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New Search Widget
When I started this blog, one of the first widgets (I didn't even think to call them that at the time) I looked for was a "search this blog" widget. I've had it on the upper left sidebar from the early days of this blog.
I first went with Google, then tried switching to Yahoo! which was a disaster, switched back to Google, and now I am trying Lijit which gives Google results but also gives a few other tabs like search my content (blog, delicious, flickr, youtube, and a bunch more), my network (my blogroll and people I link to), and the web at large.
It also provides a tag cloud of popular searches which I like. Give it a try and let me know what you think. It's on the upper left sidebar, just below the fold.
Comments (7) | Posted April 28, 2007 in Venture Capital and Technology
Comments
Fred- I have been using the lijit widget for a while now and have watched them improve the functionality over time. I think it is the best "search this blog and me" choice out there. Not sure if you have seen it yet, but I like the reports that they email you as well. Very helpful to see what people are using it for.
Posted by: alan shimel | Apr 28, 2007 9:38:44 PM
I like this concept, but I would rather see an algorithmic version that puts all of this stuff together automagically.
I'm thinking of something that sniffs out relationships and content ownership via algorithmic means, with XFN-like semantic data tags for reaching out even further (i.e. tagging your for sale items on eBay or Craigslist).
Instead of results being displayed based on their PageRank, they would be displayed based on their distance from your network. This could be done automatically through the XFN-like semantic tag.
I'm a big proponent of social semantics and can't wait until the day I can search my network of people for data that THEY link to (products, events, calendars, etc).
Posted by: Robert Dewey | Apr 28, 2007 11:43:42 PM
Three points of note:
1.) This search widget takes up 4-5 inches of space vertically. How much did google search alone take?
2.) I like how the most popular search term (for now) is "widgets suck".
3.) Nevertheless, the tabbing feature of "most narrow" to "most broad" is kind of cool.
Still not sure it needs to be so damn big though.
Posted by: Jamie | Apr 29, 2007 10:10:13 AM
Fred, Thanks for taking a look at Lijit I think you will enjoy the statistics we provide back to you over the next few weeks. Robert is right it would be cool if it found all the stuff automatically (and it does) give a try Robert. Jamie, the search cloud is a optional and you can turn it off if it provides a better layout for your site.
Posted by: Todd Vernon | Apr 29, 2007 10:17:48 AM
FYI - you can't enter anything into the search field as its currently rendering in Firefox on a mac.
Posted by: Megan | Apr 29, 2007 1:17:08 PM
Megan, saw your comment about not being able to enter anything into the search field in FF on a Mac. One of my Lijit team members checked it out and it appears to work for him. If you'd be willing to provide any additional detail about your experience, we'd love to look into this further. You can reach our team here at bug_report at lijit dotcom. Thanks!
Posted by: Leslie Osborne | Apr 29, 2007 5:26:45 PM
I'm using it in its small form right in prime space, upper right. [I don't have all those pesky ads in the way as Fred does... :-) ]
I like the search options, and it seems very fast. The reporting, which I've not seen yet, will tell the story.
Posted by: Graeme Thickins | Apr 30, 2007 7:44:16 AM
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