Noticed on Search Engine Watch, the B2B arm of mega-publisher Reed Elsevier has launched Zibb.com, a “vertical” search engine for business users. I say that in quotes because it’s vertical in the way that Business.com is vertical. It’s really a general engine for B2B users.
Zibb also offers general Web and blog search and is built on the FAST enterprise platform. Former FAST VP Stephen Baker is CEO of Reed Business Search and responsible for Zibb and other search initiatives at Reed.
Related Topics: Search Engines: B2B Engines
Hi Greg,
First, love the site, you all have made it into my daily routine from launch. Now into a question!
From your perspective, what is the definition of a “vertical” search engine? Though a search from the Zibb homepage offers a “horizontal” business focused search engine, one of the main concepts of the site is industry oriented results in dozens of sectors such as media & entertainment, construction, and electronics.
We consider one of the main values of the site to b2b users is the ability to choose their industry and type of content so as to produce a targeted results set. For example, did you mean chips the snack (http://www.zibb.com/food/search/all?q=chips) or the electronic components (http://www.zibb.com/electronics/search/all?q=chips)? We consider industries to be verticals, and content types such as News, Jobs, and Events to be horizontal facets cutting across verticals.
I am definitely interested in how everyone in the industry defines vertical and as always, all feedback helps make a better engine!
Best,
Brien
Firstly, I need to declare an interest, I am on the team that has built http://www.zibb.com
Zibb is a B2B Search Engine, but it is also a vertical market search engine, very rapidly evolving to provide specific searches in 26 B2B verticals. In order to do this, we use the taxonomies, ontologies and content experts within RB to identfy relevant content. As well as industry taxonomies/folksonomies, we are also evolving industry specific content types.
So while we are leveraging the scale of B2B and search, we then sectorise and classify it to provide content and context relevant to that sector. You will see as we go through 2007, many new markets completed and a range of functionality that may work globally or could be market focused.
We still have a great deal to do, hence the beta, but I believe that this focus on content and context in all 26 B2B markets will help our users get to answers faster.