INTERNET: SEARCH: TOOLS AND SERVICES: Google Universal and Its New Navigation Google Universal and Its New Navigation by Greg R. Notess Posted On May 29, 2007 <http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/nbReader.asp?ArticleId=36281> At Googles Searchology event on May 16, 2007, Google announced several major changes at the search engine, all of which have now begun to appear in Google results. The introduction of universal search, a new universal navigation bar, contextual navigation links, more related search suggestions, experimental search, and cross-language searching may not jump out to the casual searcher. Yet the aggregate effect of these changes is one of the more substantial rewrites that Google has done. Not all of Googles worldwide search sites are using the new universal search or display the universal navigation bar. According to a Google spokesperson: At this time, universal search results are only available on Google.com, English only. Making new products and services available globally is a top priority for us and we are working as quickly as possible to make it available in additional languages but do not have specific dates to share. Note that even people searching directly at Google.com will not see these new features if they have chosen a non-English interface language, including the humorous options of Elmer Fudd or Pig Latin. Google has expanded well beyond its early start with a single database of indexed Web pages. Over the past several years, it has added many new searchable databases including News, Scholar, Books, Patents, Video, Images, and more. For several years, Google has been working on finding a way to integrate these disparate databases. As Marissa Mayer (Googles vice president of search products and user experience) said at the Searchology presentation, the new universal search approach is about breaking down these silos of information that have been built up and ultimately integrating them all into one single search experience. Google has been working on laying the groundwork for this change over the last few years, and Mayer notes that the current version is just a beginning and that the rest will unfold over the next several years. ---------------------------------------- The complete article may be read at the URL above. There are discussions of these topics in the balance of the article: What Has Changed? But, Wait! Theres More Quoting: "At the same time that Google introduced universal search, it also set up Google Experimental <http://www.google.com/experimental> This Google Labs project lets searchers choose alternative methods of displaying results. For example, the contextual links can be replaced with either left- or right-hand navigation. Another experimental search option introduces keyboard commands to move around the search results page while a timeline and map view provides some unique analyses of a subset of search results on a timeline or a Google map." <http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/nbReader.asp?ArticleId=36281> ---------------------------------------- Comments: With any gain there can also be loss. The old configuration had a link at the right of the Google specialized databases featured on the main page for a hyperlinked MORE. Clicking MORE brought up a box of hyperlinked opitions including at the bottom of this box the option EVEN MORE. Clicking on EVEN MORE brought the user to this web page. More Google Products <http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/> Here one has a library of Google search tools and services. As far as I can tell, now on Google's main page, there is no link to this excellent and powerful Google resource index. I advise my clients to bookmark and otherwise record this web pages existence. Find more detail regarding this page here: INTERNET: SEARCH TOOLS AND SERVICES: Google Changes <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/18338> I also hope that the Google plan long term is to keep these "silos" as seperate search tools as well as making results from all available in a general Google search. If one is looking for book content or for scholarly articles, one will be badly served if this content can only be found buried in huge general Google search results. Sincerely, David Dillard Temple University (215) 204 - 4584 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Net-Gold <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold> <http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html> <http://groups.google.com/group/net-gold?hl=en> <http://net-gold.jiglu.com/> General Internet & Print Resources <http://library.temple.edu/articles/subject_guides/general.jsp> <http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html> Digital Divide Network <http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/jwne> Educator-Gold <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/> K12ADMINLIFE <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12AdminLIFE/> _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
