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Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

Monday, October 27, 2008
16 years ago25,761 views

Garett Rogers traces some things found in Google translation jobs:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Google/?p=1164

<<“SearchWiki” – The name of the search feature that allows you to edit results.>>

Could be related to the previously surfaced votable search results though?

http://www.google.com/experimental/a840e102_screen.jpg

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

http://www.google.com/search?q=google&swm=2

PierreS [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Wicked cool

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Ionut, what's that?

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

That's one of the URLs given as an example in the translations:

Phrase in English:
All SearchWiki notes

Translation Help:
Heading of the page showing all the edits for a particular query. <p>URL showing this message: <a href="http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=2" target=example>http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=2</a>

Phrase in English:
All notes for this SearchWiki

Translation Help:
Text for showing everyone's edits. <p>URL showing this message: <a href="http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=2" target=example>http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=2</a>

There's another one which doesn't seem to do anything:

Phrase in English:
See all my SearchWiki notes

Translation Help:
Label for a link to review one's own activities. <p>URL showing this message: <a href="http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=1" target=example>http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=1</a>

Phrase in English:
SearchWiki

Translation Help:
The name of the search feature that allows you to edit results. <p>URL showing this message: <a href="http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=1" target=example>http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=1</a>

Phrase in English:
Please remember that your SearchWiki notes will be visible to other users, identified with your Google Account nickname.

Translation Help:
The second part of the notice shown when a user first edits a result. <p>URL showing this message: <a href="http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=1" target=example>http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=1</a>

Phrase in English:
See all notes for this SearchWiki

Translation Help:
Label for a link to view everyone's edits. <p>URL showing this message: <a href="http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=1" target=example>http:// www.google.com/search?q=foo&swm=1</a>

Justin Hileman [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

It's back :)

SearchWiki screenshots and a short video here:
http://justinhileman.info/blog/2008/10/searchwiki-googles-customized-social-search-is-back

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

[put at-character here]all : Do you see the same that Justin sees?
In my case, I only see a blue top bar, nothing else change

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/411/searchwikisf5.png

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I see what you see Tom.

Justin Hileman [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

[put at-character here]TOMHTML: I was also part of the last round of testing (http://justinhileman.info/blog/2008/07/googles-edit-search-results-experiment), so it wouldn't surprise me if this were another limited rollout.

It's interesting that it shows you the "All SearchWiki notes" bar this time though. Last time it appeared to do nothing for people without 'lucky' accounts.

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

SEL says it will launch today:

<< Google will announce today the launch of SearchWiki, a major addition to its user interface that allows users to edit search results. When using SearchWiki, you can re-order, remove, or add web pages to the search results for any query. You can also add notes to specific listings. You have to be logged in to a Google account so that the changes you make will be saved and shown the next time you run the same search. >>

http://searchengineland.com/google-searchwiki-launches-15561.php

dpneal [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

from the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7740815.stm

Jérôme Flipo [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Login page?

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I don't think it's launched yet Jérôme. These sites just write articles from a press release, pretending that they've seen the service in action. (Of course, it has been tested on a few people but most of these news sites are just regurgitating the press release.)

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I already know what I won't like about the new feature: it will make search results cluttered. Google should provide a separate wiki mode (placing a link like "edit search results", "change the results") that adds voting buttons, commenting options.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

From Search Engine Land:

<<Google emphasizes that changes made in the SearchWiki interface will have no impact on the traditional ranking of web pages. If you put your own site in the 1st position for your primary keywords, you’re the only Google user who’ll see your site at the top of the rankings. Your site will, however, be included when users click the “See all notes for this SearchWiki” link at the bottom of the page; that link leads to another page that shows what results other users have re-ordered, removed, or added.

Still, Dupont didn’t completely rule out the possibility that user data from SearchWiki may someday impact regular search rankings. I asked what would happen if 10,000 people all added “Matt McGee’s Widget Page” to their own results for the phrase [widget]. “We’re always looking at user data as a signal,” Dupont says.>>

Oradzuza [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

[moved from "Promote google results?"]

