Archive for August 14, 08
Exploring the Search Engine Path Less Traveled
August 14, 08 by admin.
By Trey Pennewell (c) 2008 the Phantom Writers
The vast majority of internet users will use a search engine occasionally, if not frequently. Search engines are routinely included in browsers, no matter if you use Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, or Netscape, with the intent of saving the user time.
It may seem odd to talk about saving time on the internet. Thinking back to 15 years ago, the internet was just starting to burst into mainstream America. The speed and reach of the internet was mind-boggling at that time. Now we’ve come so far with the technology that we actually find ourselves wanting better and faster results.
As is true with nearly all technology, the internet has evolved to be something much different than it was 5, 10, and certainly 15 years ago. But have internet users evolved in the way they use the internet?
We know that humans are creatures of habit. Most of us like to do what we’re familiar with, see who we already know and get along with, and go places we already know we like. I think it’s fair to say that the same can be applied to our internet habits.
New programs, applications, and websites are constantly being created and marketed to users. The ones that get a lot of media attention have a good chance of getting users to at least test them out, even if it’s just on a trial basis.
However, there are other sites on the internet that have been around but aren’t getting the attention they deserve. Let’s go back to search engines. Most people are familiar with the “Big Three” of engines - Yahoo, MSN, and Google. If you’ve paid attention to web trends over the years, you know that each has had their heyday, with Google probably receiving the most attention in recent years.
This is a good illustration of the fact that what is popular one year on the web may be at the bottom of the líst the next year. Does anyone remember when Webcrawler.com or Excite.com were touted as the destination search engine? It’s all a part of the natural evolution and progression of search engines.
Another evolution of the search engine is the creation of the meta search engine. Meta search engines are similar, in that you type in a term or phrase to be searched. The meta search engine then gathers results from several different search engines, compiles them, and presents them in its own search results page.
The results from a meta search engine will vary, depending on which other engines the meta engine is pulling from. Dogpile.com, for instance, pulls results from Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Ask.com, About.com, MIVA.com, LookSmart.com, and others. This quickly accomplishes what would take a user much more time to open all those browser windows and type in the same search term over and over again.
However, Dogpile does receive criticism for its compiled search results page. The sponsored results are mixed in with the “real” results, which can be confusing if you’re not paying attention. It’s also hard to believe that the search results are in any particular order of relevance when broken up with those sponsored results.
Another search engine, Widow.com, uses a tried and tested algorithm to compile its results and then order them in relevance, without sponsored results. When doing a side-by-side comparison of the five top search engines (Yahoo, MSN, Google, AOL, and Fastsearch), you’ll see that Widow.com comes up with not only the most highly ranked results, but some very useful links that the other engines didn’t pull.
To illustrate my point, I looked at how the different search engines handle a specific search word. If we take a term that has been in the news a lot lately, “foreclosure”, and type that in to different search engines, we’ll see different results.
Not surprisingly, Fastsearch had no results on “foreclosure.” Though it is one of the top search engines, its focus is on business and information technology. So it’s really not going to be relevant for anything beyond those topics.
All of the other search engines (five of them!) had one or more sponsored results at the top of the page. Dogpile.com, as I previously warned you, had the most sponsored ads - an astounding 10 sponsored ads on the first results page. Plus, they’re all mixed in with the other results, with just a note at the bottom to let you know it’s an ad or otherwise paid for result.
The only search engine that returned no sponsored results or ads was Widow.com. It sorted through the results, performed its algorithm magic, and produced variety and depth in its results page. Better yet, Widow has a nifty search term bar on the left hand side that allows you to pull up search results for related terms. Talk about saving time and energy!
Of course, the main reason search engines were developed was because the internet is so expansive. No human can search the entire web on their own, hoping to stumble upon the answers and information they’re seeking. Search engines are tools to help users find pertinent information in a timely manner.
Taking a traditional approach to search engines is fine if you have the time, the motivation, and the desire. Sometimes the best drives are the ones where you only have a vague destination, right? So I suppose the same can be true of using one of the top five engines we’ve mentioned.
But sometimes, thinking outside of the box, can not only inspire new ways of thinking, but can help push you or your research in a different, better direction. The most efficient way to do that is to utilize a meta search engine. Try stepping outside of your usual search strategies and see for yourself why it “is” sometimes greener on the other side of the fence. There’s a whole wide world (web) to discover and explore!
About The Author
Trey Pennewell is a ghost writer, who regularly writes articles for clients of: thephantomwriters.com . Trey understands that the secret to successful article marketing campaigns is to write articles that publishers want to publish and readers want to read. We hope you enjoyed this article today.
|
|
|
Posted in SEO Articles | Print | No Comments »
Manage the City Guide Site for your city!
August 14, 08 by admin.
Manage The City Guide Site™ For Your City!
If you are an Individual or Business wanting to start your own Local Online Business Directory and Community Website for your city, then you have come to the right place! Choose from over 38,000 cities across the USA or Canada to start managing your City Guide Site in minutes. Best of all, you keep 100% of the revenue that comes in from Business Listings and All Other Advertising on your very own City Guide Site for your city! Start Now!
Posted in Business Opportunities | Print | No Comments »
Advertise Your Website For Free!
August 14, 08 by admin.
Looking to advertise your website or business for free?
Become a free member and access this huge collection of free advertising! There’s something for everyone!
Free Ad Pages
Free Classified Advertising Sites
Free Email and Safelist Advertising
Free FFA and Links Pages
Free Advertising ebooks
Free Advertising Tools
Free Money Makers
Free Membership!
Blast your ads all over the net!
Join Free-Advertisement.com for Free!
http://www.free-advertisement.com
Regards and good fortune,
Sam
Sam Spoo
Posted in Free Advertising | Print | No Comments »
Voice over Internet Protocol: The Next Massive Home Business
August 14, 08 by admin.
We’ve been telling you for some time now that VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is the new telecom technology that will forever change the way we communicate.
And we’ve also been saying that in addition to becoming a VoIP customer, you can also get your share of this $80 Billion market by joining us in the business opportunity as a Lightyear distributor.
But before we talk more about the business, let’s be sure you’re clear on how VoIP works.
You plug in one little box to your existing broadband line, you continue to use your existing phone, you keep your existing number, the quality of your calls gets better, and you cut your monthly bill in about half.
Now do you see why we say VoIP will revolutionize the phone industry?
And Lightyear Alliance is leading the charge in offering this VoIP service to retail consumers!
Important: don’t confuse real VoIP from Lightyear with the other companies out there that make you dial your calls by clicking on a PC mouse and talking over a computer.
Can you please tell me who wants to have to turn on their computer every time they have to place a simple phone call? With VoIP from Lightyear, there are no gimmicks. You pick up your
phone, you get a dial tone, and you make your call. Period. For about half the cost.
So what do you say? this is a personal invitation from me, to join me as a Lightyear rep. It takes a one-time fee of $349. That’s it. No monthly autoship requirement. You get paid upfront commissions for signing up new reps… And a back-end residual income on retail customers.
The time to take action is now, because you’ll never get a second chance to be first in the VoIP revolution.
Go to: http://Nava.mylightyear.com/ right now and click on Join Now to cash in on the greatest home business wealth building opportunity of the First Decade of the New Millennium.. in fact, what may go down in history as the greatest home business deal of all time.
Thanks again for your time.
Sincerely,
Simeon Nava
203-354-2077
P.S. One last question.. Where do you want your checks mailed?
Posted in Business Opportunities | Print | No Comments »