SearchWiki
SearchWiki Feature Example
This feature was developed with the user in mind. It is meant for you to be able to organize your search results and make comments. First, you have to be logged in to your Google account. They stress the point that you can see if you are logged in by looking in the upper right corner of your browser and see your login name. If you don’t see your name, you need to log in. Once logged in, when you search for keywords that you will often search for, like SEO Blogs because you want to say up to date on techniques and news, you can organize your list with your favorite sites by clicking the arrow in the upper right section of the listing. If you don’t like the result, you can click the delete button next to the arrow and the listing goes up in clouds. Pretty cool? Once you have tagged a listing that you want to go the top, the arrow is green so you know you like that one.
Google's SearchWiki Feature
This is good because you can move a listing you like from page 2 or 5 to the first page. But why not just use bookmarks? I have a list of SEO blogs in a folder in my bookmarks tab that I like to frequent, this being one of them! I don’t constantly search for SEO blogs. If I want to see other blogs to add to my list, I don’t want to see the ones I like, since I know I all ready like them.
The good part about this feature is that you can comment on why you like the listing. There is a comment bubble near the “Cached” and “Similar Pages” links at the bottom of the listings. This is where you can say that you like this blog listing because it has up-to-date information about SEO or that it is really funny and informative. If you have a super long list of sites you like and your memory isn’t so good, you can use SearchWiki to keep those listings at the top of the search for the exact search phrase you used and make detailed comments about them. These comments, be warned, are public. You can view other people’s comments about listings and they can view yours.
SearchWiki does not affect other users results. Just because you don’t like a listing and delete it from your search doesn’t mean that other users won’t see it in their results. So, you can’t go around deleting your competitors from search results. You will be the only one benefiting from not seeing them. The only part about SearchWiki that will affect other users’ searches are the comments. Those are universal. I guess this means you can write anything you want, including that you don’t like the site and why…
Google seems to be trying to enter the realm of Web 2.0 with the somewhat voting system they have in place reminiscent of Digg. They are trying to be more interactive. What happened to the simple Google with a search bar, two buttons, and the results you are looking for?
I am confident that, once you look at this tool, you will figure out a good use for it on your own, even if it’s to ignore it.
Tags: Google, SearchWiki
