Searching

Ask.com (http://www.ask.com)

Ask.com is a natural language search directory, started in 1996. Using natural language parsing software, Data Mining process, knowledge-base creation, and human editors, Ask.com attempted to create a place where users could interact with a search engine in a natural way. Ask.com claims to have created a "unique user experience that emphasizes ease of use, relevance, precision and ability to learn." In my opinion they have created a pompous know - it - all butler "Jeeves." Like a pompous know - it - all, when I asked Jeeves "where can I find a sailboat charter company on the Chesapeake Bay?" He returned more than 130 pages. How many more, I'm not sure, I gave up listening to the "blow-hard."
On a good note, Ask.com does build a few "related" questions for you, though not all of them were as related, as I would have hoped. Ask.com also provided me with matches from other search engines, which I followed and was pleased to find information on Tilghman and St. Michael's islands (even though this was not a "Sailing" reference).


SearchBug.com (http://www.searchbug.com)
SearchBug.com is a directory search engine, who claims to be "Committed to make finding information on the Internet extremely easy and fast." My initial impression of the site was that of a site with lots of content and hundreds of internal links. In my way of thinking, this does not make "searching the Internet" easy, considering I first must "search SearchBug.com" and find out how to use the site. And, as far as fast goes, I spent about an hour learning about SearchBug.com and how great they think they are before looking into my original quest (To find an inexpensive Sailboat Charter Company on the Chesapeake Bay, so I can plan a vacation week on the bay next spring).
To try my hand at searching with SearchBug.com, I used my aforementioned quest by inserting the following string in their "Search the Internet & This Site" search box.
[ "Chesapeake Bay Sail*" + Sail* + Charter - School + island ]
Returned were 18 of the best links I could have hoped for. Though I prefer to see the percent of relevancy on my returns, I was not disappointed.

SideSite.com (http://www.sidesite.com)
SideSite.com is a Cost - per - Click, meta-search engine. Users are served by the top 14 search engines, with the goal of providing the most relevant, family oriented searches on the net. Users get the option to select one or more search engines (my recommendation is to select them all, then cut back if need be). Users also have the ability to select "any" "all" or "phrase" with respect to the keyword(s) they wish to use. I was pleased by SideSite.com's 'ABOUT US' page; yet disappointed, by the lack of a 'HELP' page.
The results pages are very complete, giving users the option to view results by 'Relevance', 'Source', or 'Title.' The results pages also give users a list of "Related Searches" which I find helpful when using very few keywords, to help narrow the search.
Using the search string, [ "Chesapeake Bay Sail*" + Sail* + Charter - School + island ], SideSite.com returned 35 links, most of which were not relevant to the Chesapeake bay, let alone Sailing Charters. Overall, I would not recommend using this search engine, especially since they are trying to make money from an obviously inferior product.

MetaCrawler.com (http://www.metacrawler.com)
MetaCrawler.com is a meta-search engine utilizing 13 search engines including MetaCatalog. MetaCrawler is related to InfoSpace.com, and was developed at the University of Washington in 1994. When the site first opens you notice a page with tabs across the top. Users use these tabs to navigate the site to find things from "Auctions" to "Web Pages" (the things we are searching). My quest for the perfect Chesapeake Bay Sailboat Charter Company has enticed me to develop a more complex than average search string. Impressive search string or not, MetaCrawler.com did not know what to do with it. On first pass only 3 links were returned, and the nearest relevancy I got to sailing the Chesapeake was a page on "Chesapeake Bay Retrievers." (you know, the dog) I found the best method to use on this particular search engine is "KISS" (Keep It Simple Stupid). Once I typed in "Chesapeake Bay Sail*" I was welcomed with 23 hits, with the majority of them being of satisfactory relevance.
By far the most impressive section of this site was the most difficult to find. MetaCrawler.com has a "Power Search" tab. You will find the "Power Search" tab in the 'MC History' link. From there you can select the engines you would like to use for your searches, the Domain/Origin, the Speed/Timeout settings, the Results per page, Results per source, and more. I guess it is some kind of "reward" for those who would like to know a little more about MetaCrawler.com.

Kanoodle.com (http://www.kanoodle.com)
Kanoodle.com is a "bid - for - Location" search engine company. Advertisers bid on placement of keywords of interest or related to their business. Kanoodle.com says they receive more than 410 million searches per month. Search engines like; Ask.com, Cnet.com, Dogpile.com, and mamma.com pull Kanoodle.coms' paid listings. Their sparse front page pleased me most. Kanoodle.com did not inundate me with lots of banner ads, frames, and links. Kannodle.com seems to know that I am there with a search already in mind, and I don't need to sort through tons of information. I was somewhat disappointed that Kanoodle.com did not have a 'HELP' section where I might find useful information regarding their syntax or supported/UN-supported operators.
Had I relied on only Kanoodle.com for my quest for the perfect Chesapeake Bay Sailing Vacation, I would be sitting at home watching Oprah this summer. No matter how I structure my search Phrase, keyword, or query the same Link to "e-Bay" returns. Kanoodle.com on my first attempt comes up a "wet-noodle.com."