelf site itself has also been updated and enhanced with a new look this week.

    Past specialty search roundups:

    + Specialty Search Roundup #3 + Specialty Search Roundup #2 + Specialty Search Roundup #1

    Posted by Barry Schwartz at 3:56 PM | Permalink

    Specialty Search Roundup #4

    Another week has gone by and the world of databases of special interest to the web researcher have appeared on ResourceShelf. Here's a look at a few of them along with a couple of database news items via ResourceShelf. By the way, the ResourceShelf site itself has also been updated and enhanced with a new look this week.

    Past specialty search roundups:

    + Specialty Search Roundup #3 + Specialty Search Roundup #2 + Specialty Search Roundup #1

    Posted by Kevin Heisler at 3:56 PM | Permalink

    Specialty Search Roundup #4

    Another week has gone by and the world of databases of special interest to the web researcher have appeared on ResourceShelf. Here's a look at a few of them along with a couple of database news items via ResourceShelf. By the way, the ResourceShelf site itself has also been updated and enhanced with a new look this week.

    Past specialty search roundups:

    + Specialty Search Roundup #3 + Specialty Search Roundup #2 + Specialty Search Roundup #1

    Posted by Kevin Heisler at 3:56 PM | Permalink

    Specialty Search Roundup #4

    Another week has gone by and the world of databases of special interest to the web researcher have appeared on ResourceShelf. Here's a look at a few of them along with a couple of database news items via ResourceShelf. By the way, the ResourceShelf site itself has also been updated and enhanced with a new look this week.

    Past specialty search roundups:

    + Specialty Search Roundup #3 + Specialty Search Roundup #2 + Specialty Search Roundup #1

    Posted by Kevin Heisler at 3:56 PM | Permalink

    What the Critics Said

    The web has made it easy to seek out criticism to help us decide what to watch, listen to or read. But as with web search in general, finding the best sources of criticism can sometimes be a frustrating experience. In today's SearchDay article, Searching for Critical Acclaim, I take an in-depth look at a service that aggregates reviews of movies, books, music and more and assigns a unique score that represents the collective critical opinion on the quality of each reviewed title.

    Posted by Chris Sherman at 8:36 AM | Permalink

    What the Critics Said

    The web has made it easy to seek out criticism to help us decide what to watch, listen to or read. But as with web search in general, finding the best sources of criticism can sometimes be a frustrating experience. In today's SearchDay article, Searching for Critical Acclaim, I take an in-depth look at a service that aggregates reviews of movies, books, music and more and assigns a unique score that represents the collective critical opinion on the quality of each reviewed title.

    Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:36 AM | Permalink

    What the Critics Said

    The web has made it easy to seek out criticism to help us decide what to watch, listen to or read. But as with web search in general, finding the best sources of criticism can sometimes be a frustrating experience. In today's SearchDay article, Searching for Critical Acclaim, I take an in-depth look at a service that aggregates reviews of movies, books, music and more and assigns a unique score that represents the collective critical opinion on the quality of each reviewed title.

    Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:36 AM | Permalink

    What the Critics Said

    The web has made it easy to seek out criticism to help us decide what to watch, listen to or read. But as with web search in general, finding the best sources of criticism can sometimes be a frustrating experience. In today's SearchDay article, Searching for Critical Acclaim, I take an in-depth look at a service that aggregates reviews of movies, books, music and more and assigns a unique score that represents the collective critical opinion on the quality of each reviewed title.

    Posted by Kevin Heisler at 8:36 AM | Permalink

    June 15, 2006

    Big.com Gets Ask Results, Toolbar

    I mentioned how useful Big.com was back in October, making it easy for those with low vision to see things more clearly thanks to its big fonts. Brad Haugaard, the project manager over there, dropped a note to say there's been some changes to improve the service. What's new? Results now come from Ask, rather than LookSmart. There's been a general facelift all around. And there's a new Big Toolbar for Internet Explorer to let you make any page look bigger -- perhaps even those from the major search engines. When I looked at Big last time, I found none of the major search engines made it easy to increase font sizes, something I believe is still the case. I know, I know -- you can do it with stylesheets or using features within both Firefox or IE. But it's nice for people if the search engines themselves make it easier.

    Posted by Danny Sullivan at 6:14 PM | Permalink

    Big.com Gets Ask Results, Toolbar

    I mentioned how useful Big.com was back in October, making it easy for those with low vision to see things more clearly thanks to its big fonts. Brad Haugaard, the project manager over there, dropped a note to say there's been some changes to improve the service. What's new? Results now come from Ask, rather than LookSmart. There's been a general facelift all around. And there's a new Big Toolbar for Internet Explorer to let you make any page look bigger -- perhaps even those from the major search engines. When I looked at Big last time, I found none of the major search engines made it easy to increase font sizes, something I believe is still the case. I know, I know -- you can do it with stylesheets or using features within both Firefox or IE. But it's nice for people if the search engines themselves make it easier.

    Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:14 PM | Permalink

    Big.com Gets Ask Results, Toolbar

    I mentioned how useful Big.com was back in October, making it easy for those with low vision to see things more clearly thanks to its big fonts. Brad Haugaard, the project manager over there, dropped a note to say there's been some changes to improve the service. What's new? Results now come from Ask, rather than LookSmart. There's been a general facelift all around. And there's a new Big Toolbar for Internet Explorer to let you make any page look bigger -- perhaps even those from the major search engines. When I looked at Big last time, I found none of the major search engines made it easy to increase font sizes, something I believe is still the case. I know, I know -- you can do it with stylesheets or using features within both Firefox or IE. But it's nice for people if the search engines themselves make it easier.

    Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:14 PM | Permalink

    Big.com Gets Ask Results, Toolbar

    I mentioned how useful Big.com was back in October, making it easy for those with low vision to see things more clearly thanks to its big fonts. Brad Haugaard, the project manager over there, dropped a note to say there's been some changes to improve the service. What's new? Results now come from Ask, rather than LookSmart. There's been a general facelift all around. And there's a new Big Toolbar for Internet Explorer to let you make any page look bigger -- perhaps even those from the major search engines. When I looked at Big last time, I found none of the major search engines made it easy to increase font sizes, something I believe is still the case. I know, I know -- you can do it with stylesheets or using features within both Firefox or IE. But it's nice for people if the search engines themselves make it easier.

    Posted by Kevin Heisler at 6:14 PM | Permalink

    Specialty Search Roundup #3

    From Traffic Cams to Digitizing to the Kennedy Library to Archival Records: A Selection of Specialty Database via ResourceShelf

    Yes it's time once again for a Gary Price, specialty search database and portal roundup. Here's a look at a few recent postings that he published on ResourceShelf.

    Real Time Data: TrafficLand Continues to Expand, Aggregating Traffic Cams Around the Nation

    Cool! ResourceShelf real time compilation continues.

    Future Projects: Plans to Digitize Entire Contents of John F. Kennedy Library Announced

    Business: Entrepreneurship Research Portal from the E.W. Kauffman Foundation

    U.S. Congress: Congressional Documents Online The Rutgers - Camden School of Law offers a full text archive of more than 2,700 (as of 6/9/2006) documents of the U.S. Congress. Hearings included in this online collection date from the 1970s to 1998. Search or browse."

    Archives: Have You Tried ArchiveGrid Yet? "RLG's ArchiveGrid database containing nearly a million collection descriptions thousands of archives, museums and libraries remains free for a few more weeks (June 30, 2006). Have a look and a search or two. It's one powerful resource."

    Environment: Federated Search Database Focuses on Enviro Health and Toxicology

    Peace: Database on Multilateral Peace Operations "The SIPRI database [free] on peace operations uniquely provides transparent and reliable data on all multilateral peace operations (both UN and non-UN) conducted around the world."

    Newspapers: National Library of New Zealands Digitized Collection of Newspapers Passes 1 Million Page Mark

    Past specialty search roundups: + Specialty Search Roundup #2 + Specialty Search Roundup #1

    Posted by Barry Schwartz at 3:53 PM | Permalink

    Specialty Search Roundup #3

    From Traffic Cams to Digitizing to the Kennedy Library to Archival Records: A Selection of Specialty Database via ResourceShelf

    Yes it's time once again for a Gary Price, specialty search database and portal roundup. Here's a look at a few recent postings that he published on ResourceShelf.

    Real Time Data: TrafficLand Continues to Expand, Aggregating Traffic Cams Around the Nation

    Cool! ResourceShelf real time compilation continues.

    Future Projects: Plans to Digitize Entire Contents of John F. Kennedy Library Announced

    Business: Entrepreneurship Research Portal from the E.W. Kauffman Foundation

    U.S. Congress: Congressional Documents Online The Rutgers - Camden School of Law offers a full text archive of more than 2,700 (as of 6/9/2006) documents of the U.S. Congress. Hearings included in this online collection date from the 1970s to 1998. Search or browse."

    Archives: Have You Tried ArchiveGrid Yet? "RLG's ArchiveGrid database containing nearly a million collection descriptions thousands of archives, museums and libraries remains free for a few more weeks (June 30, 2006). Have a look and a search or two. It's one powerful resource."

    Environment: