Phil Bradley's weblog

MSN UK Pre-populated search box

MSN UK Pre-populated search box
Originally uploaded by Philipbradley.

Oh wow. This is impressive in its stupidity. MSN UK has started to populate its search box with adverts. The one yesterday was for the BBC programme The Apprentice, and the one that I've got this morning is for Euro 2008.

Yes, there are going to be some people who want to search for this subject, although to be honest, if MSN is going to be doing topical current affairs material if it's something I'm interested in I'll have already got hold of it via an RSS feed.

Secondly, it's a really BAD search. The site that comes up in #1 spot hasn't been updated this year! So well done MSN for advertising the fact that your search capabilities (and results) are, not to put too fine a point on it - rubbish!

Thirdly, all it means is that I've got to waste *my* time clearing *their* graffiti out of the search box before I can get on and do what I want.

MSN - please, please stop doing this. It's a really bad idea, it's embarrassing and it's not doing you any good at all.

Internet Resources Newsletter: Issue 149

Internet Resources Newsletter: Issue 149 Full of the usual informational goodness.

How to use Web 2.0 in your library

How to use Web 2.0 in your library
Originally uploaded by Philipbradley.

This is what the book cover is going to look like. I'm currently doing the worst part of the book, which is proof reading it. This is absolutely the most depressing part of writing a book because you see all the things you should have said but didn't, and the things you did say you think you should have done differently. Then there are all the new resources that have come out since you finished the thing... bleugh!

Still... end of May is the date we're looking at now. Hurrah!

Phil Bradley's page on SuprGlu

Phil Bradley's page on SuprGlu. I've been playing around with this SuprGlu thing. Basically it allows you to add your weblogs to your flickr account to your del.icio.us account to your... you get the idea. Then it whacks the whole thing together chronologically.

fisssh!

Today is clearly the day for multi or meta search engines. Fisssh! has just launched today, and it' quite.. pink. It's a multi search engine that provides tabbed access to web, news, blogs, videos, podcasts, info, jobs (US), social and shopping.

Search is straightforward - just throw in some terms. They may allow advanced syntax, but there's no advanced box, nor is there a help screen for search, but there is at least a 'coming soon' bookmark for it. The display of results isn't to my personal liking, given that it's a bunch of results from each of the search engines placed on the screen in 2 columns, interspersed with Google ads, which leads to a messy and overly complicated view. Visited links also are in bright pink (they like pink for some reason) which is also a bit hard on the eyes.

However, all that aside, it allows you to save your results as RSS feeds, which is a good thing, so points to them for that. I also get the opportunity to search more resources, matched to the type of search that I'm running - choose and option and the search drops automatically into the search box on the resource in a newly opened window.

Another interesting thing about the search engine is that it originates from Wales, so it's a nicely home grown British resource, which is fun. I'm not usually that much of a fan of multi search engines, but the RSS angle with this one makes it worth taking a look at.

LemmeFind

I just found LemmeFind.com (sm) : Meta Search Engine but it's been around for a while, though not updated in about a year, so I think it's probably pretty much dead. However, in the spirit of comprehensiveness I'm pointing it out. It's a combination multi/meta search engine, using Google, Yahoo and MSN. Nothing special at all, and not one that I'd bother with personally. They talk grandly about being a 'meta search engine with unique results' but I really don't see what's unique about it.

Allth.at - a personal search agent

Allthat is a personal search agent. Basically you whack in a search and it toddles off and searches Google, Yahoo, ebay, Amazon and anything else you add to it. It then runs the search for you. What makes it slightly different from the average multi/meta search engine however is that you can RSS the results and get the new stuff sent to you. I'm trying it out and it seems to be quite good. Worth poking around at. 

TimeSearch

TimeSearch. Choose a time period, a theme, a geographical location and go. This engine gives you a time line for the year you're interested in, plus some either side in single line events that can be expanded into a short paragraph. No subject search, but good for history buffs, students and teachers.

SMX: The Search Marketing Expo Conference Series

SMX: The Search Marketing Expo Conference Series. If you're into search marketing, and you're based in the US, this is as good as it gets. Danny Sullivan and Chris Sherman are both involved with it, so you know it's going to be good. SMX Advanced is taking place in Seattle in June 4-5, for the experienced search marketer. Take a look, and if you're thinking of registering, if you follow this link, they pay me money at no cost to you!

Stumbleupon Security code

Stumbleupon Security code
Originally uploaded by Philipbradley.

I wanted to try Stumbleupon. Really, I did. So I downloaded it, and the thing takes up a lot of space in my browser links bar (an entire lines worth no less!), and then I have to register. Fair enough. So I get to the point of filling in the captcha bit. I get an error message the first time I try. Odd, because I typed it correctly.

I try again. And again. And again. In fact, I tried *twelve* times. Now, I don't think I got all of those wrong - take a look for yourself. How have I done this wrong? Is their system capable of saying 'hmmm, this bloke tried this a lot, we'd better do something different'. Clearly it isn't. What if you have a visual difficulty? Is there another option? No, there isn't.

So Stumbleupon wants me to sit there like an idiot while it makes fun of me. Well sorry, but that's not really going to happen. And yes, it's 3am, I'm tired and cranky, but that shouldn't matter, surely to God? I mean.. how difficult do they want to make this??

Well, I'm sure it's a great bit of software that does marvellous things. Unfortunately I'm not going to find out. They can take their security code and shove it [deleted for the faint of heart].