Hi all,
I search and did not see anyone else on here with this. There are two new buttons by my results. On hover the first one says "Promote" the other "remove". Also some new links on the bottom about this. When first click it asked if I wanted to use the feature. Sorry, I didn't think to take a screen shot of that.

Anyways, here's what it looks like:

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc240/oradzuza/Picture1.png

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc240/oradzuza/Picture2.png

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc240/oradzuza/Picture3.png

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc240/oradzuza/Picture4.png

This is the link for the one screenshot with all the comments.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=google&swm=2
If you want more pictures just ask.

-oradzuza

Oradzuza [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

[moved]

ugh. Should have searched more. Sorry.

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/10/google-searchwiki.html

-o

Keith Chan [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Official Google Blog post except I don't see it in my account yet when I search:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/searchwiki-make-search-your-own.html

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Seeing or not SearchWiki is really related to your Google Account, because I tried on the same data center than a colleague and he gets SearchWiki while I'm still trying to get it :-/

Above 19 comments were made in the forum before this was blogged,

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

A comment from Garett at Googling Google:

<<I’m still a bit confused why people would use this new feature — to me it seems like a huge waste of screen real-estate considering the vast majority of users will never touch it. Even fewer will likely rank web results and do the same query again in the future to see any benefit from the service.>>
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Google/?p=1187

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I have to agree with Garett here. Although I'm half wondering whether they're doing this as a temporary measure just to get it more exposure. After a few months they could easily then make it opt-in if they wanted.

Jérôme Flipo [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I hope the comments quality will be higher than on Youtube. But I doubt.

Didier DURAND [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

Google just launched a new form of VERY VISIBLE spam / trolling that will anger the Adwords advertisers.

Won't last long before it's suppressed / heavily reduced in visibility

didier

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

> Google just launched a new form of VERY VISIBLE spam

I wasn't able to fully test this yet as I have one account with SearchWiki enabled, but... I'm not sure comments are immediately visible to anyone else, could well be you need to upvote something first to activate that. If anyone with SearchWiki could test if they see my comment below en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test by default (provided you didn't upvote or comment on that page yourself yet):

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=test

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

You only see the comments if you click "See all notes for this SearchWiki" which takes you to this page:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=test&swm=2

Your comment – "I like Wikipedia. Sometimes." – is currently the only one displayed until you click "4 comments".

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

There's plenty of spam: http://www.google.com/search?q=amazon&swm=2

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I still do not see it :-/

K [PersonRank 2]

16 years ago #

From the "report comment" page:
*This post is spam.*
This post contains unauthorized copyrighted content.
This post contains abusive or objectionable content.
This post contains illegal content.
This post advocates hate or violence.
Other

Just saying... if it's bothering you that much.

Zim [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Finally I'll be able to get rid of spammy "freeware" download sites like softpedia! :D
I'm lovin' it

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Why do you think Softpedia is spammy?

Keith Chan [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I think this feature would have an impact on fast raising topics such as some breaking news or sort like that.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

So far, I don't like the clutter, but there is some personal joy in making results you don't like "explode" on the click of the X :)

I'm not sure it helps though of course, that's a different issue! Whether it helps or not, perhaps part of this is that Google is hoping if they serve you a bad result, at least you'll be able to take it out on the site itself by exploding it, thus not project your dissatisfaction on Google? In that way it would be like a stress ball – you're not permanently deforming anything for real but it helps relax :)

Affan Laghari [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

It may be that if Google sees a lot of upvoting/downvoting on a particular result for a particular query, then they can forward that query with the voted result to their search quality human raters as urgent, top priority.

That would probably make their job easier and would be better than randomly (or thru algos) trying to guess which query needs a hand-job. Maybe this would also save them from some negative blog posts where people show photos of bad results.

