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Search Engine News and Articles Archive 2002 - 2006

Get your head seriously into the game.  Read our articles, and follow the links to read up-to-date news and search engine discussions.

Search Engine News, Articles, and Press Releases

News Archives

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

This morning Yahoo! began offering a new home page design after previewing it for several days. The new page features a customizable interface and a "Personal Assistant" which allows users to monitor their inbox and chat contacts, listen to their personal radio station, and check local weather, listings, and movie showtimes without leaving the page. The DHTML and Ajax-powered redesign also enables tabbed browsing of news and features, a customizable Yahoo! Services sidebar, and a panel featuring the new Yahoo! Pulse which highlights top searches and pop culture trends.

As Yahoo! continues to develop its own unique take on the value of search in an internet portal, they clearly are not just following Google down the "keep it simple stupid" path. With this redesign, Yahoo! is clearly asserting it's position as THE Internet portal - the place to start on the Internet.

Yahoo home page gives prominence to search box
Tue May 16, 12:18 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters)

Yahoo!'s New Home Page and the Future of Information
May 15, 2006
YSearchblog

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Yahoo!'s LiveSearch Kicks Google Suggest's Butt Like A Red-Headed Step-Child Who Had No Business Getting Up This Morning

OMG. Yahoo's LiveSearch Beta is amazing! See for yourself.

Google Suggest (Beta) VS Yahoo's LiveSearch (Beta)

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Yahoo! and MSN are showing a growing interest in acquiring social search tools in attempts to keep content fresh and differentiate themselves from the almighty Google. The idea behind social search is that social groups should impact relevance in search results. Search users are encouraged to create lists of favorite sites and to rate sites and search results for relevancy. Their feedback is then incorporated into the search results of others.

Microsoft Gets Social
Redmond has big plans for tools and partnerships that will let users consult a circle of friends when conducting Web searches
By Olga Kharif
APRIL 14, 2006
Business Week

Yahoo's Social Circle
In a bid to challenge search giant Google, the Web's most-used portal is betting on the wisdom of crowds
By Ben Elgin
JANUARY 23, 2006
Business Week

Analysis: Yahoo! to pass search reins over to the user
By Matt Whipp
February 9, 2006
PC Pro

YAHOO! SEARCH ADDS PERSONAL SEARCH AND COLLABORATION CAPABILITIES TO WEB SEARCH
Launch of "My Web" Beta Provides Users With Personal Search Engine, Search History and Integrated Sharing Tools
April 27, 2005
Yahoo Media Relations

Monday, April 17, 2006

Yahoo!7 says it will begin offering episodes of popular Australian shows for free download within the next year. A few years from now, when we live in a unified media world, we may look back at this little story and say, "remember when Yahoo! thought it was a big deal that they offered soap operas for download."

Soaps to be just a click away
By John Lehmann
The Australian
April 17, 2006

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Google was granted a patent for a "voice interface for a search engine" on Tuesday.

A system provides search results from a voice search query. The system receives a voice search query from a user, derives one or more recognition hypotheses, each being associated with a weight, from the voice search query, and constructs a weighted boolean query using the recognition hypotheses. The system then provides the weighted boolean query to a search system and provides the results of the search system to a user.

United States Patent #7,027,987
Franz, et al.
April 11, 2006
Voice interface for a search engine
United States Patent and Trademark Office

Ben Charny summed the news up nicely for PC Magazine.

Google Talks the Talk for Search
By Ben Charny
PCMag
April 13, 2006

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Yahoo! launched Yahoo! FareChase today. FareChase enables users to search for airline tickets. Yahoo! will also be integrating the FareChase results into the standard search results.

Press Release: Yahoo! FareChase Now Combines the Power of Search, Community and Interactive Maps to Help Travelers Plan Their Ideal Trip
Yahoo! FareChase Integrates a Suite of Yahoo! Products to Provide Travelers with Both Comprehensive Pricing Information and Insight Into the Experiences of Fellow Travelers
SUNNYVALE, California
Apr 12, 2006
BUSINESS WIRE

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Without fanfare (i.e., without releasing any press releases) Google has purchased the rights to and has hired the original developer of a new search technology called Orion. The new technology is significant in that it could enable Google to pull information from web sites right into the Google results page, thereby removing the need of the visitor to ever visit your website. Of course, we have no idea what Google plans to do with the technology.

It is worth mentioning that there are other search engines that provide what appear to be similar services already up and running, notably QTs@arch, The Micro Content Engine.

Google steps up its search technology
By Chris Nuttall in San Francisco
Published: April 10 2006
The FInancial Times

More about Orion:

New search engine 'revolutionary'

MEDIA, NEWS & EVENTS
The University of New South Wales
08 September 2005

Google snaps up student's search engine
MEDIA, NEWS & EVENTS
The University of New South Wales
13 April 2006

Microsoft has released the beta version Windows Live Academic Search. Unlike its web-crawling rival Google Scholar, its index will be built upon structured feeds from academic publishers.

Microsoft's Crawl from The Bottom in Search
By Aaron Ricadela
Information Week
Apr 11, 2006

Microsoft Announces Windows Live Academic Search
New research tool delivers enhanced search capabilities to the academic community.
REDMOND, Wash. - April 11, 2006

Saturday, April 1, 2006

April Fools' Day in the search engine world:

Google to Organize World's Courtship Information with Google Romance
Service to offer psychographic matchmaking plus free "contextual dating" option

Yahoo Announces Plans to Buy up Web 2.0
All Your Web 2.0 Are Belong To Us

Ask.com Introduces RhymeRank
Oakland, CA, April 1, 2006 - Ask.com announced today the introduction of RhymeRank, an innovative search technology capable of producing related search results that rhyme with a searcher's original query. The new product is located on the right-hand side of the Ask search results page, under the heading, "Rhyme Your Search."

Thursday, March 9, 2006

Microsoft's new Windows Live™ (www.Live.com) Search beta is now available for public preview. At it's core, Live.com is a personal search application. Among its features, the posed Google competitor offers "Smart Scroll" function allowing users to view up to 100 results on one page, shareable search macros, and a slider bar that adjusts the amount of previewed content shown.

Official Press Release:
Microsoft Unveils Windows Live Search Beta
Innovative new search service delivers compelling new design, new search categories and custom search services; new betas of Windows Live Toolbar and Live.com also launched.
SAN DIEGO - March 7, 2006

Windows Live™ has actually been available to those "in the know" for quite some time. Davis D. Janowski wrote an early review for PC Magazine in February.

Windows Live Local (beta)
REVIEW DATE: 02.02.06
PCMag.com

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

AskJeeves.com just became Ask.com, retiring its butler mascot and question-format search in favor of an uncluttered main page and improved search technology. In sum, Ask.com tried to make news in the search engine world by doing some rebranding, and it worked.

Official Press Release:
The New Ask.com Unveiled: New Site, New Brand, New Tools
Innovative Search Tools, Advanced Search Technology and Sleek Design Help Users Search Faster
OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 27, 2006
Ask.com

With search site relaunch, Jeeves loses top billing
By Elinor Mills
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
February 26, 2006, 9:00 PM PST

May 26, 2005 - Google Maps Debut, Interviews with SEO Logic Co-Founders

July 1, 2004 - Microsoft Debuts New Search Engine, Amazon Launches A9, Man Threatens Google, Yahoo! Drops Google

October 21, 2003 - Google Trademark Suit, Yahoo! Completes Purchase of Overture, Microsoft Ends Agreement with Looksmart

September 30, 2003 - Google Acquires Kaltix, Yahoo! Tests Inktomi Search Integration

July 14, 2003 - Yahoo! Acquires Overture, Google Launches AdSense

May 30, 2003 - Microsoft and AOL-Time Warner Settle Anti-Trust Lawsuit Over Netscape Communications

April 7, 2003 - Yahoo Upgrades its Image and Search Engine, Microsoft Aims at the Search Engine Marketplace, Google Signs Up Amazon.com

March 31, 2003 - Sportsline.com Signs on with Google Adwords, Google IPO Update, Disney Signs on with Google AdWords, Google Content-Targeted Advertising Launched

February 25, 2003 - Overture Raises Minimum Bid, Open Directory Produces RDF, Google Acquires Pyra Labs, Overture Acquires AltaVista Co., Inktomi Extends Relationship with MSN, Overture Acquires Web Search Unit of Fast (AllTheWeb)

January 30, 2003 - Google vs. Evil, Yahoo! Acquires Inktomi, Commentary on Froogle, Interview with JoeAnt, Open Directory Finally Working Again

January 29, 2003 - JoeAnt Creates a New Volunteer Culture - Interview with JoeAnt website directory founding editor explores JoeAnt's history, culture, and technology.

December 12, 2002 - Google Launches Froogle Shopping Search, China's Internet Censorship

November 23, 2002 - Google Growing Pains and Plans, AltaVista Unveils New Look and Features, Inktomi Unveils Web Search 9

October 10, 2002 - Yahoo! Goes Google, MetaCrawler Goes Google, Fast Implements Macromedia SDK, and Fast Named in Privacy Violation Lawsuit with DoubleClick

August 23, 2002 - AOL Goes Google, Search Engine Optimization Best Practices from AMA, SEC Investigates AOL, FTC Continues Investigating VeriSign

July 20, 2002 - Google Partners with Ask Jeeves and the FTC Goes After the Major Search Engines

July 02 - July 11, 2002 - Yahoo!'s New Look, FTC Warnings to Search Engines, Google Extends and Expands Relationship with Yahoo!

July 01, 2002 - SEO Nightmares, News Services from Lycos, Google, and Yahoo, Virus Information, and the New Cooperative Effort Between AOL, MSN, and Yahoo

June 29, 2002 - FTC Instructs Search Engines to Make Paid Listings Clear and Conspicuous, ICANN Board of Directors Stops Elections, Microsoft and Overture Extend Agreement, the Teoma Toolbar, LookSmart Leadership Exodus, and a bit about Gator

June 21, 2002 - VeriSign Stops Unethical Marketing, Google IPO Prospects, and AllTheWeb.com Reaches 2 Billion

June 16, 2002 - ICANN Changes, New Search Engine Inquira, Macromedia Releases Search Engine Kit, About.com Labor Lawsuit, More on Yahoo's New Look

June 10, 2002 - More on LookSmart, AltaVista and Overture Renew their Vows, Court Backs AOL, Flash Usability, AOL-Microsoft Battle, and the new Yahoo Home Page Look

May 22, 2002 - MSN Announces Plan to Acquire AOL Customers, 60% of AOL Customers Plan to Leave, DoubleClick Settles Class-Action Lawsuit

May 21, 2002 - Netscape Goes Google

May 15, 2002 - GoDaddy Sues VeriSign, Google Dropping Spam Sites and Passing out the PageRank Penalties

May 13, 2002 - RealNames Shuts Down, Blaming Microsoft

May 11, 2002 - RealNames Shutting Down, eBay and AOL Renegotiate, Big Macs and Google, LookSmart Grabs for Attention

May 06, 2002 - Speculation about Yahoo! and Google, News about AOL and Google, InfoSpace Launches Meta Search Engine with Excite and WebCrawler

May 01, 2002 - AOL Drops Overture, AOL Signs Up with Google, Overture Extends Deal with Yahoo!

April 25, 2002 - LookSmart Now Pay-Per-Click, Overture Extends AOL Deal 1 Week, Yahoo! Extends Overture Deal, AOL Posts Record Losses

April 22, 2002 - FindWhat.com sues Overture, Overture sues Google, LookSmart buys WiseNut, About.com 'Guides' sue Primedia, and the Yahoo Yodeler Settles his Lawsuit