An ‘Independent Web Advice’ Blog

I am considering creating my own search engine. Obviously it will simply scrape results from the big seven, but I can control the results and perhaps provide a better niche service than is already available.

I thought about calling it ‘topsy turvy’ or perhaps ‘wwearch’. But the last thing we need is another Google clone.

So I am stuck.

The search engine will return results only from the UK. It will search Google, MSN, Yahoo, Altavista, Ask etc etc and find relevant results. Those results will be limited to several themes and perhaps a keyword or two. Those results can then be presented in any format and any sort order, creating a niche provider search engine.

Should it be part of this website? Or perhaps a more catchy domain? Independent Web Advice is not particularly easy to type, but how many times do you actually type a domain name? Usually you follow a link or a bookmark. So does it matter?

Any suggestions welcomed!

Paul

Take the Google Quiz, it is just for fun, and see how you do.

A score above 20 is very good, unless you worked out the system! It really isn’t a sophisticated quiz (just for fun) but I like it.

There is a mistake in one of the questions - not in the correctness or not of the answers, but a mistake indeed, a childish error I have made. Can you spot it?
I will post the answer here in a few days time when I have had time to correct it. Busy Busy Busy!!!!!!!

Paul

I have come to realise that communication is a weakness for me.

What do I mean?

It seems that I can’t help making assumptions about other peoples knowledge of the net. I always assume too much.

I often go off at a tangent in my thinking and run ahead with a project without a proper buy-in from others.

For this I apologise.

The solution!

The solution is remarkably simple. The answer was given to me by Tom Jones of Cherizena Coffee. Just get on the phone and speak. Emails are no good.

Why are emails no good? Because we write them in sloppy English, they are after all, not novels. Sloppy English can be read in different voices. So a funny comment by you in an email seems like an angry outburst to a reader. A concern raised can come across as a criticism. A slight nudge to action can appear like a command.

PLUS: The final nail in the coffin, email tennis, the inevitable consequence of lengthy electronic communication.

So from now on, the telephone is once again my friend, and my inbox (stuffed to the rafters as it is) will become a secondary form of communication.

Paul.

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