And I can see 2 really good uses for this (only):

1). Many people go to websites using brand searches like rather than typing cnn.com in the address bar, they would type it in the GG Toolbar. So if they do that and don't usually get their desired result on top, they can do so now. This is especially useful if the site's URL is a big one and has a abbrev. version but doesn't rank for that.

2). Users seem to love lists. So if I want to make a list of free SEO tools, I would do a search for that (using num=20,100, etc). Then, I will go visit each result, if it's good for me, I will upvote, else remove. That way, I will soon have a list of free seo tools that I can access/edit anytime. Don't have to copy the whole page with links and paste it in some Word file, nor I need to go to each and individually bookmark each.

Hashim Warren [PersonRank 4]

16 years ago #

I do some of the same queries all the time. Yes, I am one of those crazy people who use search as navigation.

I can see myself using SearchWiki in the same way I use my bookmarks – as a quick way to return to familiar places on the web.

matt@mavrev.com [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

I saw this in my search results when I was logged in more than 3 weeks ago... Interesting.

PierreS [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Softpedia has a spammy look, and i can't help feeling most of its content is out of date screenscraped material.
I can be wrong though.

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I've been able to get SearchWiki by creating a new Google account...

QUESTION: is there a way to disable it?

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Yup, add &hl=all to the search URL.

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Well, why not... but the average user don't know this tip. The average user will not use Searchwiki because they found no interest to modify a SERP that they will see only once in their lifetime.

Thanks for the tip anyway.

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

40% of the searches are re-searches, according to Marissa Mayer.

Dominic Parker [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

Wonder if they'd ever implement a similar system on paid search ads...I'm guessing not!

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I have the function in my account as well, i don't realy like it, it makes the resultpage very busy with all the icons. When i move a result to the top, sometimes i see something like this "4320 – Picked by defcon, Duarte, Gingerblokey, and others.". These are other Google users?.

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Google added an experiment, SearchWiki with sound

http://www.google.com/experimental/

Jonny T [PersonRank 0]

16 years ago #

How funny is this? This is got to be the most comments and votes for any keyword/phrase....

http://www.google.com/search?q=seo&swm=2

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

"40% of the searches are re-searches, according to Marissa Mayer."
>> 60% aren't.
>> this mean results of those requests are good, so you don't have to comment them or change results
>> a non-so-small part of those 40% are from people using "I'm feeling lucky"-like functions, or from SEO-software (checking rankings) : SearchWiki is useless here too.

dpneal [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I can't see SearchWiki any more. It's completely disappeared for me. Has anyone else found this?

Grega M [PersonRank 2]

16 years ago #

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/22/google-searchwiki-vanishes/

Grega M [PersonRank 2]

16 years ago #

As written in the above mentined article, it seems it is vanished for all...

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

It's still there for me

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

It was gone for me briefly yesterday, but is back now.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Search Engine Land put up a Q&A with Google on the subject of SearchWiki:
http://searchengineland.com/qa-with-google-on-searchwiki-dont-expect-an-opt-out-soon-15599.php

- Google won't promise any opt-out at the moment, hopes that people will use the feature and get used to it. They say feedback by many others was positive.
- SearchWiki temporarily not working recently was a hiccup, it should be definitely rolled out for most users by now, Google says (except perhaps those on certain old browsers).

Tony Ruscoe [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I actually thought it had been removed it earlier because I didn't even notice it after doing a search. It was definitely still there though. I guess I must be just ignoring it now. Like most other UI changes, I think people will just get used to it.

Sein Lin [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

I have never seen this interface since then until now. I don't know what's wrong. I'm in Singapore.

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

http://searchengineland.com/google-may-use-searchwiki-for-ranking-purposes-15777.php

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

I wonder if Google is hoping that people will use this like del.icio.us i.e. will use it to set up a list of links per keyword.

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