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InsideGoogle
Monday, October 18, 2004
 
Info.com Wants To Out-Google Google
Info.com, a meta search engine , launches today, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The new site lets you search from Google and 13 other engines, including Teoma, AltaVista, Fast, Overture, Inktomi, Ask Jeeves, and Yahoo, in addition to comparison-shopping via Shopping.com, news via Topix.net, and weather and phone book listings. The article also explains how the founder of the company, Stephen Scarr, bought the Info.com domain back in 1999 and has been building the search engine ever since. Lots of features, but unless the site plans on offering its own content, I don't know if its gonna make it. Plus, combining the results from many different engines doesn't necessarily make for a better search, since the results from less-accurate engines are only hurting the better engines, not making them more accurate. You are only as accurate as your worst search engine.

Comments:
Meta-search has always seemed like a bad idea and the implementations have proven such. Any so-called Google-killer is going to have to do much better than that. I don't think Google will get beaten by a better Google but only by taking it's eye off the search ball (as Yahoo did) which so far it has not done.
 
I think meta search is fundamentally flawed. Meta search is only as good as the engines it uses. If it becomes too popular, the other engines become less popular and have to cut back to cut costs. Thus, any successful meta search engine will hurt and worsen the regular search engines it relies on as its bread and butter. Its a no-win situation.
 
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