Answers.com Loses “Pole Position” To Google Dictionary
Dec 4, 2009 at 8:28am ET by Greg Sterling
Answers.com has a strong URL (if not a brand) and lots of traffic, more than 25 million monthly unique users. It was the source of definitions in the "definitions" link in the upper right of Google SERPs. The key word in that last sentence is "was."
As of yesterday, without fanfare, Google replaced Answers.com with its own dictionary. This will be an interesting test of Answers.com's strength and resilience. It will undoubtedly loose considerable traffic (how much is the question). And because it's ad supported that will mean a corresponding loss of ad revenue. Furthermore Answers.com i [...]
Filed in: Google: General, Search Engines: Answer Search Engines, Top News
Mobile Answer Engines Battle Search Engines
Oct 20, 2009 at 2:39pm ET by Greg Sterling
A class of mobile "help" or "answer engines" has arisen as an alternative to traditional search engines. They hold out the promise more efficient, relevant or direct responses to queries than search engines can provide on the small screen. In several cases they involve the use of live human agents or a community of users to answer questions. Examples include Aardvark, ChaCha and kgb Answers. This "community answers" capability is also nascent within Facebook and Twitter.
Also in this category is the yet to launch "personal assistant" Siri, which taps artificial intelligence rather that rea [...]
Filed in: Google: Mobile, Search Engines: Answer Search Engines, Search Engines: Word Of Mouth & Buzz Search Engines, Search Marketing: Mobile
NetBase Debuts “Semantic Search Showcase” With HealthBase
Sep 2, 2009 at 6:47am ET by Greg Sterling
Netbase is an enterprise-facing software and search company that appears to have one of the most advanced search platforms in the market. Earlier this week during a briefing Netbase marketing and product VP Jens Tellefsen asserted that no other search provider in the consumer or enterprise segment was as advanced -- an audacious claim.
Tellefsen went to considerable lengths with me to back up the assertion, however. He said, "The closest thing we've seen is what Powerset was trying to do." But he added that Powerset was essentially an elaborate proof of concept (subsequently acquired by Mic [...]
Filed in: Search Engines: Answer Search Engines, Search Engines: Health & Medical Search Engines
Wolfram Alpha To Enable API, Open Data To Others
Aug 31, 2009 at 8:01am ET by Greg Sterling
Not long ago "computational engine" Wolfram Alpha struck a deal with Microsoft to license some of its data to Bing. Now, according to the Guardian UK, Wolfram is going wide with that strategy and will soon enable an API that third parties can use to create mashups or enhance their sites.
This may be a step toward monetization and/or an admission that as a "search destination" it's foundering.
Wolfram today has a defined range of data (see the Wikipedia list), making it unpredictable for those not familiar with its capabilities and limitations. Chris and Danny both wrote positive reviews [...]
Filed in: Search Engines: Answer Search Engines, Search Engines: Wolfram Alpha
“Help Engine” Aardvark Makes Twitter An Onramp For Q&A
Jul 7, 2009 at 12:36pm ET by Greg Sterling
Danny has described Aardvark as a "help engine" and I've called it an "answer community." Whatever term you want to use to characterize the service it's very interesting and has enormous potential as a kind of search engine alternative or complement for recommendations, opinions or complex questions. There are other services that are similar though not identical (see, ChaCha, kgb, Yahoo Answers, Hunch). The closest is probably Mosio, which seems to be morphing from a consumer-facing service into a kind of B2B platform.
For those not already familiar with Aardvark (or Vark), it matches peop [...]
Filed in: Features: General, Search Engines: Answer Search Engines, Search Engines: Help Engines, Top News
Become a Premium Member and see all articles in our Search Engines: Answer Search Engines archives!
Premium Members get unrestricted access to all archives - and more! Premium membership details below...
Become A Search Engine Land Premium Member
Gain insider access to the industry's leading online publication, covering the latest search engine news, in-depth features and analysis of products, technologies and search trends.
Subscribe as a premium member today and you'll get:
- Unlimited access to news & How To articles.
- Exclusive videos & webinars with search experts.
- Expanded community profile & posting privileges.
- Discounts to SMX Conferences & Events.
- 30 Day money back guarantee.
FREE DAILY SEARCH NEWS RECAP!
SearchCap is a once-per-day newsletter update:
STAY CURRENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Search Engine Land produces SMX, the Search Marketing Expo conference series. SMX events deliver the most comprehensive educational and networking experiences - whether you're just starting in search marketing or you're a seasoned expert.
SMX Web Site » | SMX Difference » | SMX News »
Join us at an upcoming SMX event:
- SMX Munich – March 23-24, 2010
- SMX Toronto – April 8-9, 2010
- SMX Sydney – April 22-23, 2010
- SMX Advanced London – May 17-18, 2010
- SMX Advanced Seattle – June 8-9, 2010
- SMX East – October 4-6, 2010
- SMX Stockholm – October, 2010
Learn more about search marketing with our free online webcasts and webinars from our sister site, Search Marketing Now. Upcoming online events include:
- Excel Tips & Tricks for PPC Success – March 18, 2010
- Paid Search and Big Brand Marketing – March 30, 2010
FOLLOW US SOCIALLY
- Wall Street Journal Recommended Reading
- Ad Age Power 150 Blog
- Technorati Top 100 Blog
- Techmeme Leaderboard Source
- Best Search Engine Community/Forum
Featured sites from our Blogroll
- SearchQuant
- Skrentablog
- Threadwatcher.com – More Seo Trash
- Dosh Dosh
- Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik
© 2010 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Google, Yahoo & Microsoft logos trademark respective companies and used with permission.
