Loud3r.com - A Series on the Semantic Vertical Search Engines
Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be doing a series of posts on the Loud3r group of semantic search engines. Loud3r is a network of topic driven web sites, connected by a common semantic search engine and each ending in “3r”. For example; Decant3r.com for wine, Woof3r.com for dogs, Buzz3r.com for internet business and technology.
How does it (they) work?
So, why is Loud3r different than other search engines available? First, there is the technology. Most search engines will rely on one type of technology or technique to collect their data. For example, Mahalo focuses on user contributed entries, Powerset relies on a semantic engine, and Me.dium uses the community’s influence to guide it’s search index. Loud3r takes this one step further and combines all three. Here’s an excerpt from their about us page that describes how it works:
“We use a combination of human editorial input combined with semantic software to assemble all the best content, from a web-wide perspective, for any given topic. The technology learns from user behavior, allowing the site to react to the community’s interests and preferences. We sift through the bad, so you don’t have to.”
Divide and Conqu3r
In addition to the technology behind the search engines, the fact that they’ve segmented into vertical markets is a rather brilliant approach. One of the main reasons many search engines fail is they try to be the next “Google Killer” right out the gate. Since the web is an infinitely expanding galaxy of information, indexing and making sense of it all is virtually an impossible task (unless you have the backing comperable to the Apollo Project). The term “Jack of all trades, master of none” is probably the best way to describe it. Loud3r takes on this challenge by segmenting the job into different sections. Instead of trying to focus on the web as a whole, they can focus each engine on one specific subject.
So why does this matter you ask? The holy grail for all search engines is to determine exactly what someone is talking about. In the English language alone, 1 word could have 10 different possible meanings. The trick is to find which one the user is looking for. For example, let’s say that someone is doing a search for “bunker” in a search engine. They could be looking for information about a number of different things; a military fortification, a fuel hold in a ship, the name of a band, or an obstacle on a golf course. On a ”jack of all trades” search engine, they not only have to find where the content is, but also exactly what type of content you’re looking for. However, if someone is performing the same search on a Golf specific search engine like Putt3r.com, chances are they’re not trying to build up the defenses around their house. So, this takes out half of the equation (and the work) from the start.
Follow Along…
We’ll be reviewing each of 2 dozen or so Loud3r vertical search engines in the coming weeks. To be notified the when we add an additional site to the series, Subscribe to our RSS feed, Get updates by email, or Bookmark this page.
July 20th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Thanks for including http://Me.dium.com in your review. I wanted to correct one of your assumptions.
>>Me.dium relies on the community<< This is not true. We empower our users to help us determine what is interesting and active, but we also have a comprehensive index of the internet. The combination allows us to answer many types of questions a user might ask of a search engine.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Thank you for your input Robert.
I’ve corrected the text above to reflect your input.