The Hindu : Business : Controlled search with Snap

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 18, 2004

Business

Business

Controlled search with Snap

NORMAL SEARCH engines have loads of information. This week's NetSpeak takes a look at a few search engines that allow one to tame the information explosion by providing tools for further refining/filtering the search output.

While invoking a search on a normal search engine like Google, for a general query, the search service lists out all the sites that contain the string. For example, for the query string `virus', one will get innumerable links, of which, probably, only a few will be relevant. Of course, by altering the query string and restarting the search process one can attempt to zoom in to the relevant links. Instead of repeating the search process to reduce the output, if the search engine provides some mechanism that lets the user filter out the results already produced by it herself, the search process will become more productive. The new search engine, Snap (http://snap.com/), launched a few weeks ago by Idealab (http://www.idealab.com/), features several tools for filtering and narrowing down the results.

Snap

In response to a search query, along with search results, Snap presents an interface with several tools for sorting/filtering the results in multiple ways. For instance, if you type the word `virus', like other search engines, Snap will also produce a search output with a list of sites that contain the word `virus'. However, on the output page one will find a set of labelled columns just above the result list. These columns show various statistics about the sites being displayed such as `Popularity' (number of users who clicked on the page), `Satisfaction' and the top-level domain. By changing the values of any of these parameters, one can narrow down the search output on the fly. For example, one can get all the sites with popularity rating of 10 or better (just enter the string `{gt}10' into the box labelled `Popularity').

One can also refine the search output by filtering "on a word or phrase within the listings you get from one's query". For example, if you enter the word `virus scan' into the box labelled `Web Results', the service will immediately display the results that match this filter and remove all the ones that do not match.

Teoma (http://www.teoma. com/) is another search engine that provides certain tools for further refining the search results. According to its web site (http://sp.teoma.com/docs/teoma/about/searchwithauthority.html), Teoma analyses the content of web pages and groups them into subject specific communities. While displaying search results, along with the output list, it suggests various subject-specific groups related to the search term, under the heading `Refine'. To get more relevant results, select an appropriate category from the list shown by the service.

As an example, if you enter the search string `Econometrics', the service, along with normal search output, will display various categories related to Econometrics that include `Econometrics Software', `Econometrics Journals', `Econometric models' and `Econometrics Introduction', under the heading `Refine'.

Hence, for precise results on Econometrics software, narrow down the search output by clicking on the option `Econometrics Software'. The clustered search engine, Clush (http://www.clush. com/) that groups search results into subject-specific clusters is another service worth a try.

The recently launched search engine Clusty (http://clusty.com/) and the search service Mooter (http://www.mooter. com/moot), brought to this author's notice by the reader, Suresh Babu Raghuraman, are similar search tools that make use of the clustering technique effectively for helping users spot relevant sites easily.

Gmail, the free web-based e-mail service launched by Google, is now one of the most sought after services on the Net. Many might have already become its users.

To help use the service more efficiently, Gmail enthusiasts are running several blogs/wiki sites packed with articles on latest Gmail features/Gmail based tools. The service Gmailusers.com (http://www.gmailusers. com/) that features a wide array of Gmail based resources is one such product. On this site, several articles, FAQs, tips/tricks, and information on various tools related to Gmail are given.

Gmail drive

One of the attractions of Gmail is the ample storage space. However, for most netizens, a large part of this 1GB storage space will remain unused if it is only used to store e-mails. That is, we will have a huge on-line storage medium at our disposal, provided some mechanism lets us convert the gmail mailbox into a storage area where our digital resources can be kept. The simple program `Gmail drive' is an attempt to cover this requirement.

Gmail drive creates a virtual drive around the Gmail account. Once the program is installed, it appears as another drive, which can be accessed through the Windows Explorer. When clicked on the drive icon, it will ask for gmail account details.

Once successfully logged in to the account, one can start using it like any other drive on your machine. The files are stored as e-mail attachments. As this method allows the user to use Gmail account without having to visit its site, Google may not allow this kind of access to its service always. For more details: http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail. htm.

J. Murali

Email the author at:
murali27@satyam.net.in